Workboat articles from August 2007

Workboat archives from August 2007

Grow your own.(EDITOR'S WATCH)(Kirby Corp.)
August 1, 2007... Workboat operators want to stock their boats with good mariners. To find them, many companies are sticking with traditional avenues--ads, billboards, etc.--which brings so-so results. Others supplement these familiar channels with...

Lessening TWIC's impact on the barge industry.(MAIL BAG)(Correction notice)
August 1, 2007... This letter is to set the record straight with regard to the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) and the role played by the tugboat, towboat and barge industry in its development and execution. A letter that appeared in the...

Simplify the TWIC process.(MAIL BAG)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... I just read the article, "The TWIC mess continues." (WorkBoat E-newsletter, April 27) It seems like they are trying to make something simple into something very costly and complicated. Why not simply add a database link to the licensing...

Travel time and duty time.(MAIL BAG)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... A 15-passenger van loaded with crews and supplies for three vessels heads south from Paducah, Ky. These 15-passenger vans have been called "death vans." The vans' poor handling characteristics coupled with driver fatigue is a dangerous mix. ...

On the water: the Coast Guard stamp of approval - part II.(AT A GLANCE)
August 1, 2007... When evaluating new products submitted for approval for use on commercial and recreational vessels, the U.S. Coast Guard judges them against "technical standards." This means that the product's design, materials and manufacturing or...

Captain's table: Marad chief discusses Title XI loan guarantees.(AT A GLANCE)(talks with Sean Connaughton )(Interview)
August 1, 2007... Editor's Note: Maritime Administrator Sean Connaughton discussed the Title XI ship financing program with Bernie Jacobson during a break at a meeting of the Marine Board of the National Academies held in Portland, Maine, in May. ...

WorkBoat Composite Index: Index treads water in June.(AT A GLANCE)
August 1, 2007... The WorkBoat Composite Index was up six points in June, less than 1 percent. For the month, winners topped losers by a ratio of more than 7 to 5. Leading gainers included Global Industries, U.S. Shipping Partners and Cal Dive...

OSV day rates: Jackups continue their exodus from the U.S. Gulf.(AT A GLANCE)
August 1, 2007... Rates for offshore service vessels were relatively unchanged in June. Operators of larger supply boats, however, recorded an average increase of more than $600 per day, with utilization up 1 percent. Rates for small supply vessels were...

Inland insider: increasing barge utilization.(AT A GLANCE)(use of barges in shipping industries and towing companies)
August 1, 2007... Several decades ago the largest railroad in the nation painted the slogan "Don't Stand Me Still" on the sides of some of its boxcars in an effort to emphasize the importance of equipment utilization. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] While there...

Legal talk: the benefit of a lawyer's eye.(AT A GLANCE)
August 1, 2007... In my last column, I talked about why it's wise to contact an admiralty attorney before an incident arises. This month, I discuss another reason why a lawyer can come in handy--U.S. Coast Guard form 2692 (CG-2692). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Finance talk: the economics of repowering.(AT A GLANCE)(workboat owners seeks management with efficient engineeering)
August 1, 2007... Workboat owners and operators are always seeking ways to strengthen their bottom lines, and, increasingly, repowering is seen as a way to do it. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In recent years, gains in engine fuel efficiency and durability...

Brian Thomas, vice president of Kvichak Marine Industries.(NEWS LOG)
August 1, 2007... Standing in front of the Coast Guard Response Boat-Medium prototype, Brian Thomas, vice president of Kvichak Marine Industries, Seattle, addresses the guests at the June 29 keel-laying ceremony for the first production-model RB-M. Kvichak and...

Bill would reform troubled Deepwater program.(NEWS LOG)
August 1, 2007... In June, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen gave a U.S. House panel a rundown on all the changes being made to Deepwater, the troubled fleet modernization program. Two days later, however, two congressmen introduced the Integrated...

New Orleans training company purchased.(NEWS BITTS)(Houston Marine Training Services purchased by Alford Safety Services Inc.)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Houston Marine Training Services will continue to train mariners after all. Plans by Chicago-based Kaplan Financial to close the training school by the end of the year were shelved after Alford Safety Services Inc. of Houma, La., purchased the...

Washington state yards submit ferry proposal.(NEWS LOG)
August 1, 2007... After several years of delays due to disagreements between Washington state shipyards and Washington State Ferries, the process to build four new ferries may be back on track. WSF had been trying to let a contract for the new...

Article says mariners lose most USCG cases.(NEWS LOG)(United States. Coast Guard)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Mariners who go before U.S. Coast Guard administrative law judges have virtually no chance of winning their cases, according to a published report in the Baltimore Sun. The Sun said its investigation was based on federal court records,...

Support from Congress for short-sea shipping.(NEWS LOG)
August 1, 2007... Congress has taken the first step toward promoting short-sea shipping as an alternative method of moving cargo. Following up on testimony at recent hearings, the House Transportation Committee has approved measures to promote short-sea...

SEACOR and Nabors to operate OSV fleet.(NEWS BITTS)(SEACOR Holdings Inc. and Nabors Industries Ltd. formed off-shore service vessel company)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... SEACOR Holdings Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Nabors Industries Ltd., incorporated in Bermuda, have agreed to create a new off-shore service vessel company. The partnership will initially operate a fleet of 20 OSVs that are currently owned...

Delta Queen could be permanently docked.(NEWS LOG)(Ambassadors International Inc.)
August 1, 2007... The new owners of the historic paddlewheeler Delta Queen are gearing up for a fight to keep the vessel operating. Ambassadors International Inc. needs Congress to extend an exemption to a Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requirement in order for...

Union measure defeated.(NEWS BITTS)
August 1, 2007... The Senate has blocked a proposal that would allow unions to organize without a secret ballot election. The move to bring the Employee Free Choice Act to a vote failed 51-48, with all Democrates, one Republican and an independent voting for it....

U.S. mulls new security rules for small vessels.(NEWS LOG)(Maritime Transportation Security Act)
August 1, 2007... After focusing on improving security of large ships since 9/11, Uncle Sam is now aiming its radar at small commercial and recreational vessels. U.S. officials last month opened a dialogue with owners and operators of vessels under 300 GT...

Tug talk: new conference highlights innovations in the tug and towing industry.(TUGNOLOGY CONFERENCE)(Conference notes)
August 1, 2007... In my opinion, there are far too many maritime conferences," said Allan Brunton-Reed, managing director of The ABR Company Ltd., the group that organizes the biennial International Tug & Salvage Convention. "Nevertheless, we have been inundated...

Test drive: Craft Conference highlights the move toward more industry partnerships.(GOVERNMENT BOATS)(Conference notes)
August 1, 2007... The official theme, "Celebrating MACC's 10-Year Anniversary," might as well have been "Happy Marriages," as this year's Multi-agency Craft Conference provided ample evidence of the successful alliances domestic builders and suppliers have...

Three-masted schooner from Freeport Ship.(ON THE WAYS )(Mystic owned by Voyager Cruises)
August 1, 2007... On June 1, the three-masted steel schooner Mystic arrived in Mystic, Conn., where it will spend the summer taking passengers on day sails and overnight cruises. The boat was designed by Timothy Graul Marine Design, Sturgeon Bay, Wis., and built...

Bludworth delivers pushboat to Signet Maritime.(ON THE WAYS)
August 1, 2007... In June, Corpus Christi, Texas-based John Bludworth Shipyard LLC delivered the pushboat Signet Columbia to Signet Maritime Corp. The 62'x26'x9'6" pushboat is the first delivery under the Houston company's $28 million construction program. ...

Another 27-footer from SeaArk Marine.(ON THE WAYS)
August 1, 2007... Caddo Parish, La., law enforcement officials have used SeaArk Marine patrol boats for several years. Now their Red River counterparts in neighboring Bossier Parish have a SeaArk of their own. The Bossier Sheriff's Office took delivery...

Boatbuilding bitts.(ON THE WAYS)
August 1, 2007... What began in 1996 as a contract to build one 87'x19' Marine Protector Class Coastal Patrol Boat (CPB) for the U.S. Coast Guard, led to the construction of 67 CPBs. Now, because of increased homeland security and other mission requirements, the...

Rodriguez delivers 'old-style' tug to Garber Bros.(ON THE WAYS)
August 1, 2007... CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT WORKBOAT YARDS The 78'x28' tug Sea Oak, built by Rodriguez Boat Builders in Bayou La Batre, Ala., is a throwback to a time before the designers of tugboats started building boxy deckhouses and wheelhouses. Then...

Training wheels: Kirby's training facility offers career opportunities and more.(COVER STORY)
August 1, 2007... The cry for help can be heard all across the workboat industry--from inland and coastal towing to the ship assist and energy service sectors. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Billboards line U.S. Hwy. 90 from New Orleans to Lafayette, La., a...

College offers hands-on inland waterways training.(COVER STORY)
August 1, 2007... Assistance towing endorsement, basic and advanced firefighting, emergency care for inland boatmen, maritime security awareness, steersman of towing vessels on western rivers, and soon to come--towboat cooking. These are just some of the 30...

Tractor-tug training on Maine Maritime's Zeeboat.(COVER STORY)
August 1, 2007... Looking for another method to train future tractor-tug operators, three Maine companies and a ship pilots group donated $4,000 to underwrite the modification of a fiberglass skiff to mimic the maneuverability of Z-drive tugs. Called the...

Efficiency experts: Rigdon Marine moves into the crewboat market.(RIGDON PSVs/FSVs)
August 1, 2007... Rigdon Marine Corp. made a big splash in 2004 when it broke into the U.S. Gulf service vessel market with its diesel-electric DP-2 platform supply boats. The expansion-minded company now operates 10 steel PSVs, and two aluminum fast supply...

Jet stream: the latest waterjets produce more thrust and more speed.(PROPULSION)
August 1, 2007... It's now common knowledge that waterjet propulsion is what you want when you need to go really fast, no matter what size the vessel. The waterjet's efficiency just doesn't drop off the way prop-driven propulsion does once you get in the...

Workboat Business.(appointment of David Weinhoffer employee of Superior Offshore International LLC)(Jackson Offshore LLC gets certification)(appointment of Rudold Mes employee of AER Supply Ltd.)
August 1, 2007... Dr. William J. DeWitt III has been named associate dean of the Loeb-Sullivan School of International Business and Logistics at Maine Maritime Academy, Castine, Maine. DeWitt has extensive experience in freight transportation and logistics...

Gas filter, oil monitor.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
August 1, 2007... Racor, a division of Parker Hannifin Corp., Modesto, Calif., has two new products on the marine market: the SootChek, a portable engine oil monitor, and two new Aquabloc II gas engine filters. SootChek is a handheld, battery operated diagnostic...

Multifuel outboards.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
August 1, 2007... Virginia Beach, Va.-based Bombardier has unveiled a new 55-hp Evinrude multifuel outboard engine designed to meet the needs of the defense industry. The new engines can run on jet fuels, kerosene, standard gasoline or diesel fuel. This fuel...

Piloting solution.(PRODUCT LOCKER)(Jeppesen Marine)(Jeppesen Workboat Navigator)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Englewood, Colo.-based Jeppesen Marine is marketing its new Jeppesen Workboat Navigator--a piloting solution for commercial boats that operate in coastal areas and inland waterways. It provides mariners with a combination of detailed...

Hub for CP wheels.(PRODUCT LOCKER)(KaMeWa AB)(Rolls-Royce AB)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Kamewa has developed a new hub for controllable-pitch propellers. The CP-A uses the company's established XF-5 design. Kamewa's parent company, Rolls-Royce, has engineered this system to interface with other Rolls-Royce propulsion equipment, DP...

New wiring tools.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
August 1, 2007... Waytek Inc., Chanhassen, Minn., a distributor of electrical wiring supplies, now features four new marine tools from Port Jervis, N.J.-based Klein Tools. The new Klein-Kurve tool is a precision wire stripper/cutter that strips and cuts 18-...

Marine VHF radio.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
August 1, 2007... The new SI-TEX DSC-900 is a marine VHF radio combined with built-in digital selective calling capabilities. The DSC function offers added safety by broadcasting an individual distress signal at the push of a button. In emergency situations, the...

Calendar.(Calendar)
August 1, 2007... * Visit www.workboat.com for information on other commercial marine events * Aug. 22-24 GICA CONVENTION The 102nd Annual Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association Convention, Wyndham Canal Place, New Orleans. Tel: 713-435-1069 ...

Workboat looks back.(WB ARCHIVES)
August 1, 2007... * This month's cover features the new Boston Tow Boat Co. tug Juno. The company now has three of the 100'x26'x12'6"" tugs in its fleet. Each tug is powered by twin Enterprise 1,270-hp diesels. * A bill sponsored by Rep. Evan Howell of...