Workboat articles from January 2009

Workboat archives from January 2009

The industry presses on.(Editor'sWatch)(Editorial)
January 1, 2009... Apprehensive is the best way to describe the mood just before the 29th edition of the International Work Boat Show got underway in New Orleans in early December. This year's show opened amid a much more volatile economic climate than a year...

'Greener' pastures for traditional tug-barges?(MailBag)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... The November cover story ("Heat Cramps," page 56) was an excellent analysis of many of the change factors at work as the marine industry moves more to the center of the radar screen in terms of its environmental aspects. While it...

Give mariners a chance.(MailBag)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... Companies have gone the extra mile to attract all the available qualified mariners. I think the Coast Guard should lower its standards for mariners who have gotten into a little trouble in the past but are having to jump through a lot of...

Reader worked on towboat pictured on 1948 cover.(MailBag)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... In the August issue Work Boat Looks Back section (page 84), the August 1948 cover is photo of the M/V Robine-E. Thomas Petroleum Transit purchased the Robin-E and Jone-E from Texas Towing. Right after Thomas Petroleum purchased the Robin-E,...

On the water: don't press your luck.(At AGlance)(Viewpoint essay)
January 1, 2009... Everyone is familiar with Murphy's Law--anything that can go wrong will, and usually at the worst possible moment. I've been a believer in this theory for as long as I can remember, without ever really giving it much thought. The eight...

Captain's table: changing future passenger weight and vessel stability rules.(At AGlance)
January 1, 2009... At a recent Passenger Vessel Association regional meeting, extensive discussions were held between vessel operators, naval architects, and the Coast Guard on new passenger weight and vessel stability regulations. The new regulations could...

WorkBoat Composite Index: index loses another 8 percent.(At AGlance)
January 1, 2009... After suffering through its worst A month ever in October when it lost over a quarter of its value, the Work-Boat Composite Index lost another 82 points, or 8.13 percent in November. Once again, the losses topped the broad marker, with the...

OSV day rates: rates rise again in November.(At AGlance)(offshore support vessels)(Statistical data)
January 1, 2009... The U.S. Gulf workboat market continued to see higher average day rates for supply vessels and crewboats during November. Supply vessel operators saw day rates for the smaller vessels increase $860 during November to an average day rate of...

Inland insider: can the barge industry navigate around the financial mess?(At AGlance)
January 1, 2009... There is an old Wall Street joke about cans of fish that were traded from one buyer to another. When the market declined, the last buyer tries to eat the fish and finds that they are inedible. The punch line is, "Those fish are for trading,...

Legal talk: arbitration and the commercial mariner.(At AGlance)
January 1, 2009... Arbitration is widely used to resolve disputes in the maritime industry that range from seamen's injuries to shipbuilding contracts. Today, employers often include arbitration clauses in employment agreements. This means that an employee...

Gunderson Marine.(NEWS LOG)(introduction of steel barge)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Gunderson Marine, Portland, Ore., recently launched the 380'x105'x25' steel barge E.P. Paup. Shipyard officials said a launching is the first and often the most trying test of a new ship or barge because the forces imposed on a haul at launch...

Unions see opportunities with new administration.(NEWS LOG)
January 1, 2009... Union advocates have high hopes for swift passage of federal legislation that would make organizing easier by ending secret ballot elections. The Democrats' victories in November provide a major boost to the Employee Free Choice Act--less...

Washington state buys one ferry, sells two.(NEWS LOG)
January 1, 2009... In November 2007, Washington State Ferries finally determined that its ancient Steel Electric class ferries were no longer fit for duty and all four of the 80-your-old boats were permanently pulled from service. Because none of the other WSF...

GAO report critical of DHS's review process.(NEWS LOG)(Department of Homeland Security)
January 1, 2009... Authority over the U.S. Coast Guard's Deepwater acquisitions is shifting from one muddled bureaucracy to another. This past fall, the Department of Homeland Security reasserted its acquisition authority over major Coast Guard initiatives,...

High school maritime courses developed.(NEWS LOG)
January 1, 2009... Maritime industry officials, working with educators and the federal government, have developed the first national maritime curriculum for high school students with the goal of attracting more young people into the industry. The curriculum,...

Coast Guard inspection program yields only a few violators.(NEWS BITTS)(watercrafts in Mississippi river)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... In November, the U.S. Coast Guard began its Operation Big Tow program. The purpose of the three-month exercise is to check out vessels and operators that are not normally inspected, such as towboats and pushboats along the Gulf Coast,...

Moody's lowers K-Sea's debt rating two spots.(NEWS BITTS)
January 1, 2009... Moody's Investors Service downgraded the debt rating of East Brunswick,. N.J.-based K-Sea Transportation Partners LP in late November, citing a likely decline in shipping demand in a slower U.S. economy. Moody's dropped the company's rating two...

Show Cents: the economy may have weakened, but the turnout at December's International WorkBoat Show was strong.(Cover story)
January 1, 2009... Over 14,000 visitors checked out the latest products and services from about 1,000 exhibitors at the 29th International WorkBoat Show held in New Orleans Dec. 3-5. On the busy show floor at the Morial Convention Center, it was tough to tell...

Candies nears completion of new 285' OSV.(ON THE WAYS)
January 1, 2009... Candies Shipbuilders LLC, Houma, La., is putting the finishing touches on a 285'x60'x24' offshore supply vessel for its parent company Otto Candies LLC, Des Allemands, La. Dale Lapeyrouse, the yard's operations manager, said the Nicki...

North Carolina DOT receives new 136' crane barge.(ON THE WAYS)
January 1, 2009... In early October, the 1366'6"x40' crane barge Skyco left its home port in Manns Harbor, N.C., and was off to its first assignment, installing new dolphins at North Carolina's Currituck ferry terminal. The Skyco is the first vessel built by...

Massachusetts school has new fiberglass ferry.(ON THE WAYS)
January 1, 2009... Students making the 12-mile trip from Woods Hole, Mass., to Penikese Island School on Penikese Island in Masschusetts' Buzzard Bay now have the luxury of doing it in a new boat. The Richard S. Edwards, a fiberglass 36'x12'8: single-screw...

Boatbuilding bitts.(ON THE WAYS)
January 1, 2009... Patti Marine Enterprises Inc. was recently awarded a contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build a 58', 770-hp inland river towboat. The twin-screw vessel will be delivered to the Corps' Kansas City District and assigned to the...

Central bank: new National Maritime Center aims to please mariners.(National Maritime Center)
January 1, 2009... Mariners remember what it was like a few years ago when they tried to get their credentials renewed from the U.S. Coast Guard: long waits, sloppy service, complicated paperwork, unattractive offices, and a seemingly endless wait for the...

10 Boats recognized at the International workboat show: at the International workboat show in December, workboat magazine presented awards for 2008's 10 significant boats. Below are descriptions, specifications and photos of each award-winning boat or barge.(SIGNIFICANT BOATS OF 2008)
January 1, 2009... AEP MARINER At 166'X48' and with 6,000 hp, the AEP Mariner combines a robust, traditional propulsion system with near-luxury living quarters that follow the company's longstanding philosophy that the key to reliable service is a stable and...

Propped up: getting the right wheels for outboards demands attention.(Boats & Gear)
January 1, 2009... Lincoln Davis of Stetson & Pinkham, an outboard motor dealer and repair shop in Waldoboro, Maine, believes the demand for outboards will grow because "outboards are a deal, a low-cost deal." "But when money seems easy to come by, a lot of...

WorkBoat looks back.(WBArchives)(Puget Sound award given to Hoverprojects Ltd)(F.V. Hunt vessel again modified)(trade shows of shipbuilding industry)
January 1, 2009... JANUARY 1969 * A contract to study the feasibility of using hydrofoils and hovercraft on Washington state's Puget Sound has been awarded to Hoverprojects Ltd. by the Washington State Highway Commission, operators of ferry boat service...