Workboat articles from December 2006

Workboat archives from December 2006

"Do you know what it means ...
December 1, 2006... To miss New Orleans... and miss it each night and day... I know I'm not wrong... this feeling's gettin' stronger... the longer, I stay away." The answer to this, posed in the song "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans," is a...

The hydraulic vs. electric winch debate continues.(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... It is with great interest and some amusement that I've followed the exchange between JonRie InterTech and Rapp Hydema in response to the April 2006 article "Electrify" on the trend towards electric winches. WorkBoat readers need to know...

Assessment record needs adjusting for ATBs.(Articulated Tug / Barge )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... I believe that the Coast Guard needs to take a second look at the TOAR (Towing Officers' Assessment Record). I hold a 1600-ton Master, Oceans and soon will be on my sixth issue. I am also qualified as a designated examiner for TOAR candidates....

Industry needs to tweak its approach to recruiting.(MAIL BAG)
December 1, 2006... The company I work for has boats tied up, just as other companies do. The boats could be working and earning money, but there are no crews to man them. It is time for the industry to rethink their approach to recruiting, and what it will take...

Foreign workers are OK, but communication is a problem.(MAIL BAG)
December 1, 2006... I have worked with mariners from other countries and have found that, for the most part, they are really good workers. One thing that is a major concern is communications. Seamen from other countries often have problems with fully...

Corporations only care about maximizing profits.(MAIL BAG)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... In his May 2006 Mail Bag letter, "Temporary visas could ease mariner labor woes," Jake Lazarus wrote: "I cannot agree more... do it quickly while we still have an administration in Washington that is friendly to the working man." What...

On the water: ID cards--part II.
December 1, 2006... The Transportation Worker Identification Credential rulemaking process is just another example of the growing and needlessly complex regulatory regime afflicting the U.S. Merchant Marine. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The government agencies...

Captain's table: a Danube River cruise.
December 1, 2006... I recently returned from an interesting 880-mile Danube River voyage. The trip, which took me south and east from Budapest to the Port of Constanta on the Black Sea, included shore visits in Hungary, Vojvodina, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, and...

WorkBoat Composite Index: Index gains 50 points in October.(AT A GLANCE)
December 1, 2006... After treading water for two months, the WorkBoat Composite Index showed some life in October. For the month, the Index gained 50 points, or just over 4 percent. For the month, winners topped losers by a 3-1 ratio. There were 10...

OSV day rates: rates continue to drop.(ocean station vessel)
December 1, 2006... Day rates for Gulf of Mexico supply vessels fell for the second straight month, and utilization also dropped. October mirrored September, with each vessel category in WorkBoat's monthly OSV day-rate and utilization survey losing ground...

Inland insider: where's the labor?
December 1, 2006... Check out this help-wanted ad: Earn up to $90,000 per year with unlimited overtime. Company-paid training provided. If WorkBoat ran advertisements like this, it would likely be bombarded with inquiries. But that's not the case when it comes...

Book Review: The Port of Baltimore.
December 1, 2006... The Great Port of Baltimore, Its First 300 Years By Helen Delich Bentley & F. Key Kidder Media Two Inc., Towson, Md. With a gritty mix of shipyards, vessels and docks combined with industrial-strength personalities who worked these...

Q&A: Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chairperson of the Homeland security and governmental affairs committee.(AT A GLANCE)(Interview)
December 1, 2006... WorkBoat: Would changing or abolishing the Jones Act be beneficial to U.S. business interests? Sen. Susan Collins: Any changes being considered to the Jones Act, or maritime proposals that would possibly affect it, would be carefully...

Legal talk: understanding the role of a maritime attorney.(AT A GLANCE)
December 1, 2006... When you work around the water, you develop a sense of what those who share your surroundings do and how they do it. However, a maritime attorney's endeavors are often not well understood. In the vast sea of law, there is a small body of...

Louisiana lawsuit to block future Gulf of Mexico lease sales settled.(NEWS LOG)
December 1, 2006... A lawsuit filed by the state of Louisiana that aimed to block federal offshore lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and draw federal lawmakers' attention to the significance of the state's disappearing coastal wetlands and energy production was...

Reinauer purchases R.I. barge builder.(NEWS LOG)(Reinauer Transportation Co. LLC acquires Senesco Marine)
December 1, 2006... SENESCO Marine, the North Kingstown, R.I., shipyard primarily focused on barge construction, has been sold to Reinauer Transportation Co. LLC. Terms were not disclosed. Established in 1923, Staten Island, N.Y.-based Reinauer began...

Legislation could hasten demise of single-skin barges.(Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006)
December 1, 2006... On Nov. 26, 2004, the 750', Cyprus-flagged single-hull tanker Athos I struck a submerged piece of pipe while en route to the CITGO asphalt refinery on the Delaware River. The 1'X6' gash leaked about 265,000 gals. of oil into the river,...

Gulf shipyard using workers from India.(NEWS BITTS)
December 1, 2006... Signal International is hiring nearly 600 welders and shipfitters on temporary visas from India for oil rig repair and construction at its yards in Pascagoula, Miss., and Orange, Texas. "We can't find the workers that we need at the same time...

AAPA says first phase of TWIC program essential to security.(American Association of Port Authorities)(Transportation Worker Identification Credential)
December 1, 2006... The American Association of Port Authorities is a strong proponent of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC). AAPA says the TWIC will help port officials determine if unescorted transportation workers entering their...

Correction.(Correction notice)
December 1, 2006... In the article "Chamber Made" in the November 2006 issue, a reference was made to RIBCRAFT as being a United Kingdom-based company. Though the brand and designs originated in the UK and RIBCRAFT Ltd. is located in the United Kingdom, RIBCRAFT...

Fast track: new training program turns out a 500/1600-ton mate in two years.(Pacific Maritime Institute)
December 1, 2006... Like many Gulf OSV operators, Edison Chouest Offshore is on a boatbuilding binge. Over the next few years, the Louisiana company will launch around 30 new boats. And with all this new steel in the water, the company will need lots of good...

What's cookin': on workboats, cooks play a big role in keeping the crews happy and healthy.(Occupation overview)
December 1, 2006... As most crews on workboats will tell you, "If the cook ain't happy, we ain't happy." And as most company managers will tell you, if the crew isn't happy, the company isn't happy, because productivity suffers and then profits slip. There's...

Gassed up: natural gas and tug demand go hand in hand.(LNG MARKET)
December 1, 2006... Natural gas consumption in the U.S. is expected to rise 38 percent in the next 20 years. Seventy percent of the new homes built this year are powered by gas, the cleanest burning of the fossil fuels. The use of natural gas by electric companies...

Freeport LNG terminal to open in 2007.(LNG MARKET)
December 1, 2006... Companies that plan to build and operate liquefied natural gas facilities in the U.S. must be willing to wade through miles of red tape and have deep pockets. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Everything in this business seems to be big," Bill...

Taxwise: federal programs can reduce vessel owners' tax bills.(CONSTRUCTION FINANCE)
December 1, 2006... Business is good in the marine industry. And when business is good, vessel owners are always looking for ways to reduce their tax bills. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A good source for this comes from the tax collector itself--the federal...

Bay link: short-line railroad's barge operation has a long history.(BARGE-RAIL SERVICE)
December 1, 2006... Cape Charles, Va., is literally at the end of the line. Traveling south down the Delmarva (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia) Peninsula, the urban industrial landscape fades quickly into farmland framed by the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and the...

Big tug on the way for Harvey Gulf International.(John W. Gilbert Associates)
December 1, 2006... Everything about the boat is huge," said John Gilbert Jr. at John W. Gilbert Associates in Hingham, Mass. The naval architecture firm recently completed the design for a big new 150' tug that is now being built at Eastern Shipbuilding...

Gulf Fleet's construction program well underway.(ON THE WAYS)
December 1, 2006... Gulf Fleet Management LLC is in the midst of an aggressive new-build program that includes five supply vessels and four crew/supply boats. In addition, Gulf Fleet recently purchased a 145' aluminum crewboat and two 150' steel supply boats. ...

30-foot landing craft from Viking Welding.(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Outward Bound Program has a new boat for its operations in Boston Harbor. It's a 27-passenger aluminum landing craft designed by Response Marine in Newburyport, Mass., and built by Viking Welding in Somerset, Mass. The...

Boatbuilding bitts.(ON THE WAYS)
December 1, 2006... Offshore Oil Services, Freeport, Texas, recently added the 145'X28'X12' Anna M to its white-hulled fleet of crewboats. Built by Breaux's Bay Craft, Loreauville, La., the crew/supplier has an 84'X23' open deck capable of 200 tons of cargo....

Correction.(Correction notice)
December 1, 2006... Both the concept design and the contract design for the William James, the 145' towboat being built by Conrad Industries for the Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District (WorkBoat, November 2006, On the Ways), were from CT Marine Inc., Edgecomb,...

Newsreel.(COVER STORY)
December 1, 2006... Each year, our Top 10 News Stories cover several subjects that span the workboat industry's key market sectors. Topping the list in 2006 was the security ID proposal for mariners and other transportation workers, a story that will continue to...

2006 boatbuilding review.(2006 BOATBUILDING INDEX)
December 1, 2006... A review of the boats featured in WorkBoat's On the Ways section from December 2005 to November 2006. DECEMBER 2005 HIGH-SPEED FERRY Alaska Ship & Drydock Inc. The E-Craft, which is receiving funding from the Navy's Office of...

Clean and green: a new generation of low-emission boats are coming.(GREEN BOATS)
December 1, 2006... A government agency and an environmental education group, a continent apart but close in spirit, are making new strides in bringing "green boats" to the passenger-vessel industry. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] On one side of the country,...

Sobering experience: alcohol-testing kits will be onboard more workboats.
December 1, 2006... Two hours. That's about the time it takes to eat a leisurely dinner at a nice restaurant. That's also how long you will have to submit to an alcohol test if your commercial vessel gets involved in an SMI, or "serious marine incident." ...

Show biz: the 27th International WorkBoat Show.(INTERNATIONAL WORKBOAT SHOW)
December 1, 2006... After a year hiatus as a result of Hurricane Katrina, the International WorkBoat Show returns to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans for its 27th installment. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Once again the show is expected to...

Karl Senner, founder of marine gear supplier.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)(Karl Senner Inc.)(Obituary)
December 1, 2006... Karl H. Senner, founder of Louisiana-based marine gear supplier Karl Senner Inc., died in October after a lengthy illness. Senner was born in Marienburg, Germany, in 1931 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1952. After a stint in the U.S. Army,...

Victoria, British Columbia-based Martec Ltd.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)(ShipConstructor Software Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Victoria, British Columbia-based Martec Ltd., developer of the Trident suite of structural analysis and seakeeping software, and ShipConstructor Software Inc., developer of the ShipConstructor suite of 3-D product modeling and production...

American Commercial Lines Inc.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)
December 1, 2006... American Commercial Lines Inc., Jeffersonville, Ind., recently established a national sales force in key geographic locations. Regional sales directors include Vanta Coda, Gulf region; Gabe Forir, Midwest region; Michael Wiercinski,...

Bollinger Shipyards Inc.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)
December 1, 2006... Bollinger Shipyards Inc., Lockport, La., has promoted Cindie Roussel to vice president of procurement, logistics, and life cycle support. Roussel's new responsibilities include material and purchasing support and life cycle sustainment for U.S....

Foss Maritime Co.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)
December 1, 2006... Foss Maritime Co., Seattle, recently named Gary C. Faber as its president and chief operating officer. Faber had been the company's executive vice president since 2001. Foss also announced that it had launched an updated Web site. The site,...

Vicki Warker is the new senior vice president of marketing for Intelsat, Pembroke, Bermuda.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)
December 1, 2006... Vicki Warker is the new senior vice president of marketing for Intelsat, Pembroke, Bermuda. Warker is responsible for the company's growth initiatives and maximizing the company's performance in serving the video and network services customer...

Furuno USA Inc.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)(United States. Coast Guard's electronics equipment for the Standard Navigation Acquisition Package contract)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Camas, Wash.-based marine electronics manufacturer Furuno USA Inc., has been awarded a multiyear $5.5 million contract from the U.S. Coast Guard to supply electronics equipment for the Standard Navigation Acquisition Package (SNAP). The...

Vertex Standard USA Inc.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)
December 1, 2006... Vertex Standard USA Inc., Cypress Calif., has promoted Jason Kennedy to executive vice president. He will oversee sales, marketing and operations. Kennedy will also be involved in product development for the North American market of Standard...

American Commercial Lines Inc.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)
December 1, 2006... American Commercial Lines Inc., Jeffersonville, Ind., has closed the previously announced sale of its interest in ACBL Venezuela Ltd. and GMS Venezuela CA. The $32 million deal results in the divestiture of the company's barge, towboat and...

Hypertherm Inc.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)
December 1, 2006... Brent Malik has joined Hypertherm Inc., Hanover, N.H., as district sales manager for Michigan and northern Ohio. Malik has nearly a decade of industrial sales experience with D-M-E, a manufacturer of tooling, electronic controls, and molding...

Welding helmet.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
December 1, 2006... Miller Electric Mfg. Co., Appleton, Wis., has introduced a new auto-darkening welding helmet inspired by the design of the Mexican flag. Sporting a bright green metallic finish, the new helmet features bold red and white accents that form an...

Communications support.(PRODUCT LOCKER)(SeaWave LLC)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... SeaWave LLC, a Middletown, R.I.-based maritime communications company, recently announced new warranty programs and enhanced technical support services for its customers. Recently introduced SeaWave warranty programs include the Extended...

Flange adapters.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
December 1, 2006... Brennan Industries Inc. recently expanded its line of fittings and adapters with new one-piece flange adapters. Machined from round stock, Brennan flange adapters are hot-piercing bent for the desired angle and do not have braze and weld...

Battery upgrade.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
December 1, 2006... Reading, Pa.-based EnerSys, the world's largest manufacturer, marketer and distributor of industrial batteries, has introduced a new BCI (Battery Council International) Group 65 battery to its Odyssey line of performance batteries. As a Group...

Improved reception.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
December 1, 2006... Digital Antenna Inc. has unveiled new marine cell boosters that improve cellular signals up to 30 miles offshore. The wireless cell repeaters--the PowerMax 4KSBR-50M 70dB gain cellular repeater designed for larger boats and the 4KMR-30M 50dB...

Liquid level switches.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
December 1, 2006... Madison Company, Branford, Conn., has introduced its O Series of optical single-point liquid level detection switches for use in non-coating liquids. The switches provide accurate, repeatable switching point detection with no moving parts. They...

Calendar.(Calendar)
December 1, 2006... Jan. 22-25, 2007 DREDGED MATERIAL CONFERENCE The Fourth International Conference on Remediation of Contaminated Sediments, Marriott Riverfront Hotel, Savannah, Ga. Tel: 800-783-6338 E-mail: info@confgroupinc.com ...

WorkBoat looks back.(WB ARCHIVES)
December 1, 2006... December 1946 * Despite the lifting of a White House ban on appropriations for waterways, the Army Engineers have been forced to curtail all new work on navigation projects. The lifting of the ban theoretically made $135 million of...