The Annual General Meeting of the International Salvage Union (ISU) was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 12 October 2023. At the conclusion of the meeting, Mr John Witte Jr. Donjon Marine, USA, became the new President of the ISU.

Mr Witte succeeds Captain Nicholas Sloane, Resolve Marine, USA, who will continue as a member of the ISU Executive Committee.

Captain Sloane said: “It has been an absolute honour and privilege to have been the President of ISU these past two years, and to represent the interests of all our members as we have tackled the major issues facing our industry. The ISU’s own statistics show that our members are facing difficult economic times but we are a vibrant industry and we continue to provide vital services. The ISU members are critical partners for insurers and owners to help meet their ESG requirements.

“In the past two years we have made good progress on issues such as the SCOPIC rates and the creation of new guidelines for Special Casualty Representatives and on the BIMCO 2023 WreckStage contract. We have maintained good relations with the clubs, owners and property insurers.

“I am delighted to be handing over to John Witte who comes from a family with a long and proud tradition in salvage. John has much experience of the industry – both as a salvage master and operational manager – and has demonstrated great commitment to marine salvage and the ISU of which he is a past President and I am sure the leadership of our association will be in good hands.”

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Witte said: “I would like to thank Nick for all that he has done for the ISU over the past two years: he has shown great dedication to the role. For my part it is a great honour to be the President of the ISU and I look forward to leading the association as it continues to address the current challenges, in particular, enhancing the reputation of the industry and strengthening further our relationships with shipowners and insurers.”

At the same time, Captain Leendert Muller, Managing Director of Multraship Towage & Salvage, The Netherlands, was confirmed as the vice President of the ISU. Mr Muller is a past President of the association.