Meet the Newbuilds Team

The success of the Trillium Class will largely be based on the CSL professionals onsite at Chengxi Shipyard in China, at CSL offices in Beverly, MA, Montreal, QC, and company offices around the world. To meet the skilled men and women behind the project — and see the roles they play — refer to the organization chart below.

CSL’s New NEWbuilds team
When CSL begins taking delivery of the first of its newbuild self-unloaders in the summer of 2012, many people across the corporation will no doubt feel a sense of accomplishment. First among them will be the Newbuilds Team, both on site in the shipyard in China and in company offices in North America. The team, is a mix of experience and new talent, shipboard and shore staff and international and Great Lakes knowledge. In other words, it perfectly reflects CSL’s dynamic profile.

“We needed a wide skill set on the team,” said Kevin Begley, CSL International’s Director, Engineering and Projects. “With each ship, they will be responsible for managing the building of everything from the engine room to the navigation equipment to the unloading equipment to the accommodations. Although we’ve been involved in shipbuilding projects over the past few years with both the international and domestic forebody programs, the last ship we built from bow to stern was the CSL Spirit (2001), so this is a big undertaking.”

The team will be led by (Kevin) Begley, Project Manager, based in the CSLI office in Beverly, MA, and in China by Gerry Begley, On-site Project Manager. At its core, it will benefit from specific trade knowledge provided by senior engineers from the International and Great Lakes fleets, and be supported by managers chosen from CSLI and CSL offices. Garry Cooke, whose experience in designing and building self-unloaders dates back to the 1980s, will lend ongoing expertise as Consultant Naval Architect.

“During the design and engineering phase we called upon as wide a range of CSL personnel as possible for their input, and this proved very successful,” explained Begley. “When selecting the on-site supervision team, we again wanted CSL people to play a direct role on the ground, and to have an opportunity to advance their careers by being part of an exciting project.”

In essence, the Newbuilds Team will work with Chengxi Shipyard to deliver the high-end specifications CSL requires in each of its new ships. CSL’s relationship with Chengxi dates to 2004 with the delivery of several of the company’s forebody vessels.

“Although we will be employing proven technology, these are not standard ships,” said Begley. “They’re designed to have a high level of automation, high-quality coatings and have a big focus on environmental technology. The shipyard’s track record with us has been very good, and we’ve succeeded in putting similar owner’s specifications together in the past and having them deliver vessels at reasonable cost and on time. We’re looking for the same this time around, and the Newbuilds Team will help us achieve this goal.”