Workboat articles from January 2005

Workboat archives from January 2005

Big easy wheelin' and dealin'.(EDITOR'S WATCH)
January 1, 2005... Each year, the workboat industry gathers in New Orleans for the International WorkBoat Show. For me, December's show made it a baker's dozen. Few stand out in my fading memory. But this year's show was different. It was held during a rare...

Reader disputes comments about Damen tug.(MAIL BAG)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... I must come to the defense of my customer and friend Ken Munroe (vice president) of Eastern Shipbuilding Group. His comments published regarding the Damen "Shoal Buster" tug and the replies about them are somewhat tainted. (July WorkBoat, page...

On the water: the great divide.(AT A GLANCE)(hands-on education underestimated compared to academic ones)
January 1, 2005... Given the current regulatory drive to relegate traditional hawespipe seamen to marine history, it is interesting to note the marked cultural divide between unlimited-tonnage mariners, who are primarily maritime academy graduates, and...

Captain's table: do we need citizen waterway watchers?(AT A GLANCE)
January 1, 2005... There is no question that Maritime Domain Awareness is an important part of homeland defense. The Coast Guard has defined MDA as "the effective understanding of anything associated with the global maritime environment that could impact the...

WorkBoat Composite Index: Index posts big gain.(AT A GLANCE)
January 1, 2005... After treading water in October, the WorkBoat Composite Index rose 72 points, a gain of almost 9 percent. For the month, winners topped losers 35-1 with one issue unchanged. The only loser was Torch Offshore. Torch was down 47 percent for...

OSV day rates: rates and utilization up.(AT A GLANCE)(Ocean Station Vessel)
January 1, 2005... Supply vessel operators now have something to really celebrate on New Year's as vessel utilization and day rates continue their upward climb. Rates and utilization posted another strong increase during November. The current strong market is...

Inland insider: container shipping success: a COB dance partner?(AT A GLANCE)(container-on-barge)
January 1, 2005... Full vessels, yards backlogged with new equipment orders, more business than can be handled in the next year and beyond--these were characteristics of the barge-sector boom of the late 1970s. A series of meetings held recently with major...

Legal talk: the law supports whistleblowers.(AT A GLANCE)
January 1, 2005... You're an engineer aboard a tank ship and discover the oil-water separator has been intentionally bypassed with a hose. When you review the oil record book, you observe false entries. Now you're being ordered to participate in these illegal...

Lake Ontario ferry operation caught in legal storm.(NEWS LOG)
January 1, 2005... The Spirit of Ontario is tied up in Rochester, N.Y., and faces an uncertain future due to a lawsuit from creditors and a city proposal to take over the operation. The troubled Lake Ontario fast ferry shut down in early September, after...

N.Y. barge operator fined $10 million.(NEWS BITTS)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... In November, Bouchard Transportation Co., Hicksville, N.Y., was fined $10 million as a result of the 2003 Buzzards Bay oil spill. The U.S. District Court in Boston fined Bouchard for violating the Clean Water Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty...

K-Sea to acquire barges from Norfolk operator.(NEWS BITTS)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... K-Sea Transportation Partners L.P. has agreed to acquire 10 tank barges and seven tugs for $21 million from Bay Gulf Trading, Norfolk, Va. The tank barges represent approximately 255,000 bbls. of capacity, of which 127,000 bbls. are...

Corps fiscal 2005 budget is a mixed bag.(NEWS LOG)
January 1, 2005... For the first time in several years, supporters of the inland waterways have something good to say about a budget for the Army Corps of Engineers. But don't expect superlatives--and don't expect hefty increases in funding for the...

Incentives to boost oil and gas production.(NEWS BITTS)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... New incentives to encourage energy companies to explore and develop difficult-to-reach areas of the Gulf of Mexico will help boost peak oil production in the Gulf by 43 percent and natural gas production by 13 percent over the next decade,...

San Francisco pushes forward with ferry plan.(NEWS LOG)
January 1, 2005... The plan to expand high-speed ferry services in the San Francisco Bay Area is inching along, with officials hoping to receive bids in 2005 for the construction of up to three new ferries. The long-term goal, according to Steve Castleberry,...

Massachusetts to enforce oil spill law.(NEWS LOG)
January 1, 2005... The state of Massachusetts has ignored the pleas of the U.S. Coast Guard and will enforce the state's new stringent oil spill prevention law. The law was passed in the aftermath of the 2003 oil spill in Buzzards Bay caused when a Bouchard...

Charter members: for some boatyards, charter boats are a nice little piece of business.(CHARTER BOATS)
January 1, 2005... When you think of Allen Marine Inc., what probably comes to mind is the fleet of ferries the Alaska boatyard built for NY Waterway. Or when you hear the name Geo Shipyard, seismic vessels and crewboats pop into your head. Over in Tacoma, Wash.,...

Northwind Marine displays two boats at Seattle show.(ON THE WAYS)
January 1, 2005... By now most people are familiar with the concept of small, unmanned aircraft that are being used in Iraq and Afghanistan. The thinking behind these drones is simple: if shot down, military hardware is lost but not people. That same...

Charter fishing cat from Geo Shipyard.(ON THE WAYS)(Geo Shipyard Inc.)
January 1, 2005... Geo Shipyard Inc., New Iberia, La., recently delivered one of its aluminum "Geo-Cats" to Williams Party Boats Inc., Galveston, Texas. During its maiden voyage from the shipyard to Texas, the 68'X27' Capt. John plied the Gulf of Mexico in...

Austal completing world's largest aluminum boat.(INTERNATIONAL)
January 1, 2005... In late September, Austal Ships, Henderson, Australia, launched the first Austal Express 127, a 127-meter (419') trimaran. Built for Fred. Olsen S.A., a Norwegian ferry operator based in the Canary Islands, the new boat was christened the...

Boatbuilding bitts.(ON THE WAYS)(Penn Maritime Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Panama City, Fla., recently delivered the fifth of five 96'X34', 5,100-hp Z-drive tugs to McAllister Towing and Transportation, New York. The Shannon McAllister, like her sisters, was designed by Jensen Maritime...

Retros & refurbs: paddlewheeler's former deckhand gives it new life.(ON THE WAYS)(Magnolia Belle)
January 1, 2005... After receiving a facelift this summer, the 85'X23'X5', 149-passenger paddlewheeler Magnolia Belle began plying the lakes and rivers near New Orleans. Built in 1969, the Belle began her life as the Bonnie Belle, sailing the inland waterways in...

Public life: results have been mixed for marine companies that go public.(COVER STORY)(Cover Story)
January 1, 2005... On its first anniversary as a public company, K-Sea Transportation Partners L.P. has a lot to celebrate. The share price has moved up, and analysts have weighed in with favorable ratings on the Staten Island, N.Y., petroleum transporter, which...

Sister act: a pair of ASD tugs are now handling ship-assist duties at California ports.(80' ASD TUGS)
January 1, 2005... The Harley Marine Services Inc. tug fleet continues to grow. The newest additions for the West Coast tug-and-barge operator are a pair of 80'X32' azimuthing stern drive tugs, designed by Robert Allan Ltd., Vancouver, British Columbia, and built...

Living color: getting and maintaining a good paint job takes know-how.(COATINGS)
January 1, 2005... When it comes to demanding environments, the marine milieu is about as difficult as it gets. From the weather to the work, this is one tough place for everything from people to paint--yes, paint. (Or coatings as the product is often called.)...

Inching up.(CONSTRUCTION SURVEY)(shipbuilding industry)(Illustration)
January 1, 2005... WorkBoat's 2004 Construction Survey registered a rise in both the number of shipyards that participated and the number of vessels built. In 2004, 46 yards delivered or signed contracts to build 405 vessels. That's up from 40 yards and 376...

Pipe cutter.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
January 1, 2005... T-DRILL Industries Inc., Norcross, Ga., recently came out with its new T-DRILL Pipe cutting System that provides a square cut with no interior burr on pipe or tube from 1" to 8" in thickness. Cuts can be made on mild steel, stainless steel,...

Torque Flange Sensor.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
January 1, 2005... Buffalo, N.Y.-based Magtrol, a solutions provider for tension and torque control, motor testing, and load measurement applications, has introduced the TF Series Torque Flange Sensor (TF Sensor). Built for harsh environments, the TF Sensor can...

In-line filters.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
January 1, 2005... Industrial Specialties Manufacturing Inc. is marketing a new series of large in-line air and vacuum filters and large in-line filters for liquids. Designed for fuel, water, oil and other applications, the new filters are molded in...

Non-explosive lighting.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
January 1, 2005... LDPI Lighting, which manufactures a line of lighting fixtures for industrial applications, has expanded its 380 Series line of explosion-proof fixtures. The line of linear fluorescent explosion-proof fixtures includes a new three-lamp four-foot...

Liquid steel.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
January 1, 2005... Stainless Steel Coatings Inc., South Lancaster, Mass., has introduced its STEEL IT[TM] Anti-Rust Stainless Steel Coatings in liquid form. The coatings feature a 316L stainless steel leafing pigment that creates a corrosion-resistant metallic...