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Bridgeport and Port Jefferson Steamboat Co. makes senior management promotions
Written by Marine Log Staff
The Bridgeport and Port Jefferson Steamboat Co,'s newest ferry, the M/V Long Island served as the closing vessel in the Sail4th USA 250 Parade of Ships in New York Harbor on July 4, 2026.
The Bridgeport and Port Jefferson Steamboat Co. has promoted four senior managers as part of a leadership reorganization, President Brian Buckley McAllister announced.
The promotions are:
- Frederick A. Hall, chief operating officer
- Capt. James McGuire, vice president and general manager
- Capt. Bruce Topalian, port captain
- Capt. Stephen Schmitt, assistant port captain
Founded in 1883, the Bridgeport and Port Jefferson Steamboat Co. operates year-round ferry service between Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Port Jefferson, New York, transporting about 500,000 vehicles annually. It is a division of McAllister Towing and Transportattion.
“Our goal is to have the strongest management team possible to support safe, reliable ferry service for our customers,” McAllister said.
Hall has been promoted from vice president and general manager to chief operating officer.
He has worked for the company for 50 years. Since joining, he has held a variety of operational and management positions. Following the acquisition of the company by the late Capt. Brian McAllister in 1983, Hall helped oversee the expansion of the service from a seasonal, single-vessel operation to a year-round operation with a four-vessel fleet.
Most recently, Hall oversaw the construction and delivery of the M/V Long Island and the construction of two office buildings in Port Jefferson.
McGuire has been promoted to vice president and general manager.
He has worked for the Bridgeport and Port Jefferson Steamboat Co. and McAllister Towing for 31 years. He began as a dock hand and advanced through the ranks to ordinary seaman, able-bodied seaman, mate and captain, earning his master’s license in 1999.
McGuire graduated from SUNY Maritime College in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in meteorology and oceanography and also holds a master’s degree in transportation.
He serves on the Passenger Vessel Association’s Safety and Security Committee.
Topalian has been promoted to port captain.
During his 38-year career with the company, he has served as an ordinary seaman, able-bodied seaman, mate and captain.
As port captain, he will oversee the company’s 10 ferry captains and serve as the primary liaison with the U.S. Coast Guard on vessel safety and inspection matters.
Topalian holds master’s licenses for self-propelled vessels and towing vessels, as well as a radar endorsement, and is CPR certified.
Schmitt has been promoted to assistant port captain.
He has worked for the company for 39 years, beginning as a dock hand before advancing to ordinary seaman, able-bodied seaman, mate and captain.
In 2022, Bridgeport Hospital recognized Schmitt and his crew for their response to a passenger who suffered cardiac arrest aboard one of the company’s vessels. The crew used an automated external defibrillator to revive the passenger before returning the vessel to port, where emergency medical personnel were waiting.
As assistant port captain, Schmitt will assist with vessel safety, inspections and regulatory compliance in coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard, and help oversee the company’s ferry captains.
Hall, McGuire, Topalian and Schmitt have a combined 158 years of service with the company.
