Q&A: Kathy Metcalf, President Emeritus, Chamber of Shipping of America

 

Kathy Metcalf has been a trailblazer from the moment she walked through Vickery Gate at Kings Point as a member of the first coed class of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. That was 51 years ago.

Since then, she has sailed aboard oil tankers for Gulf and Sunoco, come shoreside with Sunoco as a regulatory and government affairs official, earned a law degree at night from Widener University and in 1997 accepted an invitation from Joe Cox, the long-time President & CEO of the Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA), to join the Chamber as Director of Maritime Affairs.

Eighteen years later, in 2015, she succeeded Cox as President & CEO of CSA. At each step of the way, she's demonstrated that the maritime industry is not just a "man's world" and that there's plenty of room for women too. Not that she wanted any special treatment, just a fair shot. And she has excelled at every stage of the journey with her common-sense intelligence, interpersonal skills, quick wit and sense of fairness.

In July, Kathy stepped down as President & CEO and handed the reins to her more-than-capable #2, Sean Kline. She will stay on as President Emeritus, working with CSA members on technical and regulatory issues. "It's not 'goodbye,'" she says, "but 'see ya around.'"

Welcome, Kathy! We're so honored to have you. Tell our readers more about yourself. What attracted you to the maritime industry?

It was a bit of a circuitous route. I originally wanted to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and received nominations to West Point, Annapolis and the Air Force Academy. I was, alas, born too soon and received letters from all three explaining that they were not accepting women for the incoming classes in 1972.

Changing direction, I attended the University of Delaware for two years and in the fall of my second year received a call on my dorm phone (yes, it really was a pay phone) from a young Senator from Delaware by the name of Joe Biden. He explained to me that the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy was accepting women in the summer of 1974 and asked if I was interested. My parents and I visited Kings Point the following weekend, and I made the decision to enter in that first class with women in the summer of 1974 and graduated in 1978. I will always be grateful to Senator Biden for giving me this incredible opportunity. My intention was to go active-duty Navy upon graduation, but during my time at Kings Point I realized what a great industry this is and have stayed in it for 51 years.

Remarkable! You then sailed for a while. Were there lessons at sea that transferred to your shore jobs?

Lessons learned during my sailing days helped provide me with the confidence and judgment to tackle whatever new challenges lay ahead. They also endowed me with a mariner's perspective of ship operations, which is critical for a successful move to shoreside management positions. Throughout my shoreside career which included obtaining a law degree, I've always been a mariner first and have taken that perspective into account, recognizing that the linchpin to any successful shipping endeavor are the mariners that make it happen.

Excellent! Tell our readers about the Chamber of Shipping of America. What does it do and what is its history?

The Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA) is the U.S. national shipowners association. For over 100 years, it's represented the interests of shipowners, operators and charterers in the U.S. and internationally at IMO and ILO. Our members own/operate/charter all types of vessels, both U.S. and non-U.S. flagged, engaged in the U.S. domestic and international trades, and we represent them before legislative and regulatory bodies.

Our primary focus is to advise them on current compliance challenges as well as future compliance issues coming down the road.

What are some of those issues?

There are many, but the most important are the global move toward decarbonization of the shipping industry, the risks to shipping from geopolitical challenges (Ukraine/Russia, Middle East), global trade issues including the U.S. Trade Representative's proposal to impose port fees on certain vessels, cybersecurity and simply keeping up to date on new requirements imposed on shipping at the global, national and, in some cases, sub-national levels.

What's the relationship between CSA and the International Chamber of Shipping in London?

CSA is a founding member of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and serves as the U.S. representative on all ICS bodies including the Board of Directors, the Marine Committee, the Maritime Law Committee and the Shipping Policy Committee. CSA also serves on the ICS delegation to IMO meetings. We collaborate on a number of issues at IMO and in the U.S. impacting the industry.

You must be excited about the SHIPS for America Act and the Trump Administration's commitment to "Making Maritime Great Again."

Absolutely! I remember in 1978, when I graduated from Kings Point, there were hundreds of U.S.-flag vessels trading internationally. Over the last five decades, we've allowed our commercial shipbuilding and U.S.-flag international fleet to shrink to unacceptable levels as regards national and economic security – due principally to neglect. With thanks to the President, Senators Mark Kelly and Todd Young and Representatives Trent Kelly and John Garamendi, the industry is in the first stages of revitalization.

It took us a long time to get to where we are now, and it will take some time to bring the industry back. What is desperately needed is a leader (champion!) who can bring all these stakeholders and programs together across the legislative and executive branches and that position, in my opinion, needs to be in the White House.

What will it take to make the dream of a 250-vessel fleet a reality?

That's a tough one to answer. We obviously need more U.S. shipyards, shipyard workers and ultimately more mariners to man these vessels. Less obvious, but just as important, is the need to create a business environment where U.S. shipyards and U.S.-flag vessels can compete in the international marketplace. This will likely be accomplished through a combination of public funding (subsidies in one form or another) and private sector investment. Ultimately, we need cargo. All these new ships and mariners won't make a difference if the cargo isn't there!

Where will the mariners come from? How can we make maritime a more attractive career choice for the next generation?

We've been trying to address this challenge for years. First, we need a comprehensive outreach program that makes the general public aware of just how important the commercial maritime industry is to our national economy and security.

Second, we need an equally comprehensive outreach program for kids in middle school through high school to introduce them to the opportunities in the maritime industry.

And third, we're losing maritime academy graduates to the tech sector in significant numbers and have to figure out a way to make maritime jobs more attractive. Salaries between the maritime and tech industries are comparable, but tech doesn't require you to be away from home and family for six months of the year.

What is the future of the Jones Act? Will it have to be modified in some way to accommodate the new push?

CSA supports the Jones Act in its current form. Keep in mind that the SHIPS for America Act is focused on building the U.S.-flag internationally trading fleet, so I don't see what modifications would be necessary since the U.S. build requirement would not apply to U.S.-flag vessels engaged in international trade. This allows for the reflagging of foreign-built vessels into the U.S. flag international fleet.

You've been a trailblazer – a woman in a man's world – your entire life. What's it been like? How do you see the future of women in maritime?

I've never seen myself as a trailblazer. I was just a lucky person who happened to be in the right place at the right time. All I wanted was a fair chance to succeed in a career that at the time had very few women. I got that fair chance, and it was up to me to take advantage of the opportunities before me.

I could not have succeeded without my brothers (and sisters) at Kings Point and later in the industry that provided support and encouragement. From my perspective, success is not the result of one person's efforts. It's about your efforts and how you interact with the good people around you, including family, friends and professional colleagues.

Are you a member of WISTA, the Women's International Shipping & Trading Association?

I am a proud member of WISTA U.S.! WISTA is a unique organization that is obviously focused on women in the maritime industry but has grown to be much more than that. WISTA Sistas have welcomed WISTA Mistas, and the support, collaboration and friendships are unmatched by any other organization in which I have participated.

Wonderful! Any final message for our readers?

As someone in the latter stages of her career, I would like to send a message to the new generation of maritime professionals, including those in their early years at the academies: Make a plan with a pencil and eraser. The key to progress in life and in your career is how you adapt to change and react to new and unplanned opportunities.