Workboat articles from November 2006

Workboat archives from November 2006

The happening Northwest.(EDITOR'S WATCH)
November 1, 2006... For us in the WorkBoat world, it's show season. For our editorial and production staff, that always means logging in some long days as we put together two consecutive big show issues. In this issue, in conjunction with the Pacific Marine Expo...

New ID cards can't replace patriotic mariners.(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2006... I read the article about TWIC cards and documents ("Security Load," August 2006), and I must say I'm insulted. What good is another piece of plastic compared to the knowledge of the area in which we work and the people in that area? The...

Training costs are hindering recruiting and retention.(MAIL BAG)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2006... The (mariner labor) debate continues, and so it should. September's Mail Bag highlights yet another deficiency in the system--training costs that must be borne by the individual, particularly in the first and most important steps. In the...

Speed limits to save right whales aren't the answer.(MAIL BAG)
November 1, 2006... There has been one right whale ship strike in coastal Georgia waters in the past 14 years: An approximately 46-foot private sailing vessel hit a right whale with an auxiliary propeller in Cumberland Sound. NOAA's proposed rules don't cover...

Correction to August cover story 'Security Load'.(Correction notice)
November 1, 2006... In your article "Security Load" in the August 2006 issue, you referred to United Mariner Local 333. Local 333 is part of the United Marine Division of the ILA. United Mariner is a lobbying group that seeks improvements at Coast Guard RECs and...

On the water: ID cards - part I.(AT A GLANCE)
November 1, 2006... Mariners will soon have a new card in their lives, and it isn't from American Express or VISA. The Transportation Worker Identification Credential--the TWIC--is the latest addition to the growing regulatory burden being shouldered by our...

Captain's table: accessibility on small passenger vessels.(AT A GLANCE)
November 1, 2006... While the passenger vessel industry recognizes the importance of providing access to physically challenged passengers, it also realizes that there is some point where the safety of all passengers should override the special access needs of a...

WorkBoat Composite Index: Index treads water for second straight month.(AT A GLANCE)
November 1, 2006... For the second consecutive month, there was little movement in the WorkBoat Composite Index. The Index again lost about 6 points. For the second straight month, losers topped winners 19-17. Top percentage winners included Maritrans Inc.,...

OSV day rates: rates fall in September.(supply vessels)
November 1, 2006... Rates and utilization for Gulf of Mexico supply and crewboats lost ground in September, which could indicate the beginning of a mild downturn. With the exception of anchor-handling tug/supply (AHTS) vessels, every vessel category...

Inland insider: barges need friends too.(AT A GLANCE)
November 1, 2006... Will we one day see billboards, posters and bumper stickers exclaiming "Friends of Barges" lining the highways and neighborhoods in regions with big ties to commercial navigation? While it may only be a dream for now, it's a reality for the...

Legal talk: what a vessel owner knows and doesn't know.(legal liability)
November 1, 2006... The overworked captain of a tow-boat has been on medications following heart surgery, but he hasn't been able to take time off because of a personnel shortage. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Weeks of brutally long workdays have taken their...

After the fall, Foss Maritime will no longer make the Barbara Foss, a 126'X35', 5,500-hp twin-screw tug, available to Washington state to serve as the designated rescue tug at the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: After the fall, Foss Maritime will no longer make the Barbara Foss, a 126'X35', 5,500-hp twin-screw tug, available to Washington state to serve as the designated rescue tug at the entrance to the Strait of...

Chouest to build new shipyard in Louisiana.(NEWS BITTS)
November 1, 2006... Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) recently signed a contract with Terrebonne Parish, La., officials to build a new $65 million shipyard in Houma. ECO subsidiary LAShip is expected to create 750 new jobs, according to Terrebonne port director David...

Report says Coast Guard being pushed to the limit.(marine safety and fleet management)
November 1, 2006... The U.S. Coast Guard is rapidly reaching its capacity to fulfill all of its missions, which could significantly hamper its ability to respond to future environmental crises and terrorist attacks, according to a recent government report. At...

Waterways bill on hold until after elections.(NEWS LOG)
November 1, 2006... Congressional negotiators ran out of time to settle their differences over the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), so hope for passage this year of the long-stalled legislation rests with a brief post-election session. This summer,...

Seacor Holdings cracks fortune top 100 list.(NEWS BITTS)(Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc.)(SEACOR Holdings Inc.)(Overseas Shipholding Group Inc.)(Brief article)(Company rankings)
November 1, 2006... Harbor tug and offshore service vessel operator Seacor Holdings Inc. has come in at No. 96 on Fortune magazine's 2006 list of the "100 Fastest-Growing Companies." Over the past three years, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based marine company's...

Maritrans purchase benefits shareholders, analyst says.(NEWS LOG)
November 1, 2006... The merger of U.S.-flag petroleum carriers Maritrans Inc. and New York-based Overseas Shipholding Group Inc. (OSG) appears to be a winner for everyone involved, particularly Maritrans shareholders. OSG will acquire Tampa, Fla.-based...

Boatbuilder Luther Blount dead at 90.(NEWS LOG)(Obituary)
November 1, 2006... An engineer by trade, Capt. Luther H. Blount was best known as a shipbuilder and cruise operator. By the time he died Sept. 24, his Warren, R.I., shipyard, Blount Boats Inc., had built over 300 boats including the famous Circle Line Statue of...

AAPA convention spotlights New Orleans.(American Association of Port Authorities)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... The Port of New Orleans' post-Katrina rebound was highlighted at the American Association of Port Authorities Annual Convention held in the Big Easy in September. Kurt Nagle, AAPA's president and CEO, said the event served as a special...

Total access: the Americans with Disabilities Act to finally hit passenger vessels.(Americans with Disabilities Act)
November 1, 2006... The gray area in which the passenger-vessel industry operates when it comes to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is gradually becoming more black and white. But owners, operators and builders still have a long way to go before they...

Ferryman: the head of Washington State Ferries discusses what's in store for the largest ferry system in the U.S.(NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW)(Interview)
November 1, 2006... Mike Anderson got his start at Washington State Ferries while still in high school, rising up through the ranks during a 33-year career to assume control of a ferry system faced with aging equipment and unstable public financing. ...

Water stories: major new Smithsonian exhibit seeks maritime industry support.(Smithsonian Institution's maritime exhibition)
November 1, 2006... After a slow start securing funding, the Smithsonian Institution appears to be back on course with a major new exhibit that will highlight America's maritime past and present. Maritime curators, historians, educators and designers have been...

Chamber made: rigid-hull inflatable market continues to gain strength.(Industry overview)
November 1, 2006... The rigid-hull inflatable boat market has grown by leaps and bounds over the past decade, with no end in sight. This is especially true when it comes to the military/government market. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Homeland security...

All American Marine delivers two more research boats.(ON THE WAYS)
November 1, 2006... Early this year, All American Marine Inc., Bellingham, Wash., delivered the first of three aluminum, Teknicraft-designed catamarans for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. The Peter Gladding now works as a highspeed...

Conrad building towboat for the Corps of Engineers.(ON THE WAYS)
November 1, 2006... Conrad Shipyard LLC, Morgan City, La., is building a 145'X40'X11' towboat for the Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg (Miss.) District. Designed by Bay Engineering, Sturgeon Bay, Wis., the William James will have a draft of 8'3". Main...

Two Bollinger-built OSVs for Bordelon Marine.(ON THE WAYS)
November 1, 2006... In 2001, Bordelon Marine Inc. raised the bar for supply/utility boats with the delivery of three 145-footers. Five years later, the Lockport, La., operator has raised it up another notch with the delivery of a pair of 163'6"X36'...

Retros & refurbs: from Wisconsin ferry to Chicago tour boat.(ON THE WAYS)
November 1, 2006... With demand on the rise for its Chicago River architecture cruises, Lake Michigan skyline tours and evening charters, Shoreline Sightseeing co-owner Matt Collopy knew it was time to add to his fleet of eight tour boats. But that didn't...

More ASD tugs from Eastern Shipbuilding.(ON THE WAYS)
November 1, 2006... As part of a $100 million capital construction program, Seabulk Towing is building nine tugs and five barges. Five 96' tugs are being built at Eastern Shipbuilding Group in Panama City, Fla., and four 91-footers in Spain. Jensen Maritime...

Boatbuilding bitts.(ON THE WAYS)
November 1, 2006... Capt. Luther H. Blount died in September, but the shipyard he founded in Warren, R.I., will live on under family ownership and management. "With the passing of the helm from Capt. Blount to his family in September, Blount Boats Inc. is proud to...

Correction.(Correction notice)
November 1, 2006... In the October 2006 issue, the Miss Emma Jo was identified as a new supply boat built by Master Boat Builders for Abdon Callais Offshore. The Miss Emma Jo was actually built for Lafayette, La.-based Gulf Fleet.

ATB'ing: tug, 150,000-bbl. barge haul editor from Washington to Oregon.(a trip using Ocean Reliance articulated tug barge )(Cover story)
November 1, 2006... For Capt. Kenny Graybill, the highlight of the trip was catching the albacore tuna. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For me, it was to have been crossing the Columbia River bar for the first time. Catching the tuna was memorable because it...

Power up: new four-stroke 300-horsepower outboard hits the market.(outboard motorboat engines)
November 1, 2006... For 2007, most outboard manufacturers are filling out their horsepower lineups or modifying existing engines. However, within the mix there's one new model that really grabs your attention. Just in terms of horsepower alone, you can't ignore...

Smaller is better: new crewboat operator matches the equipment to the market.(GENESIS OFFSHORE)
November 1, 2006... An aggressive venture-capital company has teamed up with a farsighted management team to create a new offshore service vessel company in the Gulf of Mexico. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Houma, La.-based Genesis Offshore LLC was launched in...

Show tunes: the Pacific Marine Expo turns 40.(MARINE EXPO)
November 1, 2006... After 37 years serving the Pacific Coast commercial fishing industry, Fish Expo WorkBoat Northwest underwent a big change two years ago. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The new edition of the show was retooled to serve all aspects of the...

Workboat business.
November 1, 2006... Abdon Callais Offshore LLC (ACO), Golden Meadow, La., has named Ronald Holman director of the human resources and health, safety and environmental department, and Craig Shellenberger as corporate security officer. Holman, who has over 30 years...

Lifejacket may reset the bar for PFDs.(Product Spotlight)
November 1, 2006... The Float-Tech auto-inflated lifejacket offers non-restrictive movement, comfort and style with enought versatility to adjust to a variety of weather conditions. Float-Tech is the only Coast Guard-approved personal floatation device that can be...

Oil industry regulations.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
November 1, 2006... Safety-industry publisher MANCOMM has developed and released a new reference book, Oil & Gas Industry: OSHA Regulations from Parts 1903, 1904, 1910, & 1926 (Product No. 36B-002). The book can help oil-and-gas industry companies protect...

New MTU engine Series.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
November 1, 2006... The new generation of Series 4000 12-, 16- and 20-cylinder marine diesel engines from MTU Friedrichshafen were unveiled recently at the SMM Exhibition in Hamburg, Germany. The new engines are designed to be both cleaner and more powerful than...

Welding wire.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
November 1, 2006... Select-Arc Inc., Fort Laramie, Ohio, has introduced a flux-cored electrode designed to weld duplex stainless steels. This new all-position stainless steel wire, Select 2209-AP, exhibits high strength with corrosion resistance, especially to...

Calendar.(Calendar)
November 1, 2006... Nov. 8-9 PVA RIVERS MEETING The Passenger Vessel Association Rivers Region Meeting aboard the Arkansas Queen, Wyndham Riverfront Little Rock, Ark. Tel: 703-518-5005 E-mail: pvainfo@passengervessel.com ...

WorkBoat looks back.(Marine Industries Ltd. launches new train ferry Abegweit)(Louisiana Department of Highways signs contract with Equitable Shipyards Inc.)(Colbert Inc. launchew new crewboat )
November 1, 2006... November 1946 * Waterways officials say they are making progress in the effort to reverse a White House directive freezing all public works construction. After appealing directly to President Truman, the president agreed to reconsider the...