The longtime chief executive of the Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry (LISCR) is no longer listed as part of the flag’s management team amid rumours that he has left his post.
Scott Bergeron’s name appears to have been removed from LISCR's website last week as talk of a departure from the position builds in the marketplace.
An email to Bergeron’s work address and a second to his personal email were not returned by TradeWinds’ deadline. A voicemail left with executive chairman Adam Cohen also was not immediately returned.
A woman who answered the phone at LISCR's Virginia offices today said Bergeron was not available, and initially offered to connect the call to Alfonso Castillero, chief commercial officer.
Castillero joined LISCR in 2014 after spending 16 years as director general for the Panamanian Registry, the world's largest shipping flag.
Upon learning the caller was a journalist, the LISCR staffer who answered the phone said she would refer the query to a public relations firm. She declined to say whether Bergeron was still employed by LISCR.
Bergeron has been with LISCR for 19 years, and has been chief executive since 2011. Prior to that, he was chief operating officer.
Liberia is perennially among the world’s three-largest flag states, and recently surpassed the Marshall Islands to claim second spot after Panama, according to Clarksons data.
It was not clear why Bergeron and LISCR would part ways. A social media account for Bergeron continues to show him in the CEO role.
Prior to joining LISCR, Bergeron was a commissioner of the Virginia Port Authority, environment and safety manger at Laurin Maritime and a marine inspector for the US Coast Guard.
In a 2016 interview with TradeWinds, Bergeron was asked about his remaining ambitions.
“I enjoy creating opportunities in collaboration with clients and colleagues around the world. It is my ambition to find a way to develop these synergies without having to travel so much," he said.
