As President and CEO of Nadeau Maritime, John serves as a senior advisor to owners and operators of commercial vessels, facilities, ports, and other maritime stakeholders. He uses his extensive leadership experience, technical expertise, and networks to help his clients tackle their biggest challenges, overcome hurdles, and improve safety. His areas of expertise include:
Corporate safety culture and safety management system (SMS) assessment & improvement.
Compliance strategies and key stakeholder engagement for U.S. & international regulations.
Offshore oil/gas/wind energy exploration, development & production.
Maritime accident and casualty investigation support.
Sustainable shipping, alternative fuels, and other novel & contemporary regulatory issues.
An accomplished senior leader and U.S. Coast Guard veteran, John successfully led diverse organizations conducting all aspects of marine safety, maritime security, and environmental stewardship. He was entrusted with positions of continuously increasing levels of responsibility, authority and complexity during his 32 years of service, which culminated in the rank of Rear Admiral.
John led 4,500 personnel and was responsible for all Coast Guard operations in a large region spanning 26 US states, including the ports of Houston, New Orleans, Corpus Christi, Port Arthur, Mobile and waterways from the FL panhandle to the TX/MX border, the Gulf of Mexico and Outer Continental Shelf, and the Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri, and other western rivers. He was the Coast Guard’s Senior Executive for all international and national policy, standards, and programs to promote marine safety, maritime security and environmental stewardship. He has accumulated deep technical experience in commercial vessel design, compliance inspections, safety management systems, port state control, casualty investigations, navigation safety, port & facility security, and crisis response.
He spearheaded development and implementation of national regulations and policy and, as the Head of the United States’ delegation to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), he advanced the US position on updates to SOLAS & MARPOL instruments and major challenges impacting the global maritime community, including the “IMO 2020” fuel oil sulphur cap, cyber risk management, ballast water treatment, autonomous ships, and the Polar Code and the International Code of Safety for Ship Using Gases or Other Low-flashpoint Fuels (IGF Code). He’s testified before Congressional committees to inform national legislation and priorities related to the maritime industry and he’s led national compliance initiatives, major marine casualty investigations, regulatory equivalency determinations, and evaluation and approval of novel approaches to regulatory compliance.
Having worked closely with multiple U.S. government agencies, classification societies, and leaders from all segments of the maritime industry, including U.S. and foreign flag tankships, cargo vessels, and cruise ships, inland towing vessels and barges, port facilities, and offshore support vessels and energy production facilities, he has built a large and diverse network. John leverages his experience and relationships to generate and implement solutions to his clients’ most pressing challenges and problems.