Workboat articles from February 2007

Workboat archives from February 2007

A TWIC'ing time bomb.(Transportation Worker Identification Credential)
February 1, 2007... In January, the Department of Homeland Security released its latest port-security disaster--the final rule for the first phase of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program. At press time, the industry had yet to...

Operator seeks help after Coast Guard throws a curve.(MAIL BAG)
February 1, 2007... I am a master captain and own and operate a tour boat company in Port Canaveral, Fla., with one 38-passenger custom pontoon boat. We have been in business for over three years, have complied with yearly inspections, have had no accidents,...

Weight limit guidelines could affect your insurance.(MAIL BAG)
February 1, 2007... You are missing a potentially serious development surrounding the new weight limits for small passenger vessels in regards to the so-called U.S. Coast Guard voluntary guidelines. Some insurance underwriters are beginning to take the...

On the water: training mates--part II.
February 1, 2007... So, how long should it take to train qualified mates who are able to hold down their own watches? Well, that all depends. It depends on how you define "mate" and "qualified," and on how a particular company operates its vessels. By...

Captain's table: what are reasonable operating conditions?(AT A GLANCE)
February 1, 2007... Last year, after casualties involving a pontoon water taxi, a state-inspected tour boat and a charter fishing vessel, the Coast Guard "recommended" that certain small passenger vessels should operate "only in reasonable operating conditions."...

WorkBoat Composite Index: Index closes 2006 on an up note.(AT A GLANCE)
February 1, 2007... The WorkBoat Composite Index had another good year in 2006. The Index ended the year by gaining over 12 points in December, or just under 1 percent. For the year, the Index rose over 22 percent. That topped 2005 when the Index jumped 21...

OSV day rates: rates continue to fall.(offshore service vessels)(Statistical data)
February 1, 2007... Rates for U.S. Gulf offshore service vessels continued to slide as 2006 came to a close. In December, rates for all but one vessel category were lower. Though 2006 was still a good year for operators in terms of revenue and earnings, 2007 will...

Inland insider: which way is forward?(AT A GLANCE)
February 1, 2007... Railroad steam locomotives were designed to move in one direction--forward. However, the diesel-electric engines that replaced them could move in both directions. A dilemma soon arose over what defined the forward movement and front of the new...

Legal talk: arbitration vs. litigation.
February 1, 2007... Maritime law is equipped to deal with all types of disputes. It has to be, given the things that can go wrong at sea. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A ship can collide with another ship, or its cargo can be damaged or lost overboard. If a ship...

First FPSO approved for the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.(NEWS LOG)
February 1, 2007... Late last year, the U.S. Minerals Management Service approved a plan from Petrobras to use the first floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel in U.S. waters. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Production of the Cascade and Chinook...

Kirby continues to add to its tank-barge fleet.(NEWS BITTS)(acquisitions of Coastal Towing Inc. and Kirby Corp.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Kirby Corp., Houston, announced recently that it had purchased 58 tank barges in separate transactions. In the first deal, Kirby purchased the stock of Coastal Towing Inc., owner of 37 inland black-oil tank barges, for $19.3 million. Kirby also...

ID credential final rule includes higher fees and murky language.(Transportation Worker Identification Credential)
February 1, 2007... The final rule for the long-awaited Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) landed with a thud in early January. And digesting the 469-page document is causing more than a little heartburn. The fees are higher than...

USCG withdraws Great Lakes live-fire proposal.(NEWS BITTS)(U.S. Coast Guard)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... The U.S. Coast Guard has backed off its plans for live-fire training on the Great Lakes. The USCG said that it has withdrawn the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would have established 34 safety zones for live-fire training on the Great...

Coast Guard switches to rescue 21 for distress calls in seattle area.(NEWS BITTS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... The U.S. Coast Guard has switched to new command, control and communications technology to monitor distress calls throughout Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and a portion of the Washington state coast. The new communications...

Inland waterways groups join forces.(NEWS LOG)
February 1, 2007... Two well-known waterways industry organizations have merged, with the goal of creating a more focused national voice to promote the nation's inland waterways and update its aging infrastructure. The merger brings together the membership and...

People movers: more riders, more new boats for the ferry industry.(FERRIES)
February 1, 2007... The U.S. ferry market is as healthy as it's been in at least a decade. New routes, new vessels and replacement boats are being added. Commuter or tourist, passenger-only or passenger/vehicle, conventional or high-speed, there are new ferries in...

Washburn & Doughty delivers Wilmington Tug.(Washburn and Doughty Associates Inc.)
February 1, 2007... East Boothbay, Maine, has been awash with tugs in recent years, as local tug-builder Washburn & Doughty Associates continues to get more and more contracts. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The shipyard delivered two more tugs recently and a...

Patti Shipyard to build Corps quarters barge.(ON THE WAYS)
February 1, 2007... Patti Shipyard Inc., Pensacola, Fla., has been awarded a $13 million contract to build a new quarters barge for the Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul (Minn.) District. Patti expects to begin cutting steel in February for the...

Correction.(ON THE WAYS)(Correction notice)
February 1, 2007... In the January issue, page 34 of the On the Ways, the Silver Ships/Ambar patrol boat was listed as having a Wing Inflatables foam/air collar. The collar is actually from CPI Marine, Kyle, Texas. --Ed. COMPILED AND EDITED BY BRUCE BULS,...

BC Ferries launches rebuilt Utah ferry.(ON THE WAYS)
February 1, 2007... In November, BC Ferries launched the latest addition to its fleet of 35 vessels. The newly rebuilt ferry, the Kuper, measures 171'x55' and will run between Chemainus on Vancouver Island to two of British Columbia's Gulf Islands. The steel...

Boatbuilding bitts.(ON THE WAYS)
February 1, 2007... Vane Lines Bunkering, a subsidiary of Vane Brothers, took delivery of its first ATB in January. The 6,000-hp tug Brandywine (twin EMD 710s), matched with the Double Skin 141, is the first of two 145,000-bbl. ATB units for the Baltimore-based...

Boatload: passenger vessel operators expect another strong season in '07.(COVER STORY)
February 1, 2007... For most passenger vessel operators, a generally positive outlook for 2007 is tempered by concerns about fuel prices and a barrage of new regulations that could prove costly. Optimism comes from a strong 2006 and from anticipated growth in...

Double duty: Puget Sound ferry is an upgraded sister vessel.(216' DOUBLE-ENDED FERRY)
February 1, 2007... While Washington State Ferries carries virtually all vehicle traffic throughout Puget Sound, the state agency neither owns nor operates a pair of ferries that connects two small south Sound islands to the mainland at Steilacoom, southwest of...

Juice dispensers: new gensets offer better performance.(ELECTRICAL POWER)
February 1, 2007... In the old days, we all got by with a lot less electricity. Whether at home, at the shop or on board, we didn't have the power-hungry gear we rely on today. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] These days, most workboats have wheelhouses packed with...

Full speed ahead.(workboats)
February 1, 2007... The construction boom at the nation's workboat-building yards shows no signs of slowing, with some yards booked up well into 2008. The building surge is evident in WorkBoat's 2006 Construction Survey. This year's survey included 55 yards...

WorkBoat looks back.(WB ARCHIVES)
February 1, 2007... February 1947 * Ashland Oil Co.'s Tri-State, a 145'x31'x8'10" twin-screw towboat, is the first river vessel equipped with radar. WorkBoat predicts that "radar will be just as great a boon to river vessel operation as it has been on war...