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| W. H. Patterson Company | |
|---|---|
| Name | W. H. Patterson Company |
| Type | Private |
| Industry | Maritime salvage; shipbroking; marine surveying; wreck removal |
| Founded | 1919 |
| Founder | William H. Patterson |
| Headquarters | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Area served | Gulf of Mexico; Atlantic Coast; Caribbean |
| Key people | (see Corporate Structure and Leadership) |
W. H. Patterson Company is a century-old maritime services firm historically active in salvage, wreck removal, marine surveying, and shipbroking. Founded in 1919 in New Orleans, the company built a regional reputation across the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean for complex salvage operations, commercial towage, and casualty response. Its operations intersected with major shipping lines, port authorities, insurance underwriters, and environmental regulators over the 20th and 21st centuries.
The company was established by entrepreneur William H. Patterson in the wake of the First World War shipping boom, leveraging postwar demand in ports such as New Orleans, Mobile, Alabama, Houston, and Galveston. During the Great Depression, Patterson diversified into marine surveying and small-scale shipbroking, engaging with firms like United States Shipping Board and later with wartime logistics agencies including the United States Maritime Commission and the War Shipping Administration during the Second World War. In the postwar era, Patterson expanded along the Eastern Seaboard and into the Caribbean, contracting with municipal port authorities such as the Port of New Orleans and regional entities including the Puerto Rico Ports Authority.
From the 1960s through the 1990s the firm undertook removal and salvage for tanker incidents tied to companies like Standard Oil, Gulf Oil, and later Exxon. In response to the rise of international marine pollution law, Patterson engaged with litigation and regulatory frameworks under instruments influenced by the International Maritime Organization and treaties such as the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage. Corporate shifts in the 2000s saw strategic alliances and joint ventures with global marine contractors like Smit International and Donjon Marine, while retaining family ownership into the early 21st century.
Patterson’s core services include emergency marine salvage, wreck removal, casualty response, marine surveying and inspection, and shipbroking for chartering and sale. Emergency salvage contracts often interfaced with insurers such as Lloyd's of London and national agencies including the United States Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board. Surveying and classification liaison work connected the firm to classification societies like Lloyd's Register and American Bureau of Shipping. Wreck removal projects required coordination with environmental bodies including the Environmental Protection Agency and regional regulatory authorities like the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council.
The company offered niche consultancy for naval architects from firms such as Gibbs & Cox and Bureau Veritas and provided technical diving support employed by contractors including Commercial Diving Services and engineering houses like Black & Veatch for subsea cutting and lifting. Shipbroking activities involved chartering for operators including Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Company, and regional tramp operators.
Headquartered in New Orleans, Patterson maintained salvage yards and logistic hubs in ports including New Orleans, Mobile, Corpus Christi, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Facilities comprised lifting equipment, heavy-lift pontoons, tugs, and dive support vessels, often subcontracted from regional owners such as Bay-Houston Towing Company and specialists like Manson Construction Co. for heavy marine construction. The fleet and equipment were certified against standards promulgated by American Bureau of Shipping and inspected under federal statutes enforced by the United States Coast Guard.
The firm operated a 24/7 emergency operations center coordinating with regional port authorities such as the Port of Houston Authority and oil industry entities like ExxonMobil and ChevronTexaco during incidents. International deployments required liaison with foreign port authorities including Kingston Harbour and the Panama Maritime Authority for transshipment and wreck removal in the Caribbean and Central American waters.
Historically family-run, leadership passed through generations of the Patterson family before transitioning to a mixed professional board combining family members and external executives. Senior leadership historically engaged figures from maritime law firms such as Jones Walker and insurance specialists drawn from brokers like Marsh & McLennan Companies. Executive roles included a CEO responsible for strategic contracts with global firms such as Smit International and a Chief Operations Officer coordinating salvage operations with entities like the United States Coast Guard and classification societies.
The company’s corporate governance evolved to include safety officers qualified under standards from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and compliance counsel versed in statutes influenced by legislation like the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Board-level advisors often included retired naval officers from the United States Navy and industry veterans formerly employed by firms such as Crowley Maritime Corporation.
Over its history Patterson participated in high-profile salvage and wreck removal operations that attracted attention from shipping lines, insurers, and regulators. Notable projects involved clearance of harbor obstructions after collisions and groundings affecting ports like New Orleans and San Juan. The firm worked on tanker salvage operations with links to incidents similar in public profile to those involving Exxon Valdez and Prestige (though distinct in scope), contracting with insurers including Lloyd's of London and cleanup contractors related to Oil Spill responses. Patterson’s surveying work influenced port dredging and navigational risk assessments conducted by authorities such as the Army Corps of Engineers.
Its repeated engagement in casualty response helped shape regional practices in salvage contracting and cooperative response frameworks involving the United States Coast Guard and private contractors including SEACOR and Hornbeck Offshore Services.
The company encountered litigation and regulatory scrutiny tied to environmental impacts and contractual disputes, involving plaintiffs from municipalities and insurers, and defenses often relying on maritime limitation regimes and precedents from cases adjudicated in federal courts such as the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Cases frequently referenced statutory regimes influenced by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and conventions promoted by the International Maritime Organization.
Controversies included disputes over wreck removal costs with port authorities and insurers, and contested liability in pollution incidents where plaintiffs cited environmental damage claims and sought damages through courts influenced by admiralty law precedents. Regulatory interactions involved enforcement actions or negotiations with agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Coast Guard, and settlement discussions commonly included insurers like Lloyd's of London and claims administrators employed by firms such as Adjusters International.
Category:Companies based in New Orleans