Workboat articles from April 2005

Workboat archives from April 2005

The maritime security superstore.(EDITOR'S WATCH)(Editorial)
April 1, 2005... It seems that security and terrorism have invaded our everyday lives. Everywhere you look it's security this and security that. And that goes for the maritime industry too. With all the new regulations requiring a plethora of security...

Keep the American mariner.(MAIL BAG)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... The small but very powerful piece written by Max Hardberger in the December issue, "Despite problems, Torch CEO remains upbeat," tells the whole story. [Chairman and CEO Lyle] Stockstill said that his company has urged legislators to "level"...

On the water: towing vessel inspection: part II.(AT A GLANCE)
April 1, 2005... In last month's column, it was explained how and why mariners should submit comments and suggestions to the rulemaking process that will eventually bring towing vessels under some form of inspection. Despite the federal government's trend...

Captain's table: when should everyone don a lifejacket?(AT A GLANCE)
April 1, 2005... In the wake of two recent casualties where lives were lost, representatives of small and uninspected passenger vessel operators are considering working with the Coast Guard to develop a new decision tool to help improve safety for passengers...

Workboat Composite Index: index jumps 47 points.(AT A GLANCE)
April 1, 2005... The Workboat Composite Index is in the black for 2005 after gaining 47 points in February. The 5.39 percent gain topped both the Dow and S&P 500. Operators made up the majority of the winners, which topped losers by a ratio of 5-1. Top...

OSV day rates: mixed signs return to the U.S. Gulf.(AT A GLANCE)(offshore supply vessels, Gulf of Mexico)
April 1, 2005... The mixed signals put out by various industry officials and analysts indicates that the Gulf market is again befuddled. Gulf of Mexico supply vessel and crewboat operators saw higher utilization and day rates during February, and Gulf...

Inland insider: is the sky falling?(AT A GLANCE)
April 1, 2005... It was Chicken Little who ran around screaming, "The sky is falling! I must go and tell the king." Chicken Little missed the mark with her doomsday prediction because an acorn falling on her head was not enough evidence to back up her claim....

Finance talk: the law doesn't tolerate an unfit crew.(AT A GLANCE)
April 1, 2005... Many moons ago, on an aft deck that was shifting under a rolling sea, I was called a greenhorn. Unflattering to be sure, but in hindsight, it was perhaps more of a warning to others than a personal attack. I was stamped with a warning label...

A U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat cruises the Mississippi River during Mardi Gras week in New Orleans in February.(NEWS LOG)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: A U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat cruises the Mississippi River during Mardi Gras week in New Orleans in February. With tens of thousands of visitors during Mardi Gras, security was heightened. The Coast Guard...

Bush's fiscal 2006 budget contains funding cuts for several maritime programs.(NEWS LOG)(George W. Bush)
April 1, 2005... The battle is underway to blunt proposals in President Bush's fiscal 2006 budget that would make deep cuts in maritime and waterways programs and change the way grant money is distributed to ports for security improvements. Lobbying...

Rochester, N.Y., buys troubled fast ferry.(NEWS LOG)(Rochester Ferry Co., New York)
April 1, 2005... The city of Rochester, N.Y., plunked down $32 million at a federal auction in late February and came away with the Spirit of Ontario, the idled fast ferry that got off to a poor start last spring. Service was halted in the fall. The...

Todd gets the nod for Washington ferries.(NEWS LOG)(Todd Pacific Shipyards Corp., Washington State Ferries )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... In February, Washington State Ferries announced that Todd Pacific Shipyards was the only finalist in a design/bid competition that met all of the pre-qualification requirements both technically and financially. WSF intends to build four new...

Port Security funding falls short, report says.(NEWS LOG)(Port Security Grant Program)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Federal funding made available to U.S. ports through the Port Security Grant Program has been misguided and misused in many instances. In other cases, the money hasn't been used at all, even though the grant program was set up to zero-out each...

Lawsuit over ferry security searches fails.(NEWS BITTS)(Lake Champlain Transportation Co.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... A federal judge in Vermont recently dismissed a lawsuit challenging certain security measures by Lake Champlain Transportation Co. Lake Champlain runs car ferries between Vermont and New York. In his ruling, Judge Garvan Murtha upheld random...

Corps should buy barge industry, senator says.(NEWS BITTS)(United States. Army Corps of Engineers, Byron Dorgan)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... For years the barge industry along the lower Missouri River has been at odds with fishermen, environmentalists and recreational interests upriver who are against the altering of the river's water flow by the Corps of Engineers to accommodate...

New chiefs chosen for state ferry systems.(NEWS BITTS)(Mike Anderson and Robin Taylor appointed)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... After serving as acting director of Washington State Ferries, Mike Anderson has been given the job permanently. The appointment culminates Anderson's 32-year career at WSF where he started as a traffic attendant. In Alaska, Robin Taylor has...

USCG establishes Sector Command in Baltimore.(NEWS BITTS)(United States. Coast Guard)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Coast Guard Sector Baltimore was formally established in ceremonies in early March. Sector Baltimore, previously Activities Baltimore, is the latest of the new Sector Commands that are being created throughout the Coast Guard. It will continue...

Guarding Iraq: U.S. Coast Guard personnel carry out their duties in the Persian Gulf.(USCG IN IRAQ)
April 1, 2005... In the seconds before the explosion, Boatswains Mate Third Class Joseph Ruggiero and his team on a rigid hull inflatable deployed off the U.S. Navy coastal patrol boat Firebolt tried to get a menacing, zigzagging boat to stop. The small,...

Port protectors: patrol boat construction continues at a healthy clip.(PATROL BOATS)
April 1, 2005... The brisk pace of patrol boat construction showed no signs of slowing over the past year, nor do many expect it to lose momentum during the coming year. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "It's looking good," said Jimmy Sorenson, project manager...

Two new pilot boat designs from Kvichak Marine.(ON THE WAYS)
April 1, 2005... Kvichak Marine Industries, Seattle, recently delivered two new pilot boats to East Coast operators, one in Georgia and the other in Virginia. Both vessels are new designs. The Virginia Pilot's Association operates in the Port of Hampton...

Steiner-built tug heading for the Caymans.(ON THE WAYS)
April 1, 2005... Bayou La Batre, Ala.-based Steiner Shipyard recently completed the 65'X26'X9'6" line-handling tug Sand Cay for West Indian Towage Ltd., Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. West Indian Marine will operate the boat. The Sand Cay is a...

Gladding-Hearn water taxis for New York City.(ON THE WAYS)(Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding Duclos Corp.)
April 1, 2005... The schedules for water taxis and ferries can get pretty complicated in New York, but when passengers start riding a pair of new aluminum catamaran water taxi/ferries now being built for New York Water Taxi at Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding Corp.,...

Verret and Sneed deliver towboats for Blessey.(ON THE WAYS)(Verret Ship Yard Inc.)(Blessey Marine Services)
April 1, 2005... In February, Blessey Marine Services held a dual christening on the New Orleans waterfront for a pair of steel-hulled towboats. The 66'X30'X10' Judy S. Fried was designed and built at Verret Shipyard Inc., Plaquemine, La., and the 65'X30'X9'...

Boatbuilding bitts.(ON THE WAYS)
April 1, 2005... Gulf Craft Inc., Patterson, La., delivered the Jenny McCall to Seacor Marine in late January. The 180'X32' aluminum crew/supply vessel is powered by four Cummins KTA50-M2 diesel engines, each rated at 1,800 hp at 1,900 rpm. Each engine turns a...

Financially secure: new regulations are fueling the emerging maritime security industry.(COVER STORY)
April 1, 2005... The 9/11 terrorist attacks have led to military conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, redirected much of the work of the U.S. government, and launched an international campaign against terrorism. It has also ignited an explosive growth in the...

Big apple boats: the first of three new ferries for New York City enters service.(STATEN ISLAND FERRY)
April 1, 2005... The early reviews are in, and it appears that the long wait for a trio of new ferries for New York City will be worth it. The Guy V. Molinari, the first of three new Kennedy-class ferries, began operating on its Manhattan-to-Staten Island,...

Heat wave: thermal imaging can be useful for both security and navigation.(SECURITY PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2005... Imagine a couple of dark scenarios. In the first, a jet ski loaded with explosives crosses a bay during a moonless night. Its target: an LNG tanker and its escort tugs as they pass under a well-traveled bridge. In the second, a disgruntled...

Marine Intercom System.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
April 1, 2005... David Clark Company Inc., Worcester, Mass., has introduced its new Series 9500 Marine Intercom System (MIS) to provide clear communication in the high-noise environments of commercial vessels including law enforcement/homeland security,...

3-D sonar.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
April 1, 2005... FarSounder Inc. is marketing its new FS-3DT, forward-looking sonar for surface-ship navigation. Designed for obstacle avoidance and shallow-water navigation, the sonar is capable of generating a complete 3-D image of the sea floor and in-water...

Water treatment system.(PRODUCT LOCKER)(OilTrap Environmental Products, Inc. )(wastewater treatment systems)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... OilTrap Environmental, Tumwater, Wash., a manufacturer of electrocoagulation (EC) wastewater treatment systems, has introduced a new generation of electrocoagulation water treatment systems designed for wash water generated from washing...

Calendar.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
April 1, 2005... May 2-5 OFFSHORE CONFERENCE The 2005 Offshore Technology Conference, Reliant Center, Houston. Tel: 972-952-9494 E-mail: service@otcnet.org www.otcnet.org May 17-20 CRAFT CONFERENCE MACC 2005, the...

Workboat looks back.(WB ARCHIVES)(Calendar)
April 1, 2005... April 1945 * In a special message to Congress on March 20, President Roosevelt requested an immediate appropriation of $4.48 million to cover the cost of plans, working drawings, blueprints and specifications for an array of previously...