Tidewater Hires Sperling as COO

Vancouver, Wash. based Tidewater Transportation and Terminals announced Friday it has hired Johan Sperling as its new Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Sperling will have direct oversight and responsibility for the maintenance and engineering department, vessel operations, dispatch and terminal operations. Additionally, he will work closely with Tidewater Environmental Services and Tidewater’s Canadian entity, Island Tug and Barge, to support their efforts for safe and reliable operations. 

Before joining Tidewater, Sperling was the Vice President, Marine Services for the Crowley Shipping Group. He led ship assist and tanker escort services, as well as oversaw the ocean-class tug and flat-deck barge fleets, which provide specialized cargo transportation. Sperling was previously Vice President of Marine Solutions, and managed Jensen Maritime, Crowley’s naval architecture and marine engineering subsidiary. Prior to his work at Jensen and then Crowley, Johan was a naval architect.