Workboat articles from August 2005

Workboat archives from August 2005

Privacy please.(EDITOR'S WATCH)
August 1, 2005... Public sector outsourcing has been going on for years. City and state governments have outsourced such things as ticket collections, maintenance, recycling, security and, in the workboat world, ferry operations. The private sector has also made...

The hawsepiper vs. academy debate continues.(MAIL BAG)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... I would like to respond to Capt. Edward A. McCarthy's and Capt. David Bakara's comments on hawsepipers in the May 2005 Mail Bag. I agree there is a need for qualified mariners. I disagree that a hawsepiper is unable to be more qualified...

... and more on hawsepipers.(MAIL BAG)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... I have been reading the Mail Bag letters from the last few issues with a lot of discomfort. Why does it need to be a question of hawsepipe or academy? Both methods have produced inspiration and horror stories. Capt. Bakara mentions...

On the water; Lightning strikes: Part II.(AT A GLANCE)
August 1, 2005... When it comes to protection from lightning, here's an important rule to remember: The level of crew safety is directly related to how well a vessel can conduct a lightning bolt from the sky to the water. And just how much electricity is...

Captain's table: ADA rules still under development.(Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990)
August 1, 2005... Handicapped access issues concerning large and small passenger vessels have been in the news lately. The Supreme Court handed down a decision recently on access aboard foreign cruise ships, and the comment period on proposed access guidelines...

WorkBoat Composite Index: index loses ground in second quarter.
August 1, 2005... The WorkBoat Composite Index squeaked out a small gain in June but lost ground in the second quarter. For the month, the Index was up 1.2 percent, but lost 1.3 percent for the quarter. The big winner for the month and quarter were...

Inland insider: digging out the Miami River.(Bean Environmental L.L.C.)
August 1, 2005... In Miami, a badly shoaled six-mile-long navigational channel on the Miami River is being literally dug out. The dredging, or more accurately shoveling, of four to 10 feet of debris is going on round the clock on the river. The Miami River...

OSV day rates: rates up, utilization flat.(offshore support vessels)
August 1, 2005... Despite a drop in Gulf of Mexico rig activity in June, virtually every class of offshore service vessel posted day-rate gains. However, utilization only rose for crewboats during June and were flat for other vessel classes. For example,...

Legal talk: charting the maritime litigation waters.(AT A GLANCE)
August 1, 2005... Litigation is a bit like a following sea. At some point it's going to catch up and roll under you. This is particularly the case in the maritime field. Whether you work on deck or in the office, it is likely you will intersect with the...

Maine Maritime Academy.(NEWS LOG)(State of Maine training ship)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Maine Maritime Academy's training ship State of Maine departed from Castine Harbor in May with assistance from the tug Mack Point of Maineport Towboats Inc. of Belfast, Maine. The ship set sail on its annual 60-day training cruise. ...

Lock-and-dam operations may be outsourced.(NEWS LOG)
August 1, 2005... The inland industry is concerned about a new federal initiative that could outsource the operation and maintenance of the nation's lock-and dam-system to the private sector. Uncle Sam wants to see if it would be cheaper for private industry to...

NTSB report faults charter-boat captain.(National Transportation Safety Board)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... A National Transportation Safety Board investigation of a June 2003 charter-boat accident in Oregon concluded that the master's decision to cross the Tillamook Bay bar during hazardous conditions was the probable cause. The 32' Taki-Tooo...

Coast Guard grilled at House hearings.(NEWS LOG)
August 1, 2005... One year after sweeping new maritime security regulations went into effect, progress has been uneven in securing the nation's ports and waterways from a possible terrorist attack. There have been many successes, witnesses from the Coast...

Pipelaying company must liquidate.(Torch Offshore Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Lyle Stockstill's dream appears to be over. In June, a U.S. District Court judge ordered the founder of Gretna, La.-based Torch Offshore to liquidate his pipelaying company's assets when he couldn't come up with approximately $200 million...

Longshoremen want to help with port security.(International Longshoremen's Association)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The International Longshoremen's Association wants to be trained to help with port security, an official said at the recent SecurePort 2005 conference in Miami. ILA secretary-treasurer Robert Gleason said he wanted everyone to know the ILA...

Passenger vessels to be auctioned off by Marad.(Maritime Administration)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The Cape Cod Light and the Cape May Light were scheduled to be put on the auction block July 26 at the U.S. Maritime Administration offices in Washington, D.C. The reserve price was expected to be about $12 million each for cash buyers, said...

USCG halts lengthening of 110-foot cutters.(Coast Guard)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Citing costs and security needs, the U.S. Coast Guard has shelved plans to lengthen the rest of its 110' Island-class cutters for its Integrated Deepwater System. The agency will instead push ahead with the 147' Fast Response Cutters (FRCs),...

Seacor-seabulk merger finalized; Kurz to leave.(Seabulk International Inc., SEACOR Holdings Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Seabulk International is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Seacor Holdings, the result of a $532 million deal between the two former rivals that creates a strong competitor to Tidewater Inc. in the offshore service vessel market. Seabulk...

Combat cargo: the military is rediscovering barge transport.(FOCUS: MILITARY CARGO)
August 1, 2005... World War II, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm--the inland waterways usually lend a hand during times of war. And the most recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have been no exception. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Military work is sporadic,...

It's academic: at Maine Maritime Academy, there's plenty of on-the-job training.(FOCUS: MARITIME ACADEMY TRAINING)
August 1, 2005... About a quarter-mile from the docks that line the shore in Castine, Maine, the 230-foot barge Cleanwater 21 swings on its mooring. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] At the dock, Harry Stevens, captain of the 76'X24'6", 1,200-hp tug Pentagoet and...

Chouest newbuild program continues with latest 280' OSV.(Edison Chouest Offshore Inc.)
August 1, 2005... In June on the New Orleans river-front, Edison Chouest Offshore christened its latest 280'X69'X24' deep-water supply vessel--a vessel it describes as one of the most technologically advanced in the world. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The...

Diversified Marine finishing second tug for Brusco.(Brusco Tug and Barge, Diversified Marine Construction)
August 1, 2005... Founded in 1984, Brusco Tug & Barge, Longview, Wash., provides log towing service on the Columbia River and wood-chip hauling along the West Coast. The company also barges juvenile salmon around dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers for the...

Blount to operate its newbuild dinner boat.(Blount Boats)
August 1, 2005... If you're a boatbuilder and you have a couple of big diesel engines lying around gathering dust, what do you do with them? Simple. You build a dinner boat to put them in. At least that's what you do if you're Luther Blount of Blount Boats...

United States Marine patrol boats for Oman.(CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT WORKBOAT YARDS)
August 1, 2005... New Orleans-based United States Marine Inc. (USMI) has landed an $18 million contract from the government of Oman to build three Kevlar composite-hulled patrol boats for the Royal Oman Police Coast Guard. The contract could lead to additional...

VT Halter Marine.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... VT Halter Marine, Pascagoula, Miss., has signed a $16.3 million contract to build a catamaran lift barge for Washington Group International (WGI) and WGI's joint venture partner, Alberici Group. The vessel will be equipped with special lift...

Bay Shipbuilding.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay, Wis., will build a 460'X70' self-discharging bulk cement barge for American Transport Leasing. The new barge will be part of an ATB unit that includes a recently purchased 7,200-hp tug. Delivery is scheduled for...

Zidell Marine Corp.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Zidell Marine Corp., Portland, Ore., will soon begin construction on its largest vessel to date. The 365'X78'X30', 86,000-bbl. double-hull tank barge is being built for an undisclosed customer and is expected to be delivered by November 2006....

Gulf Craft Inc.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Gulf Craft Inc., Patterson, La., has delivered an 82'6"X24' passenger ferry to Star Line Mackinac Island Ferry, St. Ignace, Mich. The Marquette II is powered by a pair of Detroit Diesel MTU 16V2000 engines rated at 1,410 hp each at 2,100 rpm....

Voith Turbo Marine.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Voith Turbo Marine announced that a Norwegian company will build a platform supply vessel powered by two Voith Schneider cycloidal drive units. It's a new market for Voith, but the company says its drive units are ideal for dynamic positioning...

MACC attack: the U.S. military wants small boats that are strong and fast.(2005 Multi-Agency Craft Conference)
August 1, 2005... In May, builders of small, fast boats for the military discovered what most of them already knew. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "This is a good time to be in the business you're in," Scott Littlefield, director of science and technology at...

Island hop: new Maine ferry has plenty to offer passengers.(BOATS & GEAR: 110' PASSENGER FERRY)(Casco Bay Lines )
August 1, 2005... When the 65' Island Holiday was delivered in 1967, Portland, Maine-based ferry operator Casco Bay Lines served fewer than half a million passengers a year. Today, as more and more residents and visitors travel between Portland and six nearby...

Filling the gap: outboard manufacturers are offering more options for 2006.(BOATS & GEAR: OUTBOARD ENGINES)
August 1, 2005... Now that outboard engine manufacturers have had several years to meet air emission standards and develop engines that are more environmentally compatible and have less noise and vibration, they seem content to fill out their engine lineups with...

WorkBoat looks back.(WB ARCHIVES)
August 1, 2005... August 1945 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * The prospective sale of thousands of surplus vessels by the government could influence Army Engineers' reports on the economic justification for new waterways. Army Engineers have just begun surveys...