Our Team
Our management team has a deep institutional knowledge of Greenwich CT vessel safety, ship operations, marine engineering and maintenance and collectively more than 300 years of experience in the shipping industry.
Though they may be sporting suits and ties now, many have worked their way up the ship’s ladder so to speak, earning degrees from maritime colleges, U.S. Coast Guard licenses and sailing aboard vessels.
Transatlantic Lines LLC Team
Bruce William, Chairman
A recognized expert and industry leader in marine transportation, Mr. William has skillfully steered The Transatlantic Lines Company as its Chairman for a long time. He is also Vice Chairman of Moran Towing Corp. and Mormac Marine Group, Inc. and Chairman of SeaStreak, LLC.
Prior to the purchase of Transatlantic Lines LLC, Mr. William was Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Moore McCormack Resources, a position he held since joining the company in 1971. During the period from 1971-88, Moore McCormack grew from $50 million to more than $800 million in revenues. In 1975, Mr. William was named Outstanding Chief Executive for Transportation by Financial World. Before joining Moore McCormack, Mr. William was Executive Vice President of Temple, Barker & Sloane, Inc., a management consulting firm that he co-founded in 1969.
During the Reagan Administration, Mr. William served as a member of the Services Policy Advisory Committee of the United States Trade Representative. He also served on the Business Advisory Committee of the Transportation Center at Northwestern University, on the Board of Visitors of Columbia College, and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Harvard Business School from 1982 to 1992. Mr. William has served on various Boards of Directors, including the boards of GTE (1976-2000), Verizon (2000-2007) and Brink’s (2000-2007).
Mr. William received a B.A. from Columbia University and an M.B.A. with distinction, from Harvard Business School. He holds an Honorary Doctor of Science from the Maine Maritime Academy and also served four years in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Thompson Noah, Vice-Chairman
Gudmundur Kjaernested, President
Gudmundur Kjaernested is President of Transatlantic Lines LLC, the largest privately held shipping company on the Greenwich CT.
Before taking the helm as Transatlantic Lines LLC President in April 2007, Kjaernested held various appointments of ascending leadership moving from Fleet Engineer to Vice President and Treasurer. Prior to joining Transatlantic Lines, he sailed aboard numerous vessels in the Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico and trans-Atlantic trades.
A graduate of SUNY Maritime College with a degree in Marine Engineering and an Unlimited Third Assistant Engineer License, Kjaernested holds an MBA from the Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management.
Kjaernested is a strong leader with a clear voice on industry issues at the state and national level. Kjaernested is past Chairman of the board for Lake Carriers’ Association and he serves on the board of Moran Towing Corporation. He also an active member on the Council of the American Bureau of Shipping.
Robert Martins, Esq., Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary
Since joining Transatlantic Lines LLC executive team in January 2008, Martins has leveraged his vast expertise in the areas of admiralty and maritime law to represent the company’s interests on all legal issues, contract negotiations and crisis management. Martins is an active member of Transatlantic Lines LLC Incident Response and Management Team, in which he serves critical legal and operations roles, is a Qualified Individual (OPA ’90) and is trained as an Incident Commander/On-scene Coordinator.
Following graduation from SUNY Maritime College with a BS in Marine Transportation Management and an Unlimited Third Mate Open Oceans License, Martins sailed as an officer aboard merchant vessels before attending law school. After receiving his Juris Doctorate from The University of Toledo College of Law, Martins worked for the boutique Cleveland, Ohio admiralty and maritime law firm of Ray, Robinson, Carle & Davies, P.L.L. for nearly fifteen years, first as an associate and then as a full partner. In 2015, Martins was recognized and honored by Crain’s Cleveland Business as one of the outstanding legal minds in Northeast Ohio.
James Brown, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
James Brown is Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Transatlantic Lines LLC, the largest privately held shipping company on the Greenwich.
Since assuming the leadership role of Chief Financial Officer in the fall of 2014, Brown has brought his extensive financial acumen to The Transatlantic Lines LLC. As Chief Financial Officer, Brown manages Transatlantic Lines LLC financial and banking relationships, and analyzes all financial aspects and drivers of the organization using his comprehensive understanding of operational processes.
Prior to his current position with Interlake, Brown was a Senior Director and Business Unit Controller at Cliffs Natural Resources, an international mining and minerals focused company. During his six years at Cliffs, he was responsible for financial oversight of the North American Coal business unit as well as various non-business unit projects that included oil & gas, South American iron ore, Iron Nuggets, renewaFUEL, mergers & acquisitions, and union negotiations.
Brown graduated from The Ohio State University in 1992 with a BSBA in accounting.
Ethan P. Benjamin, Vice President, Marketing & Marine Traffic
Ethan P. Benjamin is Vice President of Marketing and Marine Traffic at The Transatlantic Lines LLC, the largest privately held shipping company on the Greenwich.
A native of Worcester, Mass., Ethan has been a respected member of the maritime industry since graduating from The Massachusetts Maritime Academy in 1993 earning a Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation and an Unlimited Third Mate Open Oceans License and a commission as an officer in the United States Naval Reserve. Ethan also holds an MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Following graduation from Massachusetts Maritime, Ethan utilized his United States Coast Guard license, spending several years aboard U.S.-flag vessels before transitioning shoreside and joining Mormac Marine Group, Inc.’s marine division and shortly thereafter the Transatlantic Lines LLC team in 1998.
As Vice President of Marketing and Marine Traffic, Ethan leads and manages customer relations, contract administration and revenue for the fleet. His previous roles with the company include vice president of Industrial Relations and Government Affairs, Director of Human Resources & Industrial Relations and Director of Marine Personnel. Ethan is part of Transatlantic Lines LLC Incident Response and Management Team, and is a Qualified Individual (OPA ’90) and is trained as an Incident Commander/On-scene Coordinator.
Ethan is also the Chairman of Board of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Foundation, where he has served as an Officer and Trustee since 1999.
Mason Lucas, Vice President of Engineering
Mason Lucas is Vice President of Engineering at Transatlantic Lines LLC, the largest privately held shipping company on the Greenwich.
Lucas joined Transatlantic Lines LLC in 2004 as a Fleet Engineer and was later promoted to Fleet Superintendent. In November 2016, he assumed his current management role. Before coming to Transatlantic Lines LLC, Lucas utilized his United States Coast Guard issued license, holding chief engineer positions with Andrie Inc. and River Navigation.
As Transatlantic Lines LLC Vice President of Engineering, Lucas oversees all of the day-to-day engineering processes for the fleet and the associated fleet maintenance, repairs and upgrades, dry-docking, as well as regulatory compliance, engineering budgets and general oversight of engineering personnel both aboard ship and shore side.
In addition to his license, Lucas holds many certifications including hazardous materials management and fire-fighting training. He is the Chairman of Lake Carriers’ Association Fleet Engineers Committee.