Workboat articles from January 2003

Workboat archives from January 2003

Jones act jitters at the WorkBoat Show. (Editor's Watch).(Gerhard Kurz gives keynote address)(Editorial)
January 1, 2003... The Jones Act was the hot topic at the first day of the International WorkBoat Show. During his keynote address, Gerhard Kurz, the chief executive of Seabulk International, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based, OSY, tug and tanker operator,...

Mail Bag.
January 1, 2003... Coast guard responded well in North Cape spill In the November WorkBoat, Robert J. Tombari took issue with some comments made regarding the Scandia/North Cape grounding and oil spill in 1996 ("Offended by remarks on Scandia/North Cape...

Inland insider: A holding pattern in '03? (At a Glance).
January 1, 2003... A weak economy combined with a lot of uncertainty will likely make 2003 a difficult year for the transportation industry. But in the midst of this doom and gloom, the unglamorous bulk commodity sector of the barge industry is holding steady in...

On the water: know your crew's medical history. (At a Glance).
January 1, 2003... It's no secret that life on a workboat can be stressful. The U.S. merchant marine has been in a steady decline for decades and the industry, as a whole, is not very attractive to young people. As a result, the average age of active mariners has...

WorkBoat's Composite Index: Index posts big gain in November. (At a Glance).
January 1, 2003... Following on the heels of October's 8.5 percent gain, the WorkBoat Composite Index jumped 13 percent in November. Gainers topped losers by a 3-1 ratio as the Index gained almost 73 points. With the gain, the WorkBoat Composite closed out...

Captain's table: plan for a new operation's success. (At a Glance).
January 1, 2003... Is the business plan you deliver to a banker to get a start-up loan enough to adequately launch a business? Recently, I helped a prospective ferry operator plan a new service. After developing the format and content for a loan application,...

OSV day rates: Gulf market remains sluggish. (At a Glance).
January 1, 2003... In their recent quarterly reports, almost every offshore drilling contractor and supply vessel operator that does business in the Gulf of Mexico said the market was weak. A few called it "weak but stabilized," but we'll just call it weak. ...

Legal talk: new port security legislation is expansive. (At a Glance).
January 1, 2003... A few months back, I reported on a port security bill before Congress. That bill, as amended, is now law. The "Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002" addresses a number of security issues and, predictably, includes several provisions...

Oregon wins New Carissa lawsuit. (News Log).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... A Coos County, Ore., jury found the owners of the New Carissa guilty of negligent trespass in November and awarded the state $25 million. Tom Towslee, a spokesman for Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, told the The Oregonian that the $25 million would...

Former Tidewater exec to build 10 deepwater PSVs at Bender. (News Log).(Rigdon Marine LLC, created recently by Larry Rigdon to build platform supply vessels)
January 1, 2003... A former Tidewater executive has inked a deal with a French company to provide $125 million in financing for the construction of 10 deepwater platform supply vessels. Rigdon Marine LLC, created recently by Larry Rigdon who left Tidewater...

Congressman says some are taking advantage of the Jones Act. (News Bitts).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor, R-Miss., delivered a tongue lashing to companies who move their facilities to other countries while their fleets remain U.S. flagged. At a November dedication ceremony at VT Halter Marine Inc.'s headquarters in Gulfport,...

MMS announces oil & gas lease sale date. (News Bitts).(Minerals Management Service )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The Minerals Management Service will hold an offshore oil and gas lease sale (Sale 185) for the central Gulf of Mexico on March 19. The site of the sale had not been released. MMS also announced that the oil and gas industry has set a world...

U.S. salvors question decisions in Prestige spill. (News Log).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The sinking of the oil-laden tanker Prestige off Spain's Galician coast last fall sent shudders throughout the U.S. salvage community. "This is the type of scenario we dread," said Joe Farrell, president of Resolve Marine Group, a Fort...

Canadian Coast Guard's effectiveness questioned. (News Log).
January 1, 2003... The Canadian Coast Guard has come under fire recently because of budget concerns that have led critics to question the agency's ability to provide mariners with emergency services and patrol Newfoundland's borders. Coast Guard Commissioner...

Truck rolls off New York ferry, killing driver. (News Bitts).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... On Nov. 19, a 65-foot paving truck rolled off the ferry Susan Anne and into 100' of water in Long Island Sound. The driver of the truck was pulled from the water by U.S. Coast Guard rescuers but was pronounced dead at the hospital. One report...

Port security law has no teeth without funding. (News Log).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Passage of the Maritime Transportation I Security Act in November was welcome news to port authorities and other maritime interests across the U.S. However, what Congress couldn't deliver was a means to pay for it. Sen. Ernest Hollings,...

Columbia River deepening closer to approval. (News Log).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... After 14 years of economic analyses, environmental impact reviews and political wrangling, the proposed deepening of the Columbia River from Astoria to Vancouver, Wash., may be closer to final approval and action. "I think the prospects...

Screen savers: simulators can be the first step in on-the-job training. (Focus: Training).
January 1, 2003... The drive to improve safety and accept the environmental responsibilities inherent in the use of U.S. waterways is an ongoing process. Maritime colleges and training facilities across the U.S. are continually introducing new courses using...

Patti building 'silent' ferries for Savannah. (On the Ways).(Patti Shipyard Inc)
January 1, 2003... The city of Savannah, Ga., will soon have a pair of nostalgic-looking ferries plying the Savannah River. But the boats' traditional steamboat look is where the nostalgia will stop. Unlike the steamboats of old, these new boats will be quiet,...

Marine Builders completes towboat for Corps. (On the Ways).(Corps of Engineers St. Louis District)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Marine Builders Inc., Utica, Ind., has delivered a river towboat to the Corps of Engineers St. Louis District. The vessel was built to act as an anchor tender for dredging operations in the Mississippi River. A dredge pulls itself along by...

Austal USA delivers dinner cat for Miami. (On the Ways).
January 1, 2003... In November, a "yacht-like" 111'x44' dinner-cruise catamaran left Austal USA'S Mobile, Ala., facility for Miami. Built for Island Queen Cruises, the Subchapter K passenger vessel will offer dinner cruises on Biscayne Bay. The Biscayne Lady...

Boatbuilding bitts. (On the Ways).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... After building two large tugs, MARCO Seattle's next job was a new oil-spill recovery vessel for the Korea Marine Pollution Response Corp. Classed by MARCO as a Coastal 42 recovery vessel, the 42'8"x14'6" skimmer is powered by a pair of...

Eastern Shipbuilding Group. (On the Ways).(completes last of five conversion and midbody extensions for Ensco Marine Inc. )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... A few miles west of Freeport in Panama City, Eastern Shipbuilding Group recently completed the last of five conversion and midbody extensions for Ensco Marine Inc. Eastern added 50' to each 180' offshore service vessel. The stretched 230'x40'...

Bullfrog Boats delivers inflatable to BP. (On the Ways).
January 1, 2003... The BP Cherry Point Refinery on the Strait of Georgia near Ferndale, Wash., processes North Slope crude and has an excellent record for clean operations. It is unlikely that any major spill would occur while a ship is docked, but the company...

Green expectations: ambitious Bay Area water transit plan calls for 31 ferries. (Cover Story).
January 1, 2003... From Seattle to Miami, from San Diego to Boston, cars, trucks and buses clog roadways, tunnels and bridges to nearly unbearable levels. City officials in every major metropolitan area in the U.S. are almost desperate to find solutions to...

Dual identity: Tidewater chooses aluminum for its new 'supply' boats. (Boats & Gear: 175' OSVs).
January 1, 2003... Traditionally, supply boat hulls have been constructed of steel and new crewboats are built with aluminum. Not anymore. The first of four aluminum oilfield supply vessels with internal liquid-mud capacity was completed in December at...

Bright ideas: new lighting technology helps mariners see and be seen. (Boats & Gear: Lighting).
January 1, 2003... It wasn't all that long ago that workboats would use oil lamps to warn each other of their nightly presence. To be effective, crews had to keep the wicks trimmed and make sure the lamps were filled with oil before it got dark (while trying not...

Down shift. (WorkBoat's 2002 Construction Survey).(Illustration)(Industry Overview)
January 1, 2003... The sluggish energy sector and the U.S. economic downturn over the past year took a bite out of the orderbooks of some of the shipyards that responded to WorkBoat's 2002 Construction Survey. In 2002, 43 yards delivered or signed contracts to...

Horizon Shipbuilding Inc. (On the Ways).(delivered second of three vessels for SLOK Nigeria Ltd.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Horizon Shipbuilding Inc., Bayou La Batre, Ala., recently delivered the IBOM, the second of three vessels for SLOK Nigeria Ltd. The 200'x56'x18' steel single-point mooring vessel is outfitted to provide oil field abatement, fire protection, and...