Pacific-Gulf Marine (PGM) has been appointed general agent by the U.S. Maritime Administration (Marad) to provide full ship management services in support of the training ship General Rudder.
The training ship is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation-Maritime Administration's National Defense Reserve Fleet and is currently berthed at the Texas A&M Maritime Academy campus in Galveston, Texas.
Established in 1976, PGM is a privately held, full-service marine operating and ship management company servicing both commercial and government accounts. The company is certified to the International Safety Management (ISM) Code and the International Standards Organization (ISO) 9001:2015 and 140002 standards.
The General Rudder will be used as a training platform for the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA - Kings Point), which trains officers to serve in the United States Merchant Marine, branches of the military, and the transportation industry in meeting training requirements for the Midshipmen while they earn sea time and valuable hands-on experience. As general agent, PGM will be responsible for all aspects related to the vessel's activation, including engineering, maintenance, and operational oversight of the vessel during the cruise.
Working in close cooperation with the American Maritime Officers (AMO) and Seafarers International Union (SIU), PGM has begun the process of manning the vessel. It is then anticipated that 41 midshipmen will join the vessel in preparation for the Nov. 21, 2020 training cruise.
PGM has a long history supporting both the U.S. Maritime Administration and industry training programs.
"We are extremely pleased to be involved with this project as we further our valued and longstanding relationship with Marad,” Todd Johnson, president and CEO of Pacific-Gulf Marine, said in a statement announcing the assignment.
“Although our team's role is a small part of this critical training mission, the assignment has our full attention; after all, the founder of our company was a USMMA graduate and placed a great emphasis on supporting those future generations who will one day be leaders in our U.S. maritime industry,"
