Workboat articles from May 2008

Workboat archives from May 2008

'Deep' thinking pays off.(Editor'sWatch)(Editorial)
May 1, 2008... When the U.S. offshore oil industry was born over a half century ago, the deepwater market didn't exist. Back then, the first submersibles worked in depths of about 50 feet or so. Next came the jackups, with maximum depths around 350 feet. ...

Disagrees with assessment of mate training program.(MailBag)(Pacific Maritime Institute's Workboat Mate program)
May 1, 2008... As one of the coalition of tug companies involved since the inception of the Pacific Maritime Institute's Workboat Mate program, Sause Bros. felt it was important to respond to the comments of Joel Milton in the March 2008 issue. ("Full speed...

Says workboat mate program is a good one.(MailBag)(Pacific Maritime Institute: Workboat Mate program)(Column)
May 1, 2008... This letter is in response to the column by Joel Milton in the March 2008 edition of WorkBoat. Based on other published material written by Mr. Milton I believe that he is writing from a very safety conscious perspective. As a former Navy SAR...

There must be a better way.(MailBag)(Transportation Worker Identification Credential)(Personal account)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... I don't think that the average citizen realizes what U.S. mariners must go through in order to perform their jobs. For example, when I sat for my master's license 10 years ago I had to submit my fingerprints and to a background check. Due...

A bad TWIC adventure.(MailBag)
May 1, 2008... I'd like to share the wonderful experience I am having with TWIC. I spent 20 years in the Army, retiring as a warrant officer. Since then, I have been working in the maritime industry. I have carried an ID card all of my life and have had...

Still waiting for his TWIC.(MailBagm)(Transportation Worker Identification Credential)(Personal account)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... On Dec. 14, I applied at the Seattle TWIC center in hopes of getting a TWIC card before the crowd arrived. I was disappointed at the arrangement of a third-party subcontractor taking all the personal data and processing it through their...

Why not liberalize our nation's cabotage laws?(MailBag)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... In the March 2008 Captain's Table article in WorkBoat ("Why do we have cabotage laws?"), Bernie Jacobson wrote about cabotage. Mr. Jacobson's reading of law, however, is slightly in error. The U.S. is one of many nations (and entities,...

On the water: tired mariners--Part 1.(At AGlance)
May 1, 2008... A fatigued mariner is a dangerous mariner, particularly one who steers the vessel. This person is a hazard to fellow crewmembers, other vessels and the general public. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The current two-watch, six-on/six-off system...

Captain's table: can short sea boost coastal passenger transportation?(At AGlance)
May 1, 2008... Before railroads dominated interstate passenger transportation, coastal cargo ships carried passengers on overnight trips between ports on the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts. This type of travel continues, but it's mainly limited to...

WorkBoat Composite Index: Index ends quarter on down note.(At AGlance)
May 1, 2008... The WorkBoat Composite Index wrapped up the first quarter with a 2 percent loss in March. For the quarter, the Index lost 3 percent, faring much better than the broad market, which suffered its worst quarter in five years. For the month,...

OSV day rates: Gulf rig count jumps.(At AGlance)
May 1, 2008... In late March, the number of rigs under contract in the Gulf of Mexico increased by five. The five-rig jump was attributable to jackups that started new jobs, all during the last week of March. The number of working jackups at the end of the...

Inland insider; Cheap dollar: good for barges, bad for U.S. consumers.(At AGlance)
May 1, 2008... The bogeyman still exists and he is hiding in our wallets. Yes, the modern hobgoblin comes in the form of the U.S. dollar. While the barge industry continues to quietly move record volumes of industrial products as part of U.S. and overseas...

Legal talk: the power behind a signature.(At AGlance)
May 1, 2008... Like a vessel's wake, a signature is evidence of your presence. In most commercial scenarios, a signature acts as an identifying mark as well as proof of consent to a document's terms. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Your signature carries...

Insurance watch: use deductibles to cut costs.(At AGlance)
May 1, 2008... A big slice of a vessel operator's expense pie usually goes for insurance. In many cases insurance is a vessel owner's third or fourth largest expense. An important way for vessel owners to cut insurance costs is to increase their deductibles....

Gary Chouest (left), Edison Chouest Offshore's president, and new Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (right) take part in groundbreaking ceremonies for La Ship, ECO's new shipyard.(NEWS LOG)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Gary Chouest (left), Edison Chouest Offshore's president, and new Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (right) take part in groundbreaking ceremonies for La Ship, ECO's new shipyard. Chouest said the yard, which will...

EPA publishes Tier 3 and 4 emissions standards.(NEWS LOG)
May 1, 2008... After several years of study, hearings, and comments from the industry, the Environmental Protection Agency has published final emissions standards for the next two generations of marine (and locomotive) diesel engines. Tier 3 standards...

More delays for the Coast Guard's new National Security Cutter.(NEWS LOG)
May 1, 2008... Delivery of the U.S. Coast Guard's first National Security Cutter, already expected to cost twice the original estimate, may be delayed again because of "testing, certifications, and other areas of technical risk," according to a new Government...

Personnel woes tie up NOAA research vessel.(NEWS LOG)
May 1, 2008... The federal government is feeling the pinch from the manpower shortage in the maritime trades. Just like private companies, Uncle Sam is having a hard time finding mariners to crew federally owned ships. In one extreme case, the National...

Advantages of moving cargo by water cited in new Texas study.(NEWS LOG)
May 1, 2008... A new study on highway, rail and water transportation concludes that moving cargo by water has economic, environmental and social advantages. The study by the Texas Transportation Institute Center for Ports and Waterways at Texas A & M...

Climate changes to affect transportation system, report says.(NEWS LOG)
May 1, 2008... There's nothing anyone can do about the weather. However, ports and transportation companies need to do something about protecting their facilities before predicted changes in weather patterns occur, according to a new report from the National...

Kirby's first-quarter numbers jump.(NEWS BITTS)
May 1, 2008... Kirby Corp. topped off St. Patrick's Day with an announcement after the market, closed that first-quarter profit would surpass estimates. Traders celebrated the next day by sending shares up a whopping 17.4 percent to close at $52.26. The...

Foss sells river assets to Tidewater Barge.(NEWS BITTS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Seattle-based Foss Maritime Company has agreed to sell two tugs and 20 barges currently operating on the Columbia-Snake River System to Tidewater Barge Lines, Vancouver, Wash. The sale allows Foss to concentrate on its strategic lines of...

Ferries need not carry data recorders, Coast Guard report says.(NEWS BITTS)
May 1, 2008... Large ferries don't need to carry voyage data recorders, a recent Coast Guard report concluded. Instead, electronic chart systems (ECS) and automated identification systems (AIS) were better choices for ferries over 100 gross tons that carry...

Galley masters: school offers training to future OSV and towboat cooks.(Focus: Cooking School)
May 1, 2008... The job requirements for a workboat cook are usually pretty basic. Can you make biscuits? Can you cook chicken? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Unlike other jobs that require training and certification, the cook's...

Speed kills: operators are taking it slow to battle high fuel costs.(Focus: Fuel Prices)
May 1, 2008... As fuel prices go up, rpms are going down. When no one's at risk of running behind schedule, operators know that throttling back a knot or two here or there can mean a big difference when it comes to fuel costs. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Budget blues: waterway funding woes discussed at annual budget powwow.(Focus: Budget Summit)
May 1, 2008... The Inland Waterways Trust Fund is running out of money and will be nearly broke by the end of the year. A fix is urgently needed, officials say, but proposals that have been floated to bring in more money are controversial and unlikely to gain...

Offshore investment: spate of OSV newbuilds continue despite Gulf slowdown.(VesselReport: Offshore Service Vessels)
May 1, 2008... Deliveries of new offshore service vessels have increased over the past year, even as day rates for shelf activity have softened. Based on available shipyard capacity, steady construction of new OSVs should continue for the next couple of...

Gladding-Hearn launches 4,700-hp Z-drive tug.(CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT WORKBOAT YARDS)
May 1, 2008... In early-April, the recently launched 4,720-hp shipdocking tug Madeline was tied up at Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding Corp. in Somerset, Mass. The 80'x32'x16'11" tug was being outfitted and getting all systems checked out prior to its sea trials....

Steiner building 2,000-hp tug.(CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT WORKBOAT YARDS)
May 1, 2008... Steiner Shipyard Inc., Bayou La Batre, Ala., is building a 78'x28'x11' tug for Golden Meadow, La.-based HLC Tugs LLC., a division of Marquette Transportation Co. LLC, Paducah, Ky. The Layla Renee is scheduled for delivery later this month....

Foss Maritime.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)(Foss Maritime Co.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Foss Maritime, Seattle, has had to push back the construction of its first hybrid-powered tug, which will be built at the company's shipyard in Rainier, Ore. The company had hoped to complete the boat this summer, but now it looks like the...

Kvichak Marine.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)(Kvichak Marine Industries Inc.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Kvichak Marine successfully completed a rollover test of its first RB-M (Response Boat-Medium) production boat in Seattle in March. The test was assisted by the Foss 300 steam-powered crane, which also rolled Kvichak's RB-M prototype several...

Washington state's attempts to get replacements for the permanently tied-up Steel Electric ferries hit a snag when the state DOT rejected the only bid for the first of three new ferries to be built specifically as replacements for the Steel Electrics.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)
May 1, 2008... Washington state's attempts to get replacements for the permanently tied-up Steel Electric ferries hit a snag when the state DOT rejected the only bid for the first of three new ferries to be built specifically as replacements for the Steel...

Great Lakes Shipyard.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)
May 1, 2008... Great Lakes Shipyard has successfully completed sea trials of the Handy-One, the first tug of the new Handysize class to be delivered to TUGZ International LLC, the owner and charterer of a fleet of Z-class tractor tugs. Both the new Handysize...

Master Boat Builders.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)
May 1, 2008... Master Boat Builders, Bayou La Batre, Ala., recently delivered the second of four 190'x46'xl6' steel supply boats to SEACOR Marine, Houma, La. The SOLAS-compliant, DP-2 SEACOR Cabral features capacities of 165,000 gals. of fuel and 5,000 cu....

Blount Boats.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)
May 1, 2008... Blount Boats, Warren, R.I., has signed a contract with the Puerto Rico and Municipal Islands Maritime Transportation Authority (PRTMA) to construct a 75'x22' aluminum passenger-only ferry. The vessel will be certified USCG Subchapter T and have...

Shearer & Associates Inc.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Shearer & Associates Inc., a naval architecture, marine engineering and marine surveying firm with offices in Houston and New Orleans, has finished design and contract specifications for 20 new tank barges being built at JamesBuilt in Paducah,...

Campbell Transportation Co.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)
May 1, 2008... Campbell Transportation Co.'s Dunlevy, Pa. shipyard is completing the rehulling of the R.L. Ireland. Built in 1952 by the Dravo Corp., Neville Island, Pa., the 108'x26'6"x9', twin-screw towboat is powered by twin Cat 3508E engines with a...

Austal USA.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... In late February, Austal USA received the Engineering Project of the Year award from the Mobile (Ala.) Area Council of Engineers for the design and construction of the Alakai, the 350' passenger/vehicle ferry built for Hawaii Superferry. At the...

Geo Shipyard delivers 1,000-hp catamaran crewboat.(CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT WORKBOAT YARDS)
May 1, 2008... New Iberia, La.-based Geo Shipyard recently delivered the 41'x15'x7' crewboat Mr. Will to Oilfield Marine Contractors, Youngsville, La. The aluminum catamaran will support Oilfield Marine's near coastal oil-and-gas activities. The new...

Deep route: outlook stays rosy for the deepwater market.
May 1, 2008... The U.S. Gulf offshore sector continues to be a tale of two markets--the Outer Continental Shelf and the deepwater/ultradeepwater area. The latter continues to be extremely active and offers a bright future for operators with modern...

Sanctuary support: NOAA gets new research boat for the Gulf of Mexico.(Boats & Gear: 83' Research Vessel)
May 1, 2008... There are now 14 national marine sanctuaries in U.S. waters, with most located along the coasts of New England, Florida, California and Washington, and in the Gulf of Mexico. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Four of these sanctuaries, which are...

Helter skelter: reducing information overload is important for safe navigation.(Boats & Gear: Navigation)
May 1, 2008... Successful navigation involves avoiding unexpected encounters that would prevent you from getting from point A to point B. Such encounters usually involve terra firma--the submerged or visual variety--or other vessels. Excluding mechanical...

W & O Supply.(WBBusiness)(W and O Supply Inc.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Michael Hume has rejoined W & O Supply as vice president of business development. His primary role will be to pursue acquisitions in the maritime industry and to help guide the strategic development and direction of W & O, a Jacksonville,...

Louisiana Oilfield Divers LLC.(WBBusiness)
May 1, 2008... James Marchiano is the new ESQS coordinator for Louisiana Oilfield Divers LLC, New Orleans. He is now responsible for managing the company's environmental, safety, quality and security processes.

SI-TEX Marine Electronics.(WBBusiness)
May 1, 2008... SI-TEX Marine Electronics has changed its commercial products name to Koden America Inc. The St. Petersburg, Fla.-based company will offer Koden-brand products to the commercial marine market and the SI-TEX brand to the recreational marine...

Hornblower Marine Services.(WBBusiness)(Hornblower Marine Services Inc.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Hornblower Marine Services, New Albany, Ind., recently replaced the engines on the Fort Morgan, a 140', 149-passenger, 32-vehicle ferry the company operates in Mobile, Ala. The vessel was fitted with twin Mitsubishi S6A3, 6-cylinder diesel...

Foster Marketing Communications.(WBBusiness)
May 1, 2008... Ashley Comeaux has been named media buyer at Foster Marketing Communications, an advertising and public relations firm that serves the oil-and-gas industry. Her new duties include media planning, coordination, placement and quality assurance....

American Commercial Lines Inc.(WBBusiness)
May 1, 2008... Thomas R. Pilholski has been named senior vice president and chief financial officer for American Commercial Lines Inc., Jeffersonville, Ind.

Thrustmaster of Texas Inc.(WBBusiness)(Contracts betwwen Thrustmaster of Texas Inc. and Gulmar Energy SA)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Houston-based Thrustmaster of Texas Inc. has contracted to deliver a complete DP-2 Portable Dynamic Positioning System (PDPS) for Gulmar Energy SA's 323' pipelay barge, Gulmar Pelican, currently under construction in Singapore. Thrustmaster...

Maritime Administration.(WBBusiness)
May 1, 2008... Randy Rogers is now heading up the Maritime Administration's new Seattle Gateway Office. Marad recently established Gateway Offices in 10 of the largest U.S. ports to have a team of maritime experts in place to work with headquarters staff,...

Jeppesen.(WBBusiness)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Jeppesen, an Englewood, Colo.-based provider of global navigation services, recently purchased Ocean Systems Inc., Alameda, Calif. Ocean Systems, whose products include voyage and vessel optimization solutions designed to reduce fuel...

Phoenix International Holdings Inc.(WBBusiness)
May 1, 2008... Phoenix International Holdings Inc., Bayou Vista, La., has been named a general member of the Association of Diving Contractors International Inc. Phoenix is a U.S. Navy and commercial oil-and-gas service prime contractor.

Welding torch.(WBProducts)
May 1, 2008... Appleton, Wis.-based Weldcraft's newest addition to its LegacyT Series of TIG torches--the LS17 air-cooled torch--features a new torch handle design created especially to improve comfort, control and welding productivity. The LS17 offers...

Welding generator.(WBProducts)
May 1, 2008... Miller Electric Manufacturing Co., Appleton, Wis., has a new welding generator called the PRO 300. The diesel generator features improved reliability through fewer and more robust electronic components, according to the company. An optional...

Locking bolt.(WBProducts)
May 1, 2008... Jergens Inc., Cleveland, has introduced its new Spinner-Grip Flange Locking Bolt. Unlike most widely used bolts on the market, these new bolts feature a conical flange design that locks the bolt to the part without the need for a lock washer....

Polymer protection.(WBProducts)
May 1, 2008... Master Bond Inc., Hackensack, N.J., has introduced a new one component, optically clear, non-yellowing UV and/or heat curable polymer system called UV15-7DC. The new system is designed for bonding, sealing and coating applications. It is 100...

Calendar.(Calendar)
May 1, 2008... May 5-8 OFFSHORE MEETING The 2008 Offshore Technology Conference--Waves of Change, Reliant Center, Houston 972-952-9494 www.otcnet.com May 12-14 HARBOR SAFETY MEETING The 10 Annual Harbor Safety Committee...

WorkBoat looks back.(WBArchives)
May 1, 2008... MAY 1948 * On this month's cover is the new steel towboat Meriwether Lewis. The first in a series of six 105'x28'x 10' towboats, the vessel was built by St. Louis Shipbuilding & Steel Co. for Butcher-Arthur Inc., Houston. The towboat is...