Maritime Publishing of San Diego has acquired the parent company of Ocean Navigator and its companion publication, Professional Mariner.
The sale included both of Navigator Publishing’s print magazines and their respective websites, newsletters and email marketing products.
The agreement, which closed in mid-March, has Ocean Navigator and Professional Mariner joining Maritime Publishing’s two other magazine titles: Pacific Maritime and Fishermen’s News. Maritime Publishing previously acquired those publications from Philips Publishing Group of Seattle. Both magazines, which ceased publication early in the COVID-19 pandemic, are set to re-launch this spring.
Abrams, an experienced mariner, will serve as publisher for the new media company. Abrams is CEO of Training Resources Maritime Institute (TRLMI) in San Diego, the largest private maritime training facility in the western U.S. Land the parent company of Maritime Publishing.
“We are in the business of providing mariners with knowledge through education,” Abrams said. “Professional Mariner and Ocean Navigator have been providing knowledge through current industry news and original reporting for decades, so they are a natural extension of our existing business. The titles give us the ability to provide mariners with advocacy, news and information about the industries and adventures we train them for.”
Navigator Publishing launched Ocean Navigator in April 1985, and eight years later the company published the first issue of Professional Mariner.
Alex Agnew, the co-founder and president of Navigator Publishing, will remain with Maritime Publishing as Associate Publisher. Navigator’s editorial and sales staffs have joined the new company. Its employees will continue to work from its existing office in downtown Portland, Maine.
“I am very excited to be passing the torch to Dave and his team at Maritime Publishing,” Agnew said. “I believe they will elevate the already outstanding content that we have been known for and provide resources to expand our efforts in both print and digital media. We could not think of a better successor to carry on our legacy.”
Abrams has a proven background that includes managing public and private businesses. But he is no stranger to the maritime industry. In addition to running TRLMI, Abrams is a former U.S. Navy surface warfare officer, and he currently holds a USCG 100-ton Master license. He is an authorized instructor for the USCG Auxiliary Boating Skills & Seamanship program and the National Safe Boating Council’s On the Water Boat Control course.
Abrams also has owned both power boats and sailboats and has cruised his current vessel, Lahaina Sailor, a 58-foot Cape Horn trawler, more than 5,000 miles between British Columbia and the Sea of Cortez.
“My interest in publishing arose from a desire to help mariners stay educated and informed, not just through historical practices associated with training, but through current industry news and events,” he said. “For me, it’s all about the mariner and the overall maritime community. Helping people connect with each other through the various training and media platforms is the ultimate goal.”
For more information on the new company and its offerings, visit maritimepublishing.com and TRLMI.com.
