Tuesday, November 24, 2009 – Stamford, Connecticut – Mr. Philippe Louis-Dreyfus, President of Louis Dreyfus Armateurs Group has been named as the Connecticut Maritime Association (CMA) Commodore for the year 2010.
Mr. Louis-Dreyfus, who recently stepped down as President of the European Community Shipowner’s Association (ECSA) (he is still a Director) follows a long succession of influential maritime industry leaders as Commodore. The Award will be presented to Mr. Louis-Dreyfus on March 24, 2010 at the Gala Dinner marking the conclusion of the annual Connecticut Maritime Association conference and trade exposition.
The Award is given each year to a person in the international maritime industry who has contributed to the growth and development of the industry.
Mr. Louis-Dreyfus is President of Louis Dreyfus Armateurs Group, which has been a major player in the drybulk transportation sector since 1893. Cetragpa SNC, a fully owned subsidiary, operates a diversified fleet of about 20 dry bulk cargo vessels ranging in size from 20,000 to 180,000 tons, and is a leader in the global dry bulk transportation business.
Long a proponent of Short Sea Shipping, the company has been expanding its Roll- On/Roll Off business, LD Lines. In 2006 it moved 70,000 trucks, 150,000 cars and more than 310,000 passengers over several routes. In just a few years LD Lines has become a major operator in the Mediterranean and Channel freight and passenger market.
Louis Dreyfus Armateurs Group is also an active participant in the tug barge business and the floating crane business providing efficient logistics services to infrastructure constrained dry bulk export regions, moving commodities from mine or shore into large ocean going vessels. The company also owns seismic research vessels, and through recently acquired Fairmont Marine, offers sophisticated skills and vessels, both modern tugs and semi-submersible barges for ocean towage clients.
Mr. Louis-Dreyfus is also a member of the supervisory board of Bureau Veritas, a Director of the UK P&I Club, Director of the French Foreign Trade Council and Director of the French Business Confederation.
Beth Wilson-Jordan, President of the CMA, upon making the announcement, stated “The company is well known and singularly impressive. Mr. Louis-Dreyfus’ personal commitment to all aspects of our business is and has been generous in terms of personal time, thought and passionate commitment. What may be less well known is how supportive Mr. Louis-Dreyfus has been to our Association, from assisting us with an office in their old Stamford office building to their group’s support of the Association through its employees, Cliff Dahl, who was our first Vice President and Gerry Desmond who held that same position several years later. In fact a recent Louis Dreyfus delivery honors Cliff by bearing his name.â€
Former CMA Commodores include: Ole Skaarup, Jacob Stolt-Nielsen, George Livanos, Phil Loree, Thomas Moran, Gregory Hadjieleftheriadis, Helmut Sohmen, Gerhard Kurz, William O’Neil, Richard du Moulin, Per Heidenreich, Mark Saverys, Frank Tsao, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Peter Georgiopoulos, C. Sean Day, Torben Jensen, Morten Arntzen, John Fredriksen and Capt. Wei Jiafu.
The 2010 Commodore Award will be presented to Mr. Louis-Dreyfus at the March 24 Commodore Gala Dinner at the Hilton Hotel in Stamford, Connecticut.
