NEW ORLEANS – The Propeller Club Port of New Orleans will host guest speaker Rear Admiral James Watson USCG (Ret.) at their next “Lunch & Learn” on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015, at the New Orleans Marriott at the Convention Center, 859 Convention Center Blvd., Blaine Kern E, New Orleans, at 11:30 a.m.
The deadline to register for the event is Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015.
“Advancing Safety at Sea with ABS” will be the lecture topic and the discussion will include news and developments from one of the world's leading marine and offshore classification societies.
Watson is the American Bureau of Shipping’s Americas Division President and COO and is responsible for all operations of ABS in the Western Hemisphere. Prior to joining ABS, Watson served as Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) at the U.S. Department of the Interior. In this role he provided regulatory oversight for energy exploration and production on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. Before becoming BSEE Director, Watson served as the U.S. Coast Guard's Director of Prevention Policy for Marine Safety, Security and Stewardship, where his responsibilities included commercial vessel safety and security, ports and cargo safety and security and maritime investigations. He was also designated as the Federal On-Scene Coordinator for the government-wide response to the Macondo incident in the Gulf of Mexico.
Watson earned a Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1978. He received his Master of Science in Naval Architecture and his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1985. Watson earned an additional Master of Science in Strategic Studies at the National Defense University in 2001.
