KENDALL CHEN

CHEN--Kendall Granville,

passed away Saturday, September 29, 2018, in Newport RI from accidental choking. He was 65 years old. Kendall was a maritime man through and through. He had an outsized persona and his presence was marked by intelligence, exuberance, friendliness, kindness, generosity and charisma. He was a loving and wonderful husband. He was passionate about the maritime business his father founded and learned about it the old school way, where ship-owners would send their children to the families of their shipping friends to learn the trade. During his formative years, Kendall lived and worked in various shipping communities, sailing on different ships in Japan, Norway, France, the UK and elsewhere, learning how vessels operated and how the charter markets worked. He loved everything connected with shipping. Kendall had friends and acquaintances at Lloyd's and other insurance markets where he helped develop unique insurance products to protect the investments of his father's ships, which included Marine Export Lines, Energy Transport Corporation and Energy Ammonia Transportation Corporation. Kendall received an Executive Masters in Business from Harvard but his first love was ship operation. A shipyard dry-docking of any of the fleet of ships was certain to find Kendall onboard to observe the repairs and to talk with the crew with whom he always had a close relationship. Kendall had an unquenchable desire to learn marine procedures and operation. He also had an insatiable desire to learn about many other subjects including medicine and military history and was an avid sportsman and yachtsman as well as being an accomplished gourmet chef and consummate story teller. He was a true renaissance man. He was an active member of the New York Yacht Club, the Newport Reading Room, Lyford Cay Club, the Spouting Rock Beach Association and a longtime member of Knickerbocker Club. He was a member of The Marine Society of the City of New York, and a Board member of the American Bureau of Shipping and director of the Liberian Ship Owners Council. In 1977 he came to New York and worked for the family owned company called Ocean Service Corporation, which took delivery of two newly built molten-latex carriers in Japan. In 1978 he joined Energy Transportation Corporation (ETC) as Co- Chairman and then President and CEO. ETC operated a fleet of 8 American flagged liquid natural gas (LNG) carriers, which traded between Indonesia and Japan. One of his proudest accomplishments was being involved with ETC LNG vessels' efforts in rescuing Vietnamese boat people in the South China Sea. He worked with the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and the U.S. Consulate in Osaka gaining the support of the U.S. Government for handling and processing the refugees once the ETC LNG ships docked in Japan. Kendall also often visited the UN High Commission for Refugees in Geneva to insure international support for these efforts. Under Kendall's direction, the ETC ships rescued over 2,000 Vietnamese boat people, who would otherwise have perished in the open ocean. In the late 1980's Kendall was promoted to President of ETC. By that time, the ETC LNG vessels had been in service for over 20 years and had fulfilled the original contracts for the carriage of LNG from Indonesia to Japan. After the events of 9/11, maritime security became a significant concern globally as ships were seen to be a potential terrorist target. Kendall founded Marine Security Solutions and built this company from a start-up to a thriving business over a five- year period. Kendall was an enthusiastic supporter of the marine industry and the men and women who sail in the merchant fleet. He was a Trustee of the Seamen's Church Institute (SCI) of New York and New Jersey and across the United States with outreach programs worldwide that offer a safe haven for seafarers. He was also an active trustee of the Seaman's Church Institute of Newport, RI. While a trustee of SCI of New York, Kendall met and married fellow trustee Gale Rundquist with whom he shared a love of water and sailing as well as philanthropic and volunteer support for organizations like SCI. They split their time between New York and Newport, where they lovingly restored a carriage house. Kendall is survived by his loving wife, Gale and his devoted dog Penny. He is also survived by his brother Kimball and four children from a previous marriage, Christopher, Phillip, Nicholas and Sophie. In lieu of flowers, Gale requests donations to The Seaman's Church Institute of New York or Seaman's Church Institute of Newport. A private memorial service will be held at a later date.