Michael Johnson, Sea Machines: MTR's #3 Ocean Influencer
winter storm. Unfortunately, she broke in half and all crew were lost. And we were searching in the waters, in 45-ft. seas. That was when I first learned how dynamic and powerful the seas are.”Photo courtesy David ShopperFast track to 2012, with Johnson in a leadership position at Crowley and Titan Salvage, where he led the team that wrote the winning bid to recover the wreck of the Costa Concordia. “Over the course of those 19 years from that first voyage to the Costa Concordia, I saw that simple and wrong human decisions can have catastrophic consequences. While humans are great at many
Ardent and Ardentia Join Forces
with remote operated vehicles in 2015. Ardentia has also completed the fuel and bunker removal of the M/T Woodford at 85m underwater in 2012, and the wreck removal of the trawler Santa Ana in Cabo Peñas, Spain. In May, 2015, Svitzer Salvage, a part of the Maersk Group, and Titan Salvage, under the Crowley Group, merged to form Ardent. Ardent sustains one of the most robust maritime preparedness programs in the industry for all vessels
Ushering in the Age of the Autonomous Workboat
the year. Michael Gordon Johnson is and entrepreneur, founding two companies and serving in various roles – offshore, heavy lift ocean transport and marine salvage – since graduating from Texas A&M University with a BA in Marine Engineering. Most recently he was a VP of Business at Titan Salvage and a VP of Projects at Crowley. His new venture is Sea Machines, a company created to design and provide unmanned work boats and autonomous control systems for the commercial marine and offshore markets. “The idea was conceived like a puzzle over the last five years, piece by piece as
Costa Concordia Salvage Engineer to Keynote Robotics Conference
removal project, including the challenges they faced and how they overcame them. Before successfully refloating the Costa Concordia – the world’s largest wreck to be recovered in one piece – Reed developed and implemented innovative techniques on numerous other wrecks with Titan Salvage. Now a marine salvage and wreck removal consultant, Reed is often called when a salvage operation requires unprecedented techniques due to the wreck’s size or condition. Reed helped to pioneer the use of small Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) in marine salvage operations
Titan Refloats Grounded Vessel
Titan Salvage refloated the 262-foot containership M/V Danio from its stricken position on England’s Northumberland coast despite challenging sea and weather conditions. Danio, which was carrying a load of timber and en route to Belgium from Scotland, ran aground at Farne Islands, an environmentally sensitive area, in early March. The onset of severe weather conditions prevented an immediate attempt to tow the Danio from the coastline. Because the Farne Islands – home to thousands of puffins and grey seals, as well as more than 20 bird species – is classified as a site of
Arduous GoM Drill Rig Salvage Accomplished
rig into a little used section of the Vermillion Block where the seas finally washed over the main deck and forced the rig to the ocean floor. Inland Salvage Incorporated (ISI), based in Harvey, LA, was awarded the salvage contract and began dedicating assets towards the effort, teaming up with Titan Salvage of Pompano Beach Fl. Titan's naval architects began performing stability calculations while ISI and Titan personnel mobilized to the wreck site onboard a 185 class lift boat which could remain on location even during the Gulf's winter storms. The Salvage Master, Gordon Olson, determined it would
Keenan Joins TITAN Salvage as Director of Operations
Patrick Keenan has joined the TITAN Salvage team as director of operations, bringing more than 20 years of worldwide, hands-on experience in naval architecture, marine engineering, salvage and marine pollution abatement. In his new position, Keenan will report to Managing Director Rich Habib and will be based in the company’s Pompano Beach, Fla., headquarters. TITAN is a Crowley Maritime Corp. subsidiary. Prior to joining TITAN, Keenan, who is a bilingual English-Spanish speaker, spent four years as the supervisor of salvage and diving, and director of ocean engineering for the U.S. Navy in
Crowley’s Solutions Group Appoints VP
Services, Logistics Services, Petroleum Services, Marine Services and Technical Services. Offered within these operating lines of business are: liner container shipping, logistics, contract towing and transportation; ship assist and escort; energy support; salvage and emergency response through its TITAN Salvage subsidiary; vessel management; vessel construction and naval architecture through its Jensen Maritime subsidiary; government services, and petroleum and chemical transportation, distribution and sales. Additional information about Crowley, its subsidiaries and business units may be found on the
Costa Concordia Salvage to Take a Year
Costa Cruises salvagers Titan-Micoperi plan to float Costa Concordia, tow it away, expected to take a full year's work Titan Salvage, a U.S. company owned by Crowley Maritime Group, with Micoperi, an Italian company specializing in underwater construction and engineering have been contracted to refloat the wrecked Costa Condordia and tow it away. The plan, which will re-float the vessel’s hull, places the highest priority for ensuring the lowest possible environmental impact as well as the conservation of tourist and economic activities on the island of Giglio, with maximum safety precautions.
February 2025
