Workboat articles from July 2005

Workboat archives from July 2005

Big bucks for barges.(EDITOR'S WATCH)(Editorial)
July 1, 2005... This month's issue is chock full of good news from the inland barge sector. Barge operators--both liquid and dry--continue to benefit from rising rates, reduced barge inventory, and increased demand for most commodities. In the dry cargo...

Proper training needed for wheelhouse aspirants.(MAIL BAG)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... I am writing in response to Capt. Thomas Napoleone's letter in the March issue of WorkBoat. ("Speak up hawsepipers, before it's too late.") First off, let me say that I am a ring knocker, a SUNY (State University of New York) Maritime...

How much oil is off California's shore?(MAIL BAG)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... In the mid-1980s, I was an engineer on the crewboat Doug C for Croft Boats out of Wilmington, Calif. We were working the semisubmersible rig Diamond M General that was drilling due west of Point Conception in central California, a few miles...

No more Coast Guard bashing.(MAIL BAG)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... All of this Coast Guard bashing is misplaced--big time. These people are grossly overloaded and anyone who calls themselves an officer can see the simple signs of a worn-out crew that has been called on the deck one time too many. I first...

On the water: lightning strikes: Part I.(AT A GLANCE)
July 1, 2005... It was a fine summer afternoon as we pushed a loaded barge down the Delaware River and Bay, and I was ready to get out of the upper pilothouse and head below for dinner. We were passing Miah Maull Shoal when the captain relieved me, taking over...

Captain's table: new legislation will help the passenger vessel industry.(AT A GLANCE)
July 1, 2005... The passenger vessel industry is supporting new legislation that is intended to aid the domestic passenger vessel fleet. For ferries, the industry wants expanded funding and new government programs. For all domestic passenger vessels, the...

WorkBoat Composite Index: index rebounds in May.
July 1, 2005... After losing 2.6 percent in March and 6.2 percent in April, the WorkBoat Composite Index got back in the plus column. In May, the index gained 33, or 3.94 percent, to 874.52. For the month, winners topped losers by almost 3 to 1. Top...

Inland insider: pricing data for barges.
July 1, 2005... The late '70s were highlighted by barge shortages and record freight rates. Barge rates were being quoted at three to four times the long-term average. Tows waited up to two days to lock through the old 600-foot chamber at Lock & Dam 26 on the...

OSV day rates: no increase seen in rig fleet.(Offshore Supply Vessels )
July 1, 2005... Both day rates and utilization for supply vessels were relatively steady in May, primarily a result of a rig market that remains at full utilization. Average day rates rose slightly for smaller supply vessels but dropped for the larger...

Legal talk: mariners must disclose medical histories.(AT A GLANCE)
July 1, 2005... A worker on an offshore drilling barge allegedly sustained a lower back injury while working. Because the worker, Brown, was employed aboard a vessel, he was considered a seaman and sought maintenance and cure (M&C) benefits from his employer,...

Finance talk: asset protection: Part II.(AT A GLANCE)
July 1, 2005... In Part I, three simple asset protection measures were discussed. There are other more sophisticated strategies, such as converting assets subject to claims from creditors into assets that are exempt from creditor seizure in bankruptcy. ...

The Crowley Maritime tug Guide.
July 1, 2005... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: The Crowley Maritime tug Guide and the Foss Maritime tug Wedell Foss competed at the annual Seattle tugboat races held on Elliott Bay in May. The races, billed as the largest in the world, are held in...

Steel prices were key in Ingram-Riverway deal.(NEWS LOG)(mergers)
July 1, 2005... Ingram Barge Co. has purchased the majority of the equipment of Riverway Co., a move that allows Ingram to expand its operations in the St. Louis area and delay the costly replacement of aging equipment. The purchase of 432 jumbo...

Washington state forms oil spill council.(NEWS LOG)(oil spills)
July 1, 2005... Despite considerable opposition from industry and, initially, its own Department of Ecology, Washington state has formed an independent oil spill advisory council. Unlike other environmental advisory committees that report to the Department of...

Barge line's parent returns to the black.(NEWS LOG)(marine cargo handling)
July 1, 2005... American Commercial Lines has shed barges, people and debt and hopes to benefit from higher freight rates in its post-bankruptcy operations. Jeffersonville, Ind.-based ACL is the parent of American Commercial Barge Lines, ACL...

Rail-ferry service moves to New Orleans.(NEWS LOG)(rail cars)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... CG Railway's rail-ferry service that runs between the U.S. and Coatzalcoalcos, Mexico, is moving its U.S. operations from Mobile, Ala., to New Orleans. The company had been moving 10,500 rail cars a year since 2001 but expects to up that...

House passes Corps civil works budget.(NEWS BITTS)(Army Corps of Engineers)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... On May 24, the House approved a $4.75 billion fiscal 2006 budget for the Army Corps of Engineers civil works program. The House-passed version of the civil works budget is $414 million more than the administration's request but $294 million...

Mariner convicted in connection with Massachusetts spill.(NEWS BITTS)(oil spill)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A tug crewman has pleaded guilty for his role in the 2003 Buzzards Bay, Mass., oil spill. Franklin Robert Hill was at the helm of the tug Evening Tide that was pulling the single-hull 120,000-bbl. tank barge B-120 when it veered off course, ran...

Comment period for passenger vessel accessibility extended.(NEWS BITTS)(passenger vessels)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The comment period for the Access Board's draft accessibility guidelines and advance notice of proposed rulemaking for passenger vessels has been extended until July 28. The Access Board will hold public hearings in Los Angeles on June 24 and...

Barge right in: the Inland Waterways industry takes its case to Congress.(INLAND WATERWAYS)
July 1, 2005... A hard ask. A soft ask. Communicate the message. WRDA. The appropriations committees. The authorizations committees. The conference committees. The Jones Act. The Supremacy Clause. The House side of the Capitol. The Senate side... Say...

Foreign relations: domestic boatbuilders are finding more interest from outside the U.S.(international market)
July 1, 2005... U.S.-made vessels are attracting more attention from abroad. Not only are domestic yards handling orders for smaller military and patrol craft, but some also are fielding inquiries from foreign operators about offshore service vessels,...

New towboats for Golding Barge Line.(on the ways)(Golding Barge Line Inc.)
July 1, 2005... In recent years, new inland towboat orders have primarily come from just a handful of operators, including Blessey Marine, Eckstein Marine and Maryland Marine. Now, add Golding Barge Line Inc. to the list. In January, the Vicksburg,...

Gladding-Hearn cats for New York Water Taxi.(ON THE WAYS)(shipbuilding)
July 1, 2005... The 72'X27' Seymour B. Durst, an Incat-designed catamaran ferry, was delivered to New York Water Taxi by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Somerset, Mass., in late April. Along with its sister ship the Sam Holmes, scheduled to be delivered in...

Master Boat Builders delivers OSV to Sea Ox.(ON THE WAYS)(boating)
July 1, 2005... In May, Bayou La Batre, Ala.-based Master Boat Builders Inc. delivered the steel-hulled 145'X36'X12' offshore service vessel Sea Cutter to Sea Ox Inc., Galliano, La. Master Boat's 145' OSV has been popular for many years because of its...

Boatbuilding bitts.(on the ways)(Blessey Marine Services signed a contract)(Kvichak Marine Industries 40'X13'6" fast response fireboat)(Eastern Shipbuilding Group builds a new 280'X60' supply vessel)
July 1, 2005... Austal USA is busy with the first of up to two 351'X78'X30'10" aluminum passenger/car ferries for Hawaii Superferry. The 10,730-hp ferry will have room for 866 passengers and 282 cars (or 65 cars and 28 40' trucks). The boat, which is about...

X-tra fast: the Navy's new experimental catamaran is off and running.(Cover Story)
July 1, 2005... "This is the age of the small, the fast and the many... and we should get with it." --Vice Adm. Arthur Cebrowski, U.S. Navy With the successful launch of the 262'X72' Fast Sea Frame 1 (FSF1), the Navy is definitely starting to get...

Changing course: paper charts will have to give way to electronic charts by 2007.(ELECTRONIC CHARTS)
July 1, 2005... Many workboat operators have navigated with paper charts for so long that they have trouble thinking about using anything else to go from point A to point B. Others have made the investment in new equipment and are learning the strengths...

Ground noise abatement.(Zero Ground develops )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... ZERO GROUND, Waukegan, Ill., is marketing its new wire/cabling system solution. The system solution reduces high frequency electrical ground "noise" to zero when used in conjunction with variable frequency drives or with products containing...

New marine engine.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
July 1, 2005... Iveco Motors has completely revised its marine product range with a focus on technologically advanced and low-emission engines. In North America, new engine families from Iveco Motors of North America, Carol Stream, Ill., have been introduced,...

Head upgrade.(PRODUCT LOCKER)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Raritan has created the new Purasan Type I marine sanitation device, which can be installed on most marine toilets found on vessels up to 65'. The Purasan Type I neutralizes bacteria in waste, making it sanitary and safe for boaters in...

Andrew St. Germain.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Andrew St. Germain has been promoted to vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer at Bollinger Shipyards Inc., Lockport, La. St. Germain, who joined Bollinger in 2003 as corporate controller, is responsible for the company's...

RIBCRAFT.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... RIBCRAFT, Marblehead, Mass., recently delivered a 30' Coast Guard-certified RIB to a Hawaii-based adventure tour operator. The RIBCRAFT 9.0 tour boat is constructed of fiberglass and features the company's offshore design. Certified in Hawaii,...

Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG).(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)(appointments)
July 1, 2005... Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) recently announced that David Smith has joined the company as project manager. Smith brings over 25 years of shipyard design and construction experience to EBDG and has worked in shipyards across the country. He...

Schottel GmbH & Co.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)(Uwe Gragen)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
July 1, 2005... Uwe Gragen, sales and project manager for Schottel GmbH & Co. in Germany and responsible for worldwide sales of propulsion systems for tugs and oceangoing vessels, passed away in May. He was 61 years old. Gragen joined Schottel as a naval...

Detroit Diesel.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Detroit Diesel (DDC) recently released a 12-page color brochure that covers maintenance, repair, overhaul, replacement and repower solutions for Series 60 engine owners. Some of the highlights include maintenance products designed specifically...

Calendar.(Calendar)
July 1, 2005... June 21-22 WELDING COURSE The American Welding Society conference, "Charting the Course in Welding: U.S. Shipyards," Holiday Inn (downtown), Williamsburg, Va. Tel: 800-443-9353, ext. 223 www.aws.org/w/s/conferences/ Aug....

Workboat: looks back.
July 1, 2005... July 1945 * Barge operators want their share of the profitable movement of synthetic rubber from manufacturing plants on the Texas Gulf Coast. Waterway operators allege that rail rates and transit agreements have been rigged by the...