Workboat articles from May 2006

Workboat archives from May 2006

Is there still discipline in the Gulf?(Editorial)
May 1, 2006... Four years ago, the offshore market was depressed, and U.S. Gulf operators were stacking boats in an effort to keep rates strong for a slimmed-down fleet. Back then, major OSV players in the Gulf exercised discipline in their approach to...

Temporary visas could ease mariner labor woes.(MAIL BAG)
May 1, 2006... If the mariner shortage continues, I suggest that the maritime industry be granted an allotment of H-1B visas so they can bring in skilled workers from other countries to fill the vacancies. (H-1B is a nonimmigrant classification used by an...

Being away from family and luxuries deserves more pay.(MAIL BAG)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2006... Capt. Thomas Nason makes some very good points ("Mariner shortage can be alleviated with more pay," Mail Bag, March 2006). It should be noted that I only spent a little time in the Oil Patch. However, I did spend 20 years in the Navy, so I know...

Brownwater engineers are professionals too.(MAIL BAG)
May 1, 2006... As a fairly new chief engineer on a 5,600-hp towboat (eight years), I often read about what we are not. It seems that towboat chief engineers don't get any respect from our blue-water counterparts. Why, because we didn't sit down and pass some...

Navy and sealift ships are at risk in foreign yards.(MAIL BAG)
May 1, 2006... There has been a great deal of attention paid to the prospect of a foreign company from a dangerous part of the world controlling operations at U.S. port terminals. While this is an important issue that deserves scrutiny, there are other...

On the water: building a better mousetrap--part II.(risk in using rescue vessels)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The most dangerous part of a water rescue is maneuvering a vessel in order to make the recovery. With a life ring's poor range and accuracy, it is often necessary to steer extremely close to the person being rescued, which could result in the...

Captain's table: Cuba ferry service and Ernest Hemingway.(AT A GLANCE)
May 1, 2006... I have received some feedback from readers on last month's column about the possible resumption of ferry service to Cuba. They said they were willing to talk to the graduate student I mentioned in the column who was seeking information and...

WorkBoat Composite Index: index gets back on track in March.(AT A GLANCE)
May 1, 2006... After taking a breather in February, the WorkBoat Composite Index jumped 45 points in March. The 3.7 percent increase topped both the Dow and S&P 500. For the month, winners topped losers by a 4-1 ratio. Operators, suppliers and shipyards...

OSV day rates: rates continue to March upward.
May 1, 2006... Vessel operators continued to see day rates rise in March. Rates for large anchor-handling tug/supply vessels (AHTS) over 6,000 hp jumped from an average $60,000 a day to $70,000 during the past month. Utilization of large AHTSes is...

Inland insider: junkyard ports.
May 1, 2006... Junkyards are now called "auto recycling centers." In the old days, you would go to a junkyard for parts that were then removed from the cars in the yard and you paid cash. Those days are coming to a close. Today's auto recycling yards...

Legal talk: Coast Guard revises marine casualty reporting.
May 1, 2006... In January, the U.S. Coast Guard expanded the regulations for reporting marine casualties. With the new rules, "significant harm to the environment" has become a reportable marine casualty category. Previously, there were only four categories:...

Q&A: an interview with Paul Rohde, president, midwest area river coalition 2000 (MARC 2000).(Interview)
May 1, 2006... WorkBoat: What's the status of the Upper Mississippi lock renovations? Paul Rohde: In November 2004, the Corps' chief of engineers submitted his report, concluding 13 years of study on the Upper Miss. The recommendation called for seven...

In March, two McAllister Towing tugs, the A.J. McAllister and the Emily Anne McAllister were called to a three-alarm fire on Soloman Island in Calvert County, Md.(NEWS LOG)
May 1, 2006... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: In March, two McAllister Towing tugs, the A.J. McAllister and the Emily Anne McAllister were called to a three-alarm fire on Soloman Island in Calvert County, Md. Two historic waterfront restaurants were...

Excessive load contributed to tour-boat accident.
May 1, 2006... A heavy load and heavy weather figured into the capsizing of a Baltimore Harbor tour boat two years ago, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded. As a result, the passenger vessel industry likely will face new passenger weight...

Virginia company acquires Incat assets.(NEWS BITTS)
May 1, 2006... McLean, Va.-based Alion Science and Technology has acquired assets related to vessels greater than 60 meters (197') in length from International Catamaran Designs Pty. Ltd. The purchase includes design files and design tools for high-speed...

Sternwheeler runs aground on the Columbia.(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The Empress of the North, a 360' sternwheeler owned and operated by American West Steamboat Co., Seattle, ran aground on the Columbia River on March 24. No one was injured and all 180 passengers were transferred to another American West cruise...

Jury sides with barge operator in five claims.
May 1, 2006... A federal jury has rejected all but one of the claims of mariners who alleged they were fired for refusing to push oversized loads. Capt. Larry Gwin, Golconda, Ill., was awarded $10,000 for lost wages and benefits and $130,000 in punitive...

B.C. car ferry sinks, two believed dead.(NEWS LOG)
May 1, 2006... On March 22, the Queen of the North, a 410' car ferry owned and operated by BC Ferries, struck a rocky island at night in British Columbia's Wright Sound and sank within 75 minutes. The ferry was en route from Prince Rupert on the mainland to...

ACL, Canal Barge enter into towing agreement.(NEWS BITTS)
May 1, 2006... American Commercial Lines Inc., Jeffersonville, Ind., has entered into an agreement with Canal Barge Company Inc., New Orleans, to collaborate on providing towing service throughout the inland waterway system. The agreement provides for towing...

New York's SeaStreak ferry up for sale.(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Sea Containers Ltd., Hamilton, Bermuda, announced in March that it is completely withdrawing from the ferry business. Sea Containers owns SeaStreak America Inc., which operates high-speed passenger ferries in the New York metropolitan area. The...

Group seeks funding for low-use waterways.(NEWS LOG)
May 1, 2006... The White House Office of Management and Budget describes them as "low-use." But supporters of waterways and harbors that handle less than one billion ton-miles of cargo a year say are valuable to the economy. They claim these waterways...

New Orleans exam center gets help.(Coast Guard officials helping people affected by Hurricane Katrina)
May 1, 2006... U.S. Coast Guard officials are trying to accommodate those who have been adversely affected by the closing of a Coast Guard exam center hit hard by Hurricane Katrina. The storm severely damaged the Eighth District's Regional Exam Center...

Business cents.(NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW)(Interview)
May 1, 2006... Charles L. Fabrikant, chairman and CEO of Seacor Holdings Inc., visited with Correspondent Dale DuPont at the company's Port Everglades, Fla., offices in March. In the past year, Seacor completed the acquisition of Seabulk International Inc....

Storm stories: the marine industry received high marks for its post-Katrina response.(HURRICANE KATRINA)
May 1, 2006... When it comes to Hurricane Katrina, the feel-good stories get overshadowed by the tales of disaster. With over 1,000 dead, billions in property damage, countless families uprooted and their lives in turmoil, it's easy to see why. ...

Financial affairs: policy changes will alter the way the Corps does business.
May 1, 2006... The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is starting to feel the pinch from far-reaching policy changes imposed by Congress late last year that will substantially alter how the agency manages projects and finances for the nation's system of waterways....

Port party: the Port of Baltimore celebrates its 300th anniversary.(PORT OF BALTIMORE)(Company overview)
May 1, 2006... When you think of Baltimore, crab cakes and Orioles baseball probably come to mind. Most people are probably unaware that the city also has a bustling port. This year, the Port of Baltimore is celebrating its 300th anniversary. The...

Build up: orders for new OSVs have been rolling in.
May 1, 2006... There's been an explosion of activity in the oil-and-gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico in the two years, and demand for offshore service vessels to support that activity has produced record day rates and a surge in OSV orders. ...

Crowley christens ATB from VT Halter.(ON THE WAYS)
May 1, 2006... Pascagoula, Miss.-based VT Halter Marine Inc. recently delivered the first of six 185,000-bbl. articulated tugbarge units to Crowley Maritime Corp.'s Vessel Management Services (VMS). The ATB is chartered to ConocoPhillips under a three-year...

Nichols Brothers building a floating 'art gallery'.(ON THE WAYS)
May 1, 2006... Current and upcoming projects at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, Freeland, Wash., provide ample illustrations of the company's diverse abilities and clientele. In late March, the yard launched a 242'X54'X23'6" dump barge, which was built...

Another Delaware pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn.(ON THE WAYS)
May 1, 2006... You know you are doing something right when a customer comes back for more. That certainly describes the relationship between Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Somerset, Mass., and the Delaware pilot's association, officially known as the Pilots'...

Conrad delivers pushboat to the Corps of Engineers.
May 1, 2006... Conrad Industries Inc.'s Orange Shipbuilding Co. Inc. recently delivered the 124'X34'X10'3" steel pushboat Evanick to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District. The boat's design was a collaboration between the Corps and...

Boatbuilding bitts.(ON THE WAYS)
May 1, 2006... Moose Boats, Petaluma, Calif., continues to receive steady orders for its small aluminum catamarans. The latest contract is for an M2-35 fire/rescue boat for the Tiburon (Calif.) Fire District. The 35'6"X26'4" cat will be powered by twin 380-hp...

Hot spot: day rates are stronger than ever, but rig shortages loom.(COVER STORY)
May 1, 2006... For Gulf of Mexico offshore service vessel operators, it doesn't get much better than this. The offshore workboat market is red hot and, when looking strictly at rates and utilization, is at its strongest level ever. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Big sucker: Manson's new hopper dredge goes high-tech for the Corps.(390' HOPPER DREDGE)(Company overview)
May 1, 2006... The nation's largest trailing suction hopper dredge has slid off the ways at Atlantic Marine's Alabama Shipyard in Mobile and into service in the Southeast. The 390'X76' Glenn Edwards, with a hopper capacity of 12,000 cu. yds., is the newest...

Endurance race: a healthy environment onboard helps keep crews alert and fit.
May 1, 2006... A bad diet combined with little or no exercise and lack of sleep isn't going to help your performance at work. This is especially true if you're a working mariner. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ensuring that crews eat right, exercise and get...

New technology leads to greater fuel efficiency.(Product Spotlight)
May 1, 2006... Houston-based Control Dynamics International recently patented a new technology called FuelTrax. The technology, developed by affiliate Nautical Control Solutions, is designed to reduce fuel consumption on marine vessels by 20 percent or more...

Flotation device.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
May 1, 2006... LIFE-SAFER INC., San Diego, has received approval from the U.S. Coast Guard for its Personal Retriever[TM] as a Type V Personal Flotation Device. With USCG approval, the Retriever is now an authorized substitute PFD for Type IV 20" and 24"...

Digital panel meters.
May 1, 2006... Hoyt Electrical Instrument Works Inc., Penacook, N.H., is marketing its new line of digital panel meters. The DLA-30 Series panel meters are designed for ship-to-shore panels as well as generator panels. Inputs of up to 200 AC amps, 0-200 DC...

Air filter system.
May 1, 2006... Walker Engineering, Sun Valley, Calif., has released a new version of its AIRSEP[R] closed-crankcase breathing system for diesel gensets. The AIRSEP is rated for diesel-powered marine generators up to 30kw and includes a washable air filter, a...

Workboat business.(Patrick J. Gallwey appointed as chief operating officer at the Port of New Orleans)
May 1, 2006... Baltimore-based Vane Brothers Companies has named Thomas J. Lamm manager of fleet development for Vane Line Bunkering. Lamm will develop current fleet personnel and help develop a new core of qualified personnel to go with the company's...

Calendar.(Calendar)
May 1, 2006... May 1-4 OFFSHORE CONFERENCE The Offshore Technology Conference 2006 (OTC '06), Reliant Center, Houston. Tel: 972-952-9494 Fax: 972-952-9435 Email: service@otcnet.org www.otcnet.org May 8-11 GAS TURBINE...

WORK BOAT: Looks Back.
May 1, 2006... May 1946 * The $500 million 1946 omnibus rivers and harbors bill features three large southern navigation projects. Topping the list is $116 million for the Tombigbee-Tennessee River, $82 million for the Big Sandy, and $79 million for the...