Jim Rand for Darien's Planning & Zoning
Meet Jim:
Jim Rand has over 40 years’ experience in ocean shipping. Following service as a Deck Officer in the US Navy, and an MBA from Columbia University in finance, Mr. Rand served as Vice President of Universal Gas and Oil Company, Inc., a public, multinational LPG/LNG shipping company. He subsequently held a variety of positions with Burmah Oil Tankers Limited.
From 1978-86 Mr. Rand was President and Chief Operating Officer, later Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, of Marine Transport Lines, Inc., at that time the oldest and one of the largest bulk shipping companies in the United States, which he took public in 1983. During his tenure at MTL the company underwent a wholesale fleet renewal and acquisition program, culminating in the 1983 acquisition of Rowbotham Tankships Limited, at the time the premier short sea tanker operator in the United Kingdom, now part of James Fisher Plc.
From 1983-1986 Mr. Rand served as Chairman of the Olso-based Independent Tanker Owners Association (Intertanko); during this period he was actively engaged in addressing the plight of both independent and oil company tanker owners faced with protecting their ships, crews and operations during the Iran-Iraq war. Mr. Rand was also a member of the Committee (analogous to the Board of Directors) of the London Steam-Ship Owners’ Mutual Insurance Association (the “London P&I Club”), one of the oldest and largest ship owner’s mutual liability insurance organizations, and served on the Board of The Tanker Owners’ Voluntary Agreement concerning Liability for Oil Pollution (TOVOLOP), a joint organization established by The Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) and independent tanker owners to administer the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) and Contract Regarding a Supplement to Tanker Liability for Oil Pollution (Cristal Ltd) covering liability for oil pollution and the apportionment of such liability among tanker owners and oil companies. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the American Bureau of Shipping from 1980-1986. He remains an honorary member of the Executive Committee of Intertanko and member of ABS.
Since 1986, Mr. Rand has been President of Rand & Company, Inc., a diversified holding company engaged in ocean shipping and real estate investments. Rand & Company’s maritime activities have included the acquisition of a portion of the product tanker fleet of Nedlloyd jointly with Thome Shipmanagement of Singapore and a variety of feeder container and dry bulk investments jointly with Doris Maritime Services of Geneva. Through an affiliate Rand & Company owned Naess Ship Management B.V., an independent ship management company based in The Netherlands, which company was sold to Fleet Shipmanagement of Hong Kong in 2019.