Pilot Commission of Port Freeport Certifies New Branch Pilot

FREEPORT, TX--(Marketwired - Aug 1, 2013) - Captain Daniel Lee Blanton, an unlimited master mariner, completed all requirements of a Deputy Pilot and has been certified by the Pilot Commission of Port Freeport as a Branch Pilot with the Brazos Pilots Association, said Captain John Gunning, association president.

"The Brazos Pilots are pleased to have Captain Blanton join our ranks as a full branch pilot," said Captain Gunning. Captain Blanton completed more than 1,100 channel transits as a Deputy Pilot.

A 1999 graduate of Angleton High School, Captain Blanton earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Maritime Transportation in 2003 from Texas A&M University at Galveston. He holds an Unlimited Master license with first class pilotage endorsement for the Port of Freeport and is licensed as an Unlimited Radar Observer.

Previously, Captain Blanton was a Master aboard the Helix Producer 1 -- a new build DP production vessel operating in the Gulf of Mexico. He is a former Mate on lightering support vessels for American Eagle Tankers. Previously, he served as a Mate and Assistant Mooring Master for Skaugen Petro-Trans.

He and his wife, Heather, and their newborn son, Gunnar, and 3-year old son, Jack, reside in Freeport, TX.