Workboat articles from March 2002

Workboat archives from March 2002

OSHA regs could be a 'comfort' to some. (Editor's Watch).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... David krapf A recent decision handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court has unsettled operators of uninspected vessels. The result of the decision, however, may end up making life more comfortable for mariners who live and work aboard these...

Mail bag.
March 1, 2002... Marine surveying explained When friends outside my profession ask me "What is it you do again?", I can now grab a copy of Kathy Bergren Smith's article on marine surveyors ("Neutral Observer," February 2002) and say, "This is what I do."...

Inland insider: Quiet collusion. (At a Glance).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... In October, the Department of Justice announced that it would allow 10 tug-and-barge companies to exchange historical cost information through a neutral third party. The stated objective is to reduce operating costs. The companies are...

On the water: Insure yourself. (At a Glance).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Those who work on the water and hold a merchant marine officer's license or merchant mariner's document regularly engage in activities that carry a considerable amount of professional and personal risk. In the post-OPA '90 world, mariners...

WorkBoat's composite index: 2002 opens with a thud.(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The WorkBoat Composite Index couldn't keep its one-month winning streak going. The Index opened 2002 on a down note, losing about 10 points, or 1.47 percent. For the month, losers topped winners by more than 2 to 1. Operators, with the...

Captain's table: Navigating with high-speed vessels. (At a Glance).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... When boats go faster, that usually means more risk. And with the recent proliferation of high-speed vessels, regulators realized that some guidance was needed. The Coast Guard and the Passenger Vessel Association have been working closely...

OSV Day rates: Rates hold steady for most classes. (At a Glance).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 1, 2002... In January, crewboats were the only vessel class to lose ground, with dips in rates and utilization. Average rates for large crew-boats (125' and over) were down over $200 per day from December and utilization dropped 4 percent. Smaller...

OSHA regs apply to uninspected vessels. (Legal Talk).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Recently, commercial vessel owners discovered that their "uninspected" vessels may now be subject to stringent w or k place safety regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In January, the U.S. Supreme...

More resources and funding needed for port security. (News Log).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The port security wish list continued to grow at a January hearing held on the subject in New Orleans. The problem is finding the resources and funds to pay for the list. At a field hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and...

Inland consolidation continues with Ingram and Midland. (News Bitts).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... When KeySpan Corp. bought Eastern Enterprises over a year ago, the deal included a stipulation. The Securities and Exchange Commission insisted that Eastern sell its dry bulk commodities hauler, Midland Enterprises, before the sale could be...

First Wave to emerge from bankruptcy. (News Bitts).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas confirmed that it has signed off on Houston-based First Wave Marine Inc.'s Plan of Reorganization. The action allows First Wave to come out of bankruptcy. The company filed for...

Diesel engine advances continue at a rapid clip. (News Log).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Manufacturers are striving to create "smart" engines as the industry moves to comply with new domestic and international standards on diesel engine emissions. Engine makers presented a progress report at a recent two-day workshop on maritime...

Corrections.
March 1, 2002... * In the February "On The Ways," Master Boat Builders' location was listed as Bayou La Batre, La. The yard is located in Bayou La Batre, Ala. In the same article, Gulf Coast Air & Hydraulics Inc. was incorrectly listed as Gulf Coast Marine &...

Alaska ferry operator end shipyard settle dispute. (News Log).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... A financial dispute between the Alaska Marine Highway System and Alaska Ship and Drydock, Ketchikan, has been resolved through mediation. Both parties have agreed to drop their original claims against each other, and the state agreed to pay...

Enforcement of STCW delayed. (News Bitts).(Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Regulation)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The Feb. 1 deadline for complying with International Maritime Organization's STCW '95 requirements has been revised. In January, the IMO announced it would delay enforcement of the mandatory Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping...

Tidewater cuts costs. (News Bitts).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Tidewater Inc. topped earnings estimates and reported a net income of 60 cents a share for the company's fiscal third quarter. The results were helped by the New Orleans-based company's overseas operations and domestic cost cutting. Tidewater...

First wave emerges from bankruptcy. (News Bitts).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas confirmed that it has signed off on Houston-based First Wave Marine Inc.'s Plan of Reorganization. The action allows First Wave to come out of bankruptcy. The company filed for...

Trade pact 'bad for Canadian shipbuilding. (News Log).(European Free Trade Agreement)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Shipbuilding in the Canadian Maritimes may receive a knockout punch if a proposed federal trade agreement is implemented, industry representatives say. Prime Minister Jean Chretien has declared his intention to sign and implement a new...

Self-audits can help keep OSHA at hay. (News Log).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Offshore operators who have uninspected vessels in their fleets need not panic. The recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court allowing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to have jurisdiction over uninspected vessels presents...

Trailer bridge ends N.Y.-Puerto Rico run. (News Log).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Trailer Bridge has discontinued its I three-year-old New York to Puerto Rico container-on-barge service as part of an effort to get its financial house in order. The company will continue its twice-weekly sailings between Jacksonville, Fla.,...

Seattle fishermen's terminal now open to Yachts. (News Bitts).(Port of Seattle)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... For over 90 years, only commercial fishing boats and other commercial marine vessels could rent space at the Port of Seattle's Fishermen's Terminal. That finally changed on Jan. 8 when port commissioners voted to make the freshwater moorage...

Court ruling limits liability for platform owners. (News Bitts).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... In a ruling earlier this year, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals limited the potential liability of an offshore platform owner for injuries to a platform worker. The court's decision has to do specifically with injuries to an employee of an...

Mariner high: High school marine vocational programs may help ease personnel woes. (Focus: Marine Vocational Programs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Tugs, towboats, oilfield supply vessels, ferries, excursion boats--you name it. There's a severe shortage of motivated, qualified personnel to operate these vessels. Turnover is high and the marine industry has been largely unsuccessful in...

Discharge papers: Towing company owner finds out that polluting is 'bad business'. (Focus: Marine Pollution).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... On Nov. 21, Glenn McKinney stood before U.S. District Judge John Parker and awaited sentencing for violations of the federal Clean Water Act and the Oil Pollution Act. McKinney, president of McKinney Towing Inc., McKinney Harbor Towing Inc.,...

Floating trash sweeper for Texas. (On the ways).(San Antonio Sweeper Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Its designer will tell you that there's no other boat like it in the world, and there must be some truth to that, because Richard Decaire, the boat's designer, said he has a patent on the 32' SASSI, which stands for San Antonio Sweeper Systems...

Gladding-Hearn bustling with new business. (On the Ways).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... After launching the 141'X34' high-speed passenger ferry Seastreak New York in March 2001 and sending her to Seastreak America in New York, Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, the Duclos Corp., delivered a sistership to the company this past December....

Sneed delivers pair of Blessey towboats. (On the Ways).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Late last year, Sneed Shipbuilding, Houston delivered two towboats to New Orleans-based Blessey Marine Inc., the 80' x 30' Thomas E. Rollins and the 60' x 24' Rusty Hill. The yard's Clyde Sneed designed the two steel-hulled boats for...

Aluminum chambered boats to the rescue. (On the Ways).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The old boat operated by the Lake Stevens (Wash.) Fire Department had a tow post all right, but it was mounted at the bow because the boat "failed frequently," according to the department's chief, Dick Adkins. "We got towed in a lot. So it's...

Hope services delivers tug to Boston customer. (On the Ways).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Dulac, La.-based Hope Services delivered a 100'x32'x14' model- bow tug to Modern Continental Construction, Boston, late last year. The Ludwig E wasted no time getting into action, towing two barges on its initial voyage from the shipyard...

Boatbuilding bitts. (On the Ways).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... I neat Tasmania is busy completing its second fast vehicle catamaran ferry for Canada's Bay Ferries, which owns and operates The Cat, a 91-meter (300') Incat-built ferry that has operated between Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and Bar Harbor, Maine,...

40 and Fit? Canada's coast guard marks anniversary amid questions about its mission and fees. (Cover Story).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Canada has coasts that don't quit. Or so it must seem to those whose job it is to patrol them. Canada has more coastline than any country in the world. They've got the Arctic, Hudson's Bay, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Maritimes, the St....

Foreign born: Choosing lesser-known, European-built engines. (Boats & Gear: Diesel Engines).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... It isn't easy breaking into the commercial marine diesel engine market, especially if you're trying to sell foreign-built engines. One tactic that some engine distributors use to entice boat owners is to offer price breaks. An equally effective...

Push and shove: There's been plenty of medium-size towboat construction, but new line-hauls are still a rarity. (Boats & Gear: Pushboat Market Report).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... In recent years, pusbboat construction has become a tale of two markets. Activity is brisk in the medium-size, 4,000-hp and lower market, and virtually stagnant above that, especially when it comes to high-horsepower line-hauls. Much of...

On any given day, every vessel insured by WQIS is safe.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Protecting vessel owners and operators is the purpose of WQIS. Here are five reasons why more companies in the United States choose WQIS for marine pollution insurance. 1. Most Experience. On the water, nothing is more valuable than...

Workboat business.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Seabulk Offshore Ltd. president, Andy Brauninger, has been elected chairman of the board of the Offshore Marine Service Association, Harahan, La. The new vice chairman is Milton Rose, president of SEACOR Marine Inc., and the new...

STCW courses. (Product Locker).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Pacific Maritime Institute is offering a portable, two-week "Medical Person in Charge" and "Medical First Aid Provider" course in accordance with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping. The...

Firefighting system. (Product Locker).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Marine Turbine Technologies (MTT), Franklin, La., says it has launched the world's first fully portable FiFi-classed fire-fighting system. MTT specializes in turbine installations for non-aviation applications. The system is designed for use on...

Lifeboat testing. (Product Locker).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Water Weights Inc., a company that provides load testing and measuring, says it has an alternative for load testing lifeboats. In addition to SOLAS, the Coast Guard requires weight testing of lifeboats during each inspection for certification...

Underwater phone service. (Product Locker).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... FRANCE TELECOM R&D and AMPHICOM, a French communications company, say they have developed the first telephone that can connect a person on the surface with a diver working underwater. The system is made up of a buoy fitted with a GSM phone...

Clamshell bucket. (Product Locker).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Young Corp., Seattle, says its clamshell buckets are gaining wide acceptance in barge unloading applications. The Light and Standard Wide Rehandling Buckets are suitable for all free flowing pile materials such as wood chips, aggregates, coal...

Wireless communication. (Product Locker).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... American Allsafe Co. is marketing a wireless two-way communication and hearing protector called the Silencio[R] by Hellberg Safety. The Silencio includes the Local, a built-in two-way radio that transmits and receives up to two miles clearly,...

Calendar.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... March 13-14 NAVAL ARCHITECTS CONFERENCE The Royal Institution of Naval Architects 2002 Conference & Training Programs, RINA headquarters, London. The training side of the conference is an ongoing program that will extend through...