Workboat articles from January 2007

Workboat archives from January 2007

'Monitoring' the Jones Act.(Merchant Marine Act of 1920)(Editorial)
January 1, 2007... Our cover story this month revisits the state of the Jones Act. (See page 38.) In the past, much of controversy swirling around the nation's cabotage laws were usually tied to reform efforts from anti-Jones Act forces. Back in the...

Reader offers a final word on the winch debate.(MAIL BAG)
January 1, 2007... Several issues ago WorkBoat printed an article on winches ("Electrify," April 2006), and this reader responded in the Mail Bag that the article fell short on addressing all the issues. ("Says winch article fell short," Mail Bag, June 2006.) ...

What about the engineers?(MAIL BAG)
January 1, 2007... So many of the vessels today don't have the quality engineers that they did for many years. Engineers who know their vessels fix things before they break. They can feel, hear and smell problems, and always have a Plan B ready if something...

Calendar helps keep historic sternwheel towboat running.(MAIL BAG)
January 1, 2007... I'm a 100-ton captain and subscriber to WorkBoat, which I enjoy. I am also the president of the Historic Sternwheeler Preservation Society Inc., a non-profit organization that maintains the Barbara H., a circa 1923 vessel that is the nation's...

On the water: training mates--Part I.(AT A GLANCE)
January 1, 2007... How much time does it actually take to train someone to be a qualified mate on a towing vessel? I'm referring specifically to someone who possesses the Coast Guard-required documents and license to legally operate a towing vessel in the...

Captain's table: Hawaii regulators are all wrong on whales.(AT A GLANCE)
January 1, 2007... State and federal managers of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary have made recent public statements about vessel speed restrictions being useful in protecting humpback whale populations, which are healthy and growing....

WorkBoat Composite Index: index jumps 4 percent in November.(AT A GLANCE)
January 1, 2007... For the second consecutive month, the WorkBoat Composite Index gained over 4 percent. Led by energy-related issues, winners topped losers by a ratio of 6-1. The Index gained 53 points in November. Leading gainers all had energy ties--Gulf...

OSV day rates: rates continue to fall.(AT A GLANCE)
January 1, 2007... November's declines in supply vessel day rates are likely to be repeated as the construction season ends and operators push back some jackup drilling programs. Day rates for smaller supply vessels dropped an average of $550 during...

Q & A: Sean Connaughton, administrator, U.S. Maritime Administration.(AT A GLANCE)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... WorkBoat: The administration says it is looking to you to work with U.S. ports to address congestion issues. What is your plan? Sean Connaughton: The overall question is how we get cargo out of a metro area and into the transportation...

Inland insider: where is the supply of qualified workers?(AT A GLANCE)
January 1, 2007... Across the oil-and-gas sector "help wanted" signs offering starting wages over twice the minimum wage not including overtime, paid benefits, etc., are everywhere. In the oil patch, there is a strong local economy marked by a persistent...

Legal talk: keep your vessels insurable.(AT A GLANCE)
January 1, 2007... Any prudent vessel owner knows the importance of a comprehensive hull insurance policy to mitigate the losses that arise from typically unforeseeable and often unavoidable marine perils. But beware, your policy many not be worth the paper it's...

The second time was a charm for the USS Intrepid.(NEWS LOG)
January 1, 2007... The second time was a charm for the USS Intrepid. In early December, the aircraft carrier made its way from Pier 86 on the Hudson River to a shipyard in Bayonne, N.J. The Essex-class carrier, which had been serving as a floating museum, was...

Washington State Ferries, shipyards at loggerheads.(NEWS LOG)
January 1, 2007... The difficulties surrounding the design and construction of four new boats for Washington State Ferries continue to pile up. When the latest request for proposals for four 144-car ferries was issued last summer, only two of the three...

Legislation would open eastern Gulf to drilling.(NEWS LOG)
January 1, 2007... Just before adjourning in December, Congress passed a bill that would open more than 8 million acres in the eastern Gulf of Mexico to leasing activities. According to federal government estimates, the new area could contain as much as 1.2...

Water resources bill dies again in Congress.(NEWS LOG)
January 1, 2007... The Water Resources Development Act of 2006 got locked and damned in the final hours of the lame duck Congress, as lawmakers once again failed to reach a consensus that would have given the country its first water projects bill in six years....

South Texas bridge is hit again by a barge.(NEWS LOG)
January 1, 2007... For the second time in five years, a barge tow hit a south Texas bridge. On Dec. 6, a tow containing four barges broke loose and one hit a buffer that protects the Queen Isabella Memorial Bridge in Port Isabella, Texas, near Brownsville, Texas....

Seattle architecture firm opens Gulf office.(NEWS LOG)(Elliott Bay Design Group opens new office in New Orleans)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... At the International WorkBoat Show in November, Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm Elliott Bay Design Group announced that it had opened a Gulf regional office in downtown New Orleans. "Some of our clients here in...

Bollinger heads up shipyard consortium eyeing military contract.(NEWS BITTS)
January 1, 2007... At the International WorkBoat Show in December, Bollinger Shipyards Inc. announced that an agreement had been reached to form an international shipyard consortium to respond to the Department of Defense's Joint High Speed Vessel program. The...

Deal saves ferry service.(NEWS BITTS)
January 1, 2007... An agreement has been struck to keep the Saint John, New Brunswick, to Digby, Nova Scotia, ferry operating--at least for the next two years. Bay Ferries Ltd., Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, citing reduced traffic and increased costs, had...

W & O Supply completes purchase of A-T Controls.(NEWS BITTS)
January 1, 2007... W & O Supply, a distributor of marine valves, pipe, fittings, and engineered and automated valve systems, recently completed the acquisition of A-T Controls Inc. A-T Controls is the fastest growing ball valve and automation supplier in the...

Return engagement: the International WorkBoat Show enjoys a successful return to New Orleans.(FOCUS: INTERNATIONAL WORKBOAT SHOW)
January 1, 2007... The International WorkBoat Show returned to New Orleans in November after a two-year absence. Hurricane Katrina forced the cancellation of last year's show. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Many were unsure what to expect, but attendance topped...

Geo Shipyard delivers catamaran ferry to Georgia.(CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT WORKBOAT YARDS)
January 1, 2007... New Iberia, La.-based Geo Shipyard Inc. recently delivered a new aluminum passenger catamaran ferry vessel (PCFV) to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Sapelo Island, Ga. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The 70'x24'3"x9'8"...

Fred Wahl Marine building triple-screw tug.(CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT WORKBOAT YARDS)(Fred Wahl Marine Construction)
January 1, 2007... From the waterline up, the 72'x30' triple-screw tug being built at Fred Wahl Marine Construction for Ruby Marine in Nenana, Alaska, isn't much different from boats that work on the Mississippi River system. Below the waterline, however,...

Florida Marine Transporters.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... At a ceremony held on the New Orleans waterfront in late November, Florida Marine Transporters christened three 90'x'32'x12' pushboats. The boats were built at Eastern Shipbuilding Group. The Panama City, Fla., yard is building a total of 25...

M Ship Co.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)(M80 Stiletto)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The M80 Stiletto, an experimental Navy craft designed by M Ship Co., San Diego, was picked as one of Time magazine's Best Inventions of 2006. Built for the Pentagon's Office of Force Transformation, the 80'x40' M80 features a unique hull shape...

Conrad Industries Inc.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)
January 1, 2007... Conrad Industries Inc., Morgan City, La., has signed contracts with Bay-Houston Towing Co. and Suderman & Young Towing Co., both of Houston, for the construction of two 98' Z-Tech 7500-class terminal/escort tugs. The ABS-classed tugs will...

Bollinger Marine Fabricators.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Bollinger Marine Fabricators, Amelia, La., delivered a new double-hull bunkering barge to Progressive Barge Line, Inc., Westwego, La. Designed and engineered by Elliott Bay Design Group, Seattle, PBL 3002 measures 297'x54'x13' and has a rated...

GE Transportation.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)
January 1, 2007... GE Transportation, Erie, Pa., is providing two 7FDM 16-cylinder diesel engines to Weeks Marine, Covington, La., for use aboard a new dredge pump barge. The Weeks 3302 is currently under construction at C & C Marine and Repair, Belle Chasse, La....

Derecktor Shipyards.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)
January 1, 2007... Derecktor Shipyards, Bridgeport, Conn., will build a sister vessel to the Warbaby Fox, a 124' fast catamaran ferry recently delivered to Bermuda. The low-wake 350-passenger cats are designed by BMT Nigel Gee in the United Kingdom. The Warbaby...

Brunswick Valiant.(From the 2006 International WorkBoat Show)
January 1, 2007... A deep-V RIB designed for long-range patrol duties, the Valiant PT-750 from Brunswick Commercial & Government Products can be powered by either an I/O or waterjet. Recommended horsepower ranges from 150 to 300. The PT-750 has an 80-gal. fuel...

Silver ships/Ambar.(From the 2006 International WorkBoat Show)(Alabama Marine Resources Division)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Built for the Alabama Marine Resources Division, the 34'x10'4" aluminum patrol boat is powered by a pair of 250-hp Mercury Verado outboards that provide a 45-mph top speed. Wing Inflatables provided the hybrid foam/air collar. The cabin has...

Naiad/Textron.(From the 2006 International WorkBoat Show)(Textron Marine and Land Systems)(Naiad 11.8-meter RIB)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Designed for military applications, the Naiad 11.8-meter RIB is built by Textron Marine and Land under an agreement with Naiad (New Zealand) and Naiad USA. The 38'8"x12' aluminum RIB is powered by two 540-hp Cummins QSC8.3 diesels driving...

Coast wise: the U.S. marine industry is keeping a close watch on Jones Act assaults.
January 1, 2007... Sometime in the spring, the 512-foot Chinese vessel Tai An Kou is expected to depart the Gulf of Mexico with a jackup rig destined for Alaskan waters. The rig will be under a two-year contract to drill in Alaska's Cook Inlet Basin. ...

Significant boats of 2006: awards presented at the International WorkBoat Show.(Company overview)
January 1, 2007... Each year, WorkBoat's editorial staff reviews all of the boats that have appeared in the magazine during the previous 12 months. Of these, the editors choose 10 that we feel deserve special recognition. Some are chosen for design or...

Reaching out: new communications gear offers more options and better utility.(BOATS & GEAR: COMMUNICATIONS)
January 1, 2007... Whether you are trying to send a data message 10 miles up the Mississippi River, make a voice call halfway across the Gulf of Alaska, or alert paramedics two miles away at the dock, you need dependable communications equipment, whatever the...

Water lubricated bearing.(PRODUCT LOCKER)(Thordon Bearings Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Thordon Bearings Inc., a Burlington, Ontario-based manufacturer of grease and oil-free bearings, has introduced Composite EF, a newly designed water lubricated bearing. The new bearing offers the ease of installation of a bronze-backed rubber...

New GE engine.(PRODUCT LOCKER)(GE Transportation Systems)(V250 12- and 16 diesel engine)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... GE Transportation is now marketing its new V250 12- and 16- cylinder medium-speed diesel engines for marine and stationary power applications. The V250 delivers fuel savings of up to 6.5 percent over GE's earlier diesel engine models, and also...

Metal-cored electrode.(PRODUCT LOCKER)(Select-Arc Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Select-Arc Inc. has introduced a metal-cored electrode designed to weld cast irons that demand increased strength at relatively higher temperatures combined with ease of fabrication. This new wire, Select 2216-C, is well suited for joining cast...

Navigation upgrade.(PRODUCT LOCKER)(NavSim Technology Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... NavSim Technology Inc., St. John's, Newfoundland, has released its new PC-based navigation product, NavCruiser PRO. The program includes enhancements to incorporate support for the latest C-Map charts, MAX Pro. Geared toward the professional...

Marine chiller.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
January 1, 2007... Pompano Beach, Fla.-based Dometic Environmental Corp. has a new 25-ton modular chiller unit, MTS25-2, for circulated-water air conditioning systems on workboats. The chiller is being marketed under Dometic's Marine Air brand. The MTS25-2 is a...

Calendar.(Calendar)
January 1, 2007... Jan. 22-25 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)(Industry overview)
January 1, 2007... January 1977 * A maritime research group has criticized the U.S. Navy's attempts to discredit a Government Accounting Office study calling for the Navy to privatize much of its towing operations. In a letter to the GAO, Transportation...