Key Management
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SeaHAVN key management personnel have been involved for more than thirty years in all phases of fisheries resource management, regulation, vessel construction, repairs, renovation, operational management, vessel ownership, domestic and international production, marketing, financing and project development throughout key United States and international fisheries specifically including the Mauritanian resource zone; SeaHAVN's management team includes other experienced international and domestic operational professionals who have also successfully developed and operated both U.S. and international factory fishing freezer trawler vessels and their companies during the past 30 years including SeaHAVN's vessels.
SeaHAVN management profiles are provided in detail in the full business plan; SeaHAVN has access to qualified and experienced masters, mates, engineers and personnel to fulfill the 44(105m) crew requirement for each vessel; European and Mauritanian based SeaHAVN management locations in Las Palmas, Spain; Monaco; Nouakchott and Nouadhibou, Mauritania; will compliment an operating company co-located in Iceland.
James A. Wexler, Esq.
SeaHAVN Chairman and CEO - the Founder, CEO and Chairman of SeaHAVN over the past thirty years, has been a significant participant at all industry levels. Nineteen years as a Director, CEO, President and/or General Counsel in more than fifteen fishing factory trawler vessel companies with operations in the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia. Eight years as a commissioned officer including two years aboard U.S. government oceanographic and fisheries research vessels operating in the Pacific and Six years as regional counsel for the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service where he was involved in the development and enforcement of the fisheries management laws in the U.S. 200 mile zone and three years as Director, Department of Natural Resources, Economic Development Council, Seattle.
Arne Longva
SeaHAVN COO Vessel Operations - with over 30 years operational experience in maritime and fisheries will provide operational and vessel organizational planning, preparation and management. He will supervise day-to-day vessel management including coordination of on-board harvesting and processing activities as well as working closely with delivery of production at sea. Mr. Longva will also technically assist with the vessel design, equipment selection and oversee all vessel constructions as well as manage the transition operational team upon acquisition of the F/V Veronica. Master Mariner Certificate (1985), Unlimited Norwegian and Marshall Islands License (1985)similar, Norwegian citizen with U.S. permanent residency, 27 years operational experience as master, mate and master fish processor chief aboard factory fishing freezer trawlers in Mauritania, North and South Atlantic and Pacific Ocean operations, Managed transition and merger of 12 vessel Norwegian and Russian fishing joint venture fleet, Graduate Royal Norwegian Naval Academy (1976), Bachelor of Science Marine Transportation, Institute of Business Administration, Bergen (Norway)(1986-87), Graduate, Aalesund Nautical College (Norway)(1978-82).
Scott Baker
SeaHAVN Chief Financial Officer, Secretary & Financial Director, will analyze, develop and coordinate financial evaluations for operations of the fishing factory freezer trawlers for operations in the United States, Africa and in Atlantic and Pacific Ocean areas of operations. Mr. Baker has coordinated development of operational business and financial models for the fishing industry. Developed cash flow projections, balance sheets and income statements for all operational scenarios. Successfully negotiated USD165million in funding options for the company. Coordinated with operational operatives and resource analysts for development of fisheries business plans involving a variety of vessel configurations and sizes.
Maurice Benza
MaurAmer S.A., Chairman & CEO, will coordinate all Mauritanian on-shore support for the vessels including fish licensing; processing the vessels through port and customs procedures upon arrival in Mauritania; coordination with the Oceanographic Institute of Mauritania, Ministry of Fisheries; coordination and compliance with all local fishing regulations; and will provide vessel support services including arranging supplies, spare parts, fuel and other necessaries if needed as well as emergency or medical assistance. M. Benza is actively involved as an owner, director in a number of Mauritanian fishing and vessel management companies that directly manage all phases of operations for thirteen factory freezer trawl vessels which complement the proposed operations of the SeaHAVN vessels. In addition to M. Benza’s varied corporate activities he is an elected Deputy from his region in the National Parliament (equivalent of a Senator). He has been re-elected four times for five-year terms of office and received an 80% plurality in the last election held in October, 1996. M. Benza’s organization has offices in Nouadibou (the fishery center) where his vessel management team is head-quartered as well as in Nouakchott (the capital). He is involved in a variety of industries. M. Benza and his fisheries expert (former Minister of Fisheries) have reviewed all projections for harvest and biomasses in the proposal and have confirmed their accuracy. He has confirmed that the current harvest by all other vessels do not achieve even 10% of the total allowable catch for pelagic species to be targeted by the SeaHAVN vessel.
Unimed Glory A.S.
SeaHAVN will seamlessly co-manage and market production with Unimed Glory A.S. Unimed is a wholly owned subsidiary of Laskaridis Group which is a family owned group of shipping companies based in Athens, Greece. The group owns and manages in excess of 100 ships, mainly reefer carriers and tankers. The managers of Unimed Glory S.A. are all experienced trawler operators. The General Manager, Per Pevik, is a Norwegian National, has 15 years experience managing trawlers for Norwegian, American and Greek owners in Alaska, Russian Far East, South America and West Africa. He holds a Norwegian unlimited Master’s License. Mr. Mr. Pevik was fleet manager for Emerald Seafoods, Inc., Seattle, Washington which owned and successfully operated 3 x 100 meter Alaska factory fishing freezer trawlers in the mid-1980’s and 1990’s involved in the development of the surimi production fleet. Mr. Wexler was a founder, Director and General Counsel with Emerald Seafoods, Inc. at the time Mr. Pevik was fleet manager. Mr. Pevik, Mr. Longva and Mr. Wexler have known each other for more than 20 years and have successfully organized, managed and marketed comparable trawler operations as a team during that time. The Operation Manager, Tony Zuanich, is an American National with long factory trawler experience from the Bering Sea fishing for well known trawler companies such as American Seafoods Company and Birting Fisheries. He has 6 years experience as Operation Manager for factory trawlers both in the United States and in Greece. He holds an American Master’s License. The Technical Manager, Theodore Zeppos, is a Greek National with a British Master’s Degree in Marine Engineering. Before joining Unimed, he was employed as Technical Superintendant for Laskaridis Shipping for many years. He has now managed the Technical Department of Unimed Glory S.A. for 3 years. The Accounting Manager and Office Administrator, David Oliver, is an American National with 25 years of accounting experience including 4 years of trawler accounting for Russian and Greek owners. He knows intimately GAP and IAS accounting as well as the peculiarities of Russian accounting.
The company has managed the 14 sister ships including the Vladimir Starzhinsky and Stimul all Spanish built trawlers of Norwegian design. The trawlers are 105 meters in length and 20 meters wide and were built between1991 and 1994 utilizing latest technologies available and have since been upgraded on a regular basis. Original building cost was USD 28 million and current replacement costs are much in excess of this amount. The trawlers have a production capacity that ranges from 160-250 metric tons of frozen product and 25 tons of fishmeal per day. The factories on each trawler can filet up to 1.2 million fish per day. With an average fish size of 500 grams, this equals 600 metric tons of round fish per day in addition to 150 metric tons through the fishmeal plant. In the case of pelagic fishing, the trawlers can consistently catch and freeze not less than 200 tons of round fish plus up to 25 tons of fishmeal per day. Each of the trawlers can produce the following products:
1.Frozen boneless / skinless fillets in blocks or interleaved.
2.Frozen mince / fish farce
3.Frozen headed and gutted fish
4.Frozen whole round fish
5.Fishmeal
Also, 2 of the trawlers they have managed can produce up to 80 tons of surimi (fish paste) per day in addition to the abovementioned products, and several of the vessels managed have produced Shrimp in the past. The team has experience in a variety of production formats.
The vessels were built to survive and operate in the harsh climate of the Far East of Russia and they have proven to be strong and reliable. The maintenance has been carried out with great care and the vessels have been constantly supplied with the latest in factory processing machinery as well as the latest fish finding and navigation equipment available.
Currently 4 of the trawlers are operating in the South Pacific targeting Horse Mackerel and include the Vladimir Starzhinsky and Stimul.. This operation commenced in late April last year and the average production rate is on schedule to meet their goal of 90,000 tons product annually.
The trawlers are manned by Russian officers and crews with long experience on these same ships. In addition, 4 European department managers are employed on each ship to ensure that production, product quality and technical maintenance conform to the highest standards. Currently several of the vessels have included Chinese crew to save costs.
