Workboat articles from February 2009

Workboat archives from February 2009

Good times, bad times.(Editor'sWatch)
February 1, 2009... In case you haven't heard, we are in the midst of a recession. And when times are tough, that usually means fewer disposable dollars are available for such non-essentials as travel, dining out and, yes, passenger vessel excursions. ...

Radar isn't going away yet.(MailBag)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2009... Joel Milton's July On the Water column ("No more radar?") was somewhat dramatic and perhaps scaremongering as it makes radar look like it is on the chopping block. While Joel does have a lot of the facts correct (particularly with regard...

On the water: maintaining 'stability'.(At AGlance)
February 1, 2009... Stability is a practice that most of us could use some improvement on, and the tragic loss of the tug Valour two years ago underscores this point. It was a failure to comply with the conditions spelled out in the stability letter that led...

Captain's table: how to survive in a down market.(At AGlance)
February 1, 2009... With the economy in a tailspin and passenger vessel bookings down, there are a few things you can do to ease the pain, particularly if you operate in a competitive market. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] First, accelerate preparations for...

WorkBoat Composite Index: index loses 44 percent in '08.
February 1, 2009... After surging over 31 percent in 2007, the WorkBoat Composite Index gave up those gains and more in 2008. For the year, the Index lost almost 800 points, or 44.4 percent. INDEX NET PERCENT...

OSV day rates: 2008 closes with lower rates.(At AGlance)
February 1, 2009... The U.S. Gulf offshore service vessel market closed out a tumultuous year on a generally down note with lower day rates reported for all supply boat and crewboat categories. Day rates for small and large supply vessels lost the most ground,...

Inland insider: a barge sting.(At AGlance)
February 1, 2009... There is a certain preoccupation with money stings or scams. Several movies have been made that revolve around scams, with perhaps the most famous being "The Sting." We recently witnessed another big scam hitting the news in which a...

Q&A: Cornel Martin, president and CEO of the Waterways Council Inc.(At AGlance)(Interview)
February 1, 2009... WorkBoat: How has your experience prepared you for your new job? Cornel Martin: I grew up in this industry in South Louisiana in a Cajun family with strong ties to the water. It was a way of life. I attended Nicholls State University...

Legal talk: the Limitation of Liability Act.(At AGlance)
February 1, 2009... Maritime law is full of odds and ends, so I wonder why I think it floats above the rest of the legal world. I guess it's because these odds and ends make for interesting navigation. Take the Shipowner's Limitation of Liability Act, which while...

In December, a 24' aluminum workboat.(NEWS LOG)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... In December, a 24' aluminum workboat returning from a rig in the Gulf of Mexico slammed into a moored deck barge, killing one of the boat's two crewmembers. The accident occurred in a canal off the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway near Larose, La....

'Missing' towboat captain testifies at Coast Guard hearing.(NEWS LOG)
February 1, 2009... Capt. Terry Carver finally testified at a hearing held in New Orleans in December. Carver was the master assigned to the towboat Mel Oliver this past July when the towboat pushed the 420,000-gal., double-hulled tank barge DM932 into the path of...

Weak economy sinks another passenger vessel operator.(NEWS LOG)
February 1, 2009... After a decade of cruising, River-Barge Excursion Lines Inc. has suspended operations because of weak bookings. The news came just before Christmas as the River Explorer was finishing a holiday trip in Louisiana. New Orleans-based...

Funding woes for Washington ferries.(NEWS LOG)
February 1, 2009... With aging vessels and terminals, declining ridership and few dependable sources of capital and operating funds, Washington state's ferry system is "not financially sustainable," according to David Moseley, head of Washington State Ferries. ...

Mid-Atlantic lease sale process moves forward.(NEWS LOG)
February 1, 2009... The Minerals Management Service took the first step late last year toward a potential lease sale for offshore Virginia. However, at present, Lease Sale 220 would take place no earlier than 2011. First, an environmental impact study must be...

Seamen's Church receives grant.(NEWS LOG)
February 1, 2009... Paducah, Ky.-firefighters and the Seamen's Church Institute received a nice Christmas present--a $30,000 grant--following a fire suppression demonstration at the city's fire department training site in December. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Time running out on vessel discharge exemption.(NEWS BITTS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The regulation exemption for vessel discharges under the Clean Water Act's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System will run out on Feb. 6. The exemption was originally scheduled to expire on Dec. 19, but Judge Susan Illston extended the...

Manitowoc completes sale of marine segment.(NEWS BITTS)
February 1, 2009... The Manitowoc Company recently announced that it had completed the sale of its marine segment to Fincantieri Marine Group Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of Fincantieri-Cantieri Navali Italiani SpA (Fincantieri). The net purchase price in the...

New deal: so far, the marine industry likes what it hears from the new administration.(WBFocus)
February 1, 2009... From economic recovery to the Jones Act, the waterways industry has big expectations for the Obama administration. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Industry leaders are hoping that the new administration can help reverse the current economic...

Riding it out: ferry operators face dwindling ridership in '09.(VesselReport)
February 1, 2009... The U.S. economy's woes are beginning to hit the passenger vessel industry hard. For ferry operators, things will likely get worse before they begin to improve. A big difference between ferry and tour boat operators are commuters. In...

Austal to build 10 high-speed catamarans for the military.(ON THE WAYS)
February 1, 2009... After years of testing various platforms and planning for the construction of high-speed, shallow-draft catamarans to carry troops and equipment, the U.S. military will finally start getting new boats built specifically for them. ...

Passenger list: passenger vessel owners face an uncertain operating environment in '09.(CoverStory)
February 1, 2009... For optimists, flat is the new up. Even a drop in business would be tolerable if it were not as bad as lowered expectations. Passenger vessel operators are facing not only a recession but also new regulations that could seriously damage...

Washington husky: burley new OSV can support numerous offshore operations.(Boats &Gear)
February 1, 2009... The 293'x59'x24'4" Grant Candies is the latest in the evolutionary process of constructing ROV platform supply vessels for Otto Candies LLC. The Des Allemands, La.-based company has been a leading offshore service vessel operators for...

Emission accomplished: new passenger ferry for San Francisco meets low-emission expectations.(Boats & Gear)
February 1, 2009... "I call her imprimis, Latin for 'the first of all.' First of all, it's the most environmentally responsible ferry boat ever built." That's Mary Frances Culnane's description of the Gemini, a 118'X28'8" aluminum passenger catamaran recently...

Power mates: off-the-shelf options are now available for hybrid propulsion.(Boats & Gear)
February 1, 2009... From Foss Maritime's hybrid tug to the Hornblower Hybrid passenger vessel, the bridging of diesel and electric power is definitely a trend. But while both of these vessels are custom engineered, the diesel-electric-hybrid concept is now being...

Buddy Morgan, a 30-year marine technology industry veteran.(WBBusiness)
February 1, 2009... Buddy Morgan, a 30-year marine technology industry veteran, is the new sales manager for New Orleans-based Beier Radio. He was formerly national sales manager for Japan Radio Company in Seattle. At Beier, he will be responsible for coordinating...

Manitowoc Co. Inc.(WBBusiness)
February 1, 2009... Terry D. Growcock has retired as chairman of the board of the Manitowoc Co. Inc., Marinette, Wis. Growcock had been with the company since 1994 and served as chairman since 2007. Growcock was chairman of the board when Manitowoc sold off its...

Don Black has been named senior vice president, sales and marketing, for Wareham.(WBBusiness)
February 1, 2009... Don Black has been named senior vice president, sales and marketing, for Wareham, Mass.-based Navionics, an electronic charting and digital navigation data company. Black will head the Navionics teams for sales, marketing, product management...

Mauricio Garrido is the new vice president of salvage.(WBBusiness)
February 1, 2009... Mauricio Garrido is the new vice president of salvage and emergency response for Houston-based Bisso Marine. A graduate of SUNY Maritime College, Garrido was most recently managing director at TITAN Salvage and is currently the vice president...

The Texas Offshore Port System.(WBBusiness)
February 1, 2009... The Texas Offshore Port System project has filed an application with the Maritime Administration seeking approval to build, own and operate a crude oil deepwater port facility 30 miles off the coast of Texas in the Gulf of Mexico. In accordance...

Shaft collar kits.(WBProducts)
February 1, 2009... Stafford Manufacturing Corp., North Reading, Mass., is marketing two new re-machineable shaft collar kits that let users create custom bore sizes and shapes to match their own special needs. The new shaft collar kits feature eight sizes of...

Rotating application seals.(WBProducts)
February 1, 2009... Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, Fort Wayne, Ind., has unveiled its new Turcon Varilip PDR (performance, durability, reliability) range of seals. This industrial seal solution for high-speed rotating applications features low-friction...

Hydraulic torque wrench.(WBProducts)
February 1, 2009... Easton, Pa.-based TorcUP has introduced its new Ultra UT series hydraulic torque wrench. The tool's drive plate, segment and ratchet are made of Vascomax, which is 30 percent stronger and 15 percent harder than comparable tools, according to...

Turbine air starter.(WBProducts)
February 1, 2009... At only 4.75"-dia. and weighing 27-32 lbs. with the integrated relay valve, the new TDI Turbo Twin T25 air starter brings TDI's performance to a new class of engines. According to TDI, the T25 operates on air, delivers 25 percent more power...

Workboat looks back.(WBArchives)
February 1, 2009... FEBRUARY 1949 * Builders of inland barges and boats will receive 25,000 tons a month of steel plate and shapes for the next six months, up from 20,000 tons during the fourth quarter and January. After six months, it will be up to Congress...