PBN Manufacturing Awards 2024
MANUFACTURING CHAMPION: Ted Williams, president, Senesco Marine LLC
TED WILLIAMS SERVED 27 years in the U.S. Navy, where he developed his love, passion and knowledge of ship repair and construction, first as a naval aviator then as a ship captain.
He eventually turned that love into a career. After three years working at General Dynamics Electric Boat as the construction manager for the Columbia-class submarine, Williams moved across the street within Quonset Business Park to Senesco Marine LLC, where he’s been president for the past three years.
Williams is closely involved with the Rhode Island Manufacturers Association, serving as a board member. That role helps him advance manufacturing in the state through networking, workshops and conferences where members can share ideas and work together.
He also works with R.I. Commerce Corp., a quasi-public agency that serves as a government and community resource to help businesses expand in and relocate to Rhode Island, and Polaris MEP, a statewide nonprofit organization that provides competitive business improvement programs to grow the manufacturing industry.
David M. Chenevert, RIMA’s executive director, described Williams as “the poster child for manufacturing.”
Chenevert said Williams is always positive and volunteers his time to help out as much as he can and is available whenever RIMA needs him for projects. He added that Williams wants younger people to enter the industry.
“He’s grown the business at Senesco and is passionate about the blue economy. … He’s really driven that organization. He’s just a real good person and people can learn from his work ethic,” he said.
While Williams says manufacturing in Rhode Island is strong, it has its challenges. Among them being the cost of living is higher in the Northeast than other parts of the country, resulting in higher labor rates. The manufacturing workforce is also smaller here.
Williams noted that the Jones Act, part of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, mandates that any ship coming into a U.S. port and working in U.S. waters be built and manned by Americans. It applies to ships transporting merchandise between U.S. points, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration.
“That’s powerful for us shipbuilders,” Williams said. “It would be very easy for these European companies to come over and lead the way, but they can’t. To use vessels here, they have to be built here.”
Williams has advocated for repairs and obtaining funding for the 83-year-old pier that is leased through the Quonset Development Corp. The state has allocated $2.25 million for an engineering analysis of this carrier pier to determine its condition and how to move forward with improvements. The pier, 1,200 feet long by 80 feet wide, has been patched many times, he said.
Senesco has the only two dry docks in the state, allowing it to take vessels out of the water for scheduled or emergency repairs. Williams said this is a vital service the company provides, as all ships have to come out of the water for U.S. Coast Guard inspections. Senesco also does a lot of work on the Block Island ferries and Steamship Authority ferries from Woods Hole, he said.
Senesco recently launched a 154-foot passenger-vehicle hybrid diesel-electric ferry for the Maine Department of Transportation – the first of its kind in the Northeast. A second ferry for Maine-based Casco Bay Lines will make its debut after the new year.
In the middle of the first ferry’s 1.5-hour route, the diesel engines will turn on and charge the electrical batteries. The second ferry will be all electric, with diesel used only for emergencies.
“It’s innovative technology that’s never been done here in this area,” Williams said. “It’s cool for little, old Rhode Island.”
Senesco is involved in the growing offshore wind industry in New England. The company is building the last of six crew transfer vessels, or CTVs, which are dual-hulled catamarans approximately 95 feet long that can carry 24 passengers, as well as cargo, out to wind farms to help with construction and maintenance. CTVs can travel up to about 31 miles per hour, Williams said.
“We’ve built the most of those in the U.S. We are the leading CTV manufacturer in the U.S.,” Williams said.
