Wilkinson Assumes Command Of Coast Guard’s MSU Paducah

Lt. Cmdr. Daniel Wilkinson relieved Cmdr. Shehu Bello on June 9 to become the new commanding officer of Marine Safety Unit Paducah, Ky.

Capt. Randy Preston, commander of Sector Ohio Valley, presided over the change of command ceremony, held at the Carson Center for the Performing Arts. It also included the presentation of the Coast Guard’s Meritorious Service Award to Bello along with the Duke of Paducah award, presented by Paducah Mayor George Bray.

Under Bello’s command over the past three years, MSU Paducah personnel completed more than 430 hours of community service in addition to their regular duties. They also processed 75,000 pounds of food for local food pantries.

During the same period, MSU Paducah completed 1,050 domestic vessel inspections and 250 facility inspections, conducted 250 marine casualty investigations and responded to 130 pollution incidents along with 307 waterway management activities, according to information provided by the unit in the event program.

Notable events included three major marine casualties: the Johnny M vessel fire and the sinkings of the City of Louisville and the Jackie Lee. These incidents resulted in more than $15 million in property damage and required joint investigations with the National Transportation Safety Board.

Additionally, during historically significant low-water periods in both 2023 and 2024, the unit generated low water trend analysis for distribution to the Coast Guard’s Heartland District and Army Corps of Engineers flag officers regarding the Hickman Hard Point, a choke point in the Mississippi River at Hickman, Ky., that costs industry an estimated $25 million a year in shipping losses, inefficiencies and vessel damages.

Bello spent several minutes thanking his supporters by name.

“Thank you all for pouring into my life, personally and professionally,” he said.

He said he never imagined, when he enlisted in the Coast Guard on October 28, 2003, barely six months after immigrating from Nigeria to the United States, that he would ever hold a command. His original intention was to stay in for four years and to take advantage of the G.I. Bill to receive a free college education, he said.

Instead, he said, he has been able to pursue a fulfilling career. Before coming to Paducah, his assignments included serving in Sector Baltimore’s Prevention Department, where he began his maritime safety career. He later assumed the duties of overseeing domestic vessel inspection and new vessel construction activities as chief of inspection at Marine Safety Unit Lake Charles, La., before becoming executive officer at Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge, La., and eventually being assigned to Coast Guard Headquarters in the Office of Property Policy and the Audit Remediation Division.

Bello’s orders now have him leaving for Sector Charleston, S.C., where he will serve as deputy sector commander.

“Under your watch, this crew has truly excelled,” Preston told Bello, while noting his lasting positive impact.

The unit presented him with gifts of a quilt sewn with the MSU Paducah name and Coast Guard insignia, noting that Paducah is known as “Quilt City, U.S.A.” and is home to the National Quilt Museum. A bourbon barrel lid bearing his name and MSU Paducah was a second gift as a reminder of his time in Kentucky. Bello presented a similar bourbon barrel lid in appreciation to Steve Thompson, a civilian leader who is also coming to the end of his tenure with the Coast Guard unit.

Turning her attention to Wilson, Preston said, “I have the utmost faith in your ability to take the helm and build on Cmndr. Bello’s success.”

Wilkinson comes to Paducah having most recently served as the commanding officer of the Coast Guard’s Outer Continental Shelf National Center of Expertise. There he led the staff in providing technical assistance, support and training to Coast Guard Headquarters, field units, other government agencies and industry partners on offshore drilling and production facilities, offshore supply vessels and crewboats.

Wilkinson began his career in commercial vessel compliance at Marine Safety Unit Houma, La., serving there from 2014 to 2017. He then served as the Marine Safety Detachment supervisor in Peoria, Ill., a unit responsible for regulatory compliance and investigation activities for commercial vessels and inspected facilities on the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, among other duties.

Wilkinson completed the Coast Guard’s marine engineering postgraduate program, earning a Master of Science degree in ocean engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology. He is also a 2010 graduate of the University of South Florida, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering.

Wilkinson said he is excited to work with the crew at MSU Paducah and to meet or become reacquainted with industry partners. “Please be transparent and communicate early, and I will promise to do the same,” he said.

Featured photo caption: Capt. Randy Preston, commander of Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley (right), reviews Cmdr. Shehu Bello’s Award of Meritorious Service during the command change ceremony June 9 for Marine Safety Unit Paducah. (Photos by Shelley Byrne)