The NTSB Appoints Eric Stolzenberg as Director of Office of Marine Safety

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has appointed Eric Stolzenberg as the new director of its Office of Marine Safety, effective July 27, 2025.

The Office of Marine Safety is responsible for investigating major marine accidents within the United States and its territories, as well as accidents involving U.S.-flagged vessels worldwide.

“Eric’s leadership and technical expertise have contributed greatly to our agency’s investigations of high-profile marine casualties, from the El Faro to recent vessel strikes to bridges in Baltimore and Manhattan to the Titan submersible tragedy, among others,” said NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy.

Stolzenberg, who has been serving as acting director since March 2024, brings extensive maritime experience to the role. His career at the NTSB began in 2008 as an engineering investigator. He served as investigator-in-charge on several high-profile marine investigations and as technical group chairman for numerous naval architecture and marine engineering accident investigations, including the sinking of the cargo ship El Faro.

Prior to joining the NTSB, Stolzenberg spent eight years in the Merchant Marine followed by more than a decade working as a naval architect and marine engineer at vessel design firms, where he attained the position of assistant chief naval architect. He holds a bachelor of engineering in Naval Architecture from the New York State Maritime College along with an engineering officer license.

The appointment comes as the NTSB continues to investigate several significant maritime incidents, including the collision of containership Dali with the Francis Scott Key Bridge and its subsequent collapse, the collision between the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and bulk carrier Besiktas M, and contact of the Mexican navy’s ARM Cuauhtémoc BE 01 with the Brooklyn Bridge.

“Under Eric’s leadership, the Office of Marine Safety will continue building on its legacy of excellence in support of our lifesaving mission,” Homendy added.