Workboat articles from November 2005

Workboat archives from November 2005

The recovery continues.(EDITOR'S WATCH)
November 1, 2005... At this writing, another hurricane, Wilma, was making its way into the Gulf of Mexico. While Wilma was not expected to hit the northern Gulf Coast, marine interests in that area were nevertheless casting a wary (and weary) eye. It has been...

N.O. vessel operator seeks help for its employees.(MAIL BAG)
November 1, 2005... The day before Hurricane Katrina hit, our sister company, New Orleans Steamboat Company, moved its two boats, the Natchez and the John James Audubon, 110 miles upriver to Bayou Goula. The vessels were docked at Port Allen, La., across the...

On the water: a solution for tough regs.(AT A GLANCE)
November 1, 2005... The bottom line is that limited-tonnage mariners have neither the time nor the financial resources to satisfy the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping 1995's (STCW 1995) 14-week formal classroom training regime on their own....

Captain's table: DOT to update ferry industry information.(AT A GLANCE)
November 1, 2005... On Aug. 10, President Bush signed the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. In addition to providing funding for transit programs for fiscal years 2005-2009, SAFETEA-LU authorizes the Department...

WorkBoat Composite Index: Index rises for fifth consecutive month.(AT A GLANCE)
November 1, 2005... Offshore service companies continue to reap big rewards from a busy storm season. Stock in oil service companies rose again in September, with Wall Street anticipating healthy boosts to company earnings over the next several quarters. OSV...

OSV day rates: hurricanes boost rates.(AT A GLANCE)
November 1, 2005... Anchor-handling tug/supply vessels, offshore supply vessels and large crewboats saw utilization and day rates jump as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Three weeks later, Hurricane Rita assured that there would be plenty of work for vessel...

Inland insider: life after Katrina.(AT A GLANCE)
November 1, 2005... Mississippi River closed to commercial navigation! Operations cease at the Port of New Orleans! Restoration date of the deep-draft channel at the river's Southwest Pass uncertain! These and other headlines bombarded those in the marine industry...

Legal talk: criminal prosecution for marine pollution.(AT A GLANCE)
November 1, 2005... More and more, headlines about criminal prosecution for oily waste discharges are appearing in the media. Indictments usually involve crewmembers that bypass oil-water separators, discharge oily bilge water directly overboard at night or...

New Orleans-based Bisso Marine Co.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: New Orleans-based Bisso Marine Co. removed the second of two barges from the Almonaster Avenue Bridge (sometimes referred to as the L&N railroad bridge) on Sept. 14. Hurricane Katrina's storm surge deposited...

Mate gets prison time in Massachusetts spill.(NEWS BITTS)
November 1, 2005... Franklin Robert Hill, who was the first mate on the tug Evening Tide when the barge it was towing grounded in Buzzards Bay in 2003, has been sentenced to five months in prison. The barge spilled 98,000 gals. of fuel oil, contaminating 90 miles...

Wake's effect questioned in N.Y. tour boat accident.(NEWS LOG)
November 1, 2005... On Oct. 2, the 40' sightseeing vessel Ethan Allen capsized and sank in Lake George, N.Y., killing 20 of the 49 elderly passengers aboard. The boat is owned and operated by Shoreline Cruises. Some reports speculated that the wake of the...

Crowley acquires salvor Titan Maritime.(NEWS LOG)
November 1, 2005... In a move that could portend more consolidation in the marine salvage industry, Titan Maritime LLC, an international salvage company based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has been sold to Crowley Maritime Corp. The two companies have been...

American Commercial Lines completes IPO.(NEWS BITTS)
November 1, 2005... American Commercial Lines Inc., the Jeffersonville, Ind.-based parent company of American Commercial Barge Line, closed its initial public offering of almost 9.5 million shares of common stock on Oct. 13. The shares were priced at $21, at the...

N.O. passenger vessel operators regroup.(NEWS LOG)
November 1, 2005... New Orleans-area passenger vessel operators suffered a severe blow at the hands of Katrina. Big Easy operators who rely heavily on the tourist trade have had to juggle schedules and search for charters to stay afloat. One of the city's...

Cargill sells Mississippi River Grain Terminal.(NEWS BITTS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Cargill has sold its "K-2" grain transfer facility, located on the Mississippi River near Convent, La., to Associated Grain Terminals LLC, a subsidiary of Associated Terminals. The facility loads cargo at nine midstream anchorage facilities on...

Post-Katrina oil spill cleanup continues.(NEWS LOG)
November 1, 2005... Hurricane Katrina was responsible for spilling approximately eight million gals. of oil in Louisiana alone. In Alabama and Mississippi, oil and chemical spills were still being investigated over six weeks after the storm blew through. As...

Technology provides new tool for foul-weather lock navigation.(NEWS LOG)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Four years ago, the navigation industry in Pittsburgh told local port officials that one of the biggest challenges it faced on the waterways was navigating through dense fog. The idle time from heavy fog (about 280 hours a year) costs the...

Ports in a storm: it may take some Gulf ports a long time to fully recover from Katrina.(FOCUS)
November 1, 2005... Leon Walker, port director in Pensacola, Fla., has a whole different perspective on the hurricane season this year. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Since Katrina and Rita, traffic at the port has quadrupled. "The increase in business has been...

Q&A: Gary LaGrange, president and CEO of the Port of New Orleans, sat down with WorkBoat to discuss the challenges the port faces after Katrina.(FOCUS)(Interview)
November 1, 2005... WorkBoat: How extensive was the damage to the Port of New Orleans from Hurricane Katrinaa? LaGrange: Thirty percent of the Port of New Orleans is gone--history--eradicated in less than six hours, causing over $1 billion in infrastructure...

Damage control: Alabama town and its shipyards survive Katrina.(FOCUS)
November 1, 2005... Anyone who has stepped on an ant bed and watched the colony come out en masse to repair the destruction can visualize what it was like in Bayou La Batre, Ala., after Hurricane Katrina had come and gone. The storm threw 100-mph-plus winds and a...

Calming effect: Lake Michigan fast ferry finds 'stability' in its sophomore year.(IN BUSINESS)
November 1, 2005... When it began operations last year, the 192'X57' Lake Express set a new benchmark for high-speed ferries. It was the first fast passenger-vehicle ferry to be designed and built to Subchapter K regulations and the first to operate in the...

On course: tugboat design and construction forge ahead.(VESSEL REPORT)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Hurricanes Katrina and Rita slowed things down a bit at Main Iron Works in Houma, La., but several tug projects there are now back on track, including a pair of Z-Tech tugs and a Z-drive. The 100'X38' Z-drive is for Bisso Towboat Co. Inc.,...

Hawaiian dive boat from All American Marine.(ON THE WAYS)
November 1, 2005... One of the many attractions for visitors to the Kona-Kohala Coast of Hawaii's "Big Island" is scuba diving and snorkeling in the clear, warm waters. Guests at the newly rebuilt Sheraton Hotel on Keauhou Bay now have the option of diving and...

Rodriguez building liftboat for C&S Liftboats.(ON THE WAYS)
November 1, 2005... Rodriguez Boat Builders, Coden, Ala., is constructing a new twin-screw liftboat for Erath, La.-based C&S Liftboats Inc. The 145'X110'X11'8" offshore support vessel is being built at the Rodriguez yard in Bayou La Batre, Ala. "We did a...

Evans Boats cracks the workboat market.(ON THE WAYS)
November 1, 2005... More evidence that funding from the Department of Homeland Security is bringing business to boat-builders not normally involved in the workboat market can be found at Evans Boats in Crisfield, Md. Evans Boats normally sends its fiberglass...

Boatbuilding bitts.(ON THE WAYS)
November 1, 2005... Seattle's big new fireboat will be built by Dakota Creek Industries, Anacortes, Wash. Designed by Jensen Maritime Consultants in Seattle, the construction contract was finalized in late September. Delivery is expected in November 2006....

Tug tussle: competitors duke it out in San Francisco Bay.(Cover Story)
November 1, 2005... Returning from Oakland, Calif., to Foss Maritime's base in Richmond, I was invited to steer the tug, the Arthur Foss. Being able to take the wheel of a 4,000-hp Voith Schneider-propulsion tractor tug isn't an everyday opportunity for me, so I...

Call waiting: communicating during Katrina required ingenuity.(BOATS & GEAR)
November 1, 2005... It's easy to take communications for granted. As long as you pay your bills and keep your batteries charged, your telephones almost always work, whether it's a traditional landline, satellite service, or cell phone. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Encore show: the Pacific Marine Expo--part II.(PACIFIC)(Calendar)
November 1, 2005... After 37 years serving the Pacific Coast commercial fishing industry, Fish Expo WorkBoat Northwest underwent a big change last year. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The new edition of the show was retooled to serve all aspects of the region's...

Workboat business.
November 1, 2005... Art Anderson Associates, Bremerton, Wash., has added James Parker and Mike Campbell to its team of naval architects and marine engineers. Parker will work on the company's Small Business Innovative Research contracts with the U.S. Navy....

Clip watch.(PRODUCT LOCKER)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Classic Construction Images (CCI) has released the Cat (Caterpillar Inc.) Clip Watch, designed to combine function, comfort and durability. Unlike conventional watches, the Cat Clip Watch can be secured any-where convenient--belt, harness, tool...

Fluorescent work lights.(PRODUCT LOCKER)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Waytek's new fluorescent work lights feature flame-retardant yellow handles, nylon-tipped hang hooks, and come in 13-watt or 26-watt power sizes with a tool tap. Other features include 25' to 50' cord lengths, cord jackets made from 16/3...

Paper charts.(PRODUCT LOCKER)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Navionics, Wareham, Mass., an electronic charting and navigation data company, has entered the paper chart market with its Navionics HotMaps Premium Paper Maps. The maps detail the most utilized inland lakes and waterways in the U.S. using map...

Waterproof marine fabric.(PRODUCT LOCKER)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... The Astrup Company now offers the Sunbrella Supreme Marine Fabric, a waterproof fabric designed for beauty and durability. The new fabric has a 100 percent solution-dyed acrylic face and an acrylic flocking on the underside to enhance...

Calendar.(Calendar)
November 1, 2005... Oct. 31-Nov. 2 WATERWAYS CONFERENCE The National Waterways Conference 2005 annual meeting has been rescheduled due to Hurricane Katrina. Originally scheduled to be held Sept. 14-16 in New Orleans, the meeting will now be held at the...

Looks back.(WB ARCHIVES)
November 1, 2005... November 1945 * (Excerpt from "Proper Support and Cooperation"--An Editorial.) It is The Work Boat's belief that the average citizen will rarely take the trouble to learn about water transporation on his or her own accord and some...