VT Halter Marine Inc. has named Jack Prendergast its new president and CEO. He replaces Bill Skinner, who announced his retirement after heading up VT Halter since April 2009.

Skinner previously served as president of Alabama Shipyard Inc. from 1989–1997 after its acquisition by Atlantic Marine. “I have been privileged to serve at the helm of a shipbuilding company that has such a rich history, renowned reputation, loyal customers, and supportive ownership,” Skinner said. “The greatest privilege was to work with a highly talented core group of employees that cares deeply about the company and is integral to its success.”

Prendergast, a retired Navy rear admiral, joined VT Halter as an outside director in 2011 and was named executive vice president in late 2012. After retiring from the Navy, he worked for Lockheed Martin for several years before joining VT Halter.

“VT Halter Marine has very experienced leadership with a superb future and our entire team is committed to improving our company as we implement and realign procedures,” Prendergast said. “We all look forward to the opportunities ahead as we focus on process improvement and enhancing value to our customers.”

VT Halter Marine is the marine operations of VT Systems. Based in Pascagoula, Miss., the shipyard specializes in the design and construction of medium-sized ships.

David Krapf has been editor of WorkBoat, the nation’s leading trade magazine for the inland and coastal waterways industry, since 1999. He is responsible for overseeing the editorial direction of the publication. Krapf has been in the publishing industry since 1987, beginning as a reporter and editor with daily and weekly newspapers in the Houston area. He also was the editor of a transportation industry daily in New Orleans before joining WorkBoat as a contributing editor in 1992. He has been covering the transportation industry since 1989, and has a degree in business administration from the State University of New York at Oswego, and also studied journalism at the University of Houston.