Workboat articles from September 2004

Workboat archives from September 2004

Will the U.S. embrace short sea?(Editor's Watch)(Editorial)
September 1, 2004... Short-sea shipping has been popular in Europe for a long time. Not so here in the U.S. But barge companies, state and federal transportation officials, port authorities, shippers and others hope to change that. Their goal is to increase the...

On mariners and shore leave.(Mail Bag)
September 1, 2004... Mr. Larry Gardner's opinion regarding crews not being allowed to go ashore is absurd. ("Says crews should not be permitted to go ashore," Mail Bag, April 2004.) It is wrong to say that because companies fear alcohol and drug use they...

... and more on shore leave.(Mail Bag)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Father Oubre is correct that it is your right to go ashore. ("Mariners have a legal right to shore leave," Mail Bag, June 2004.) However, it is your decision to do whatever you want while ashore too. Mr. Gardner must be in upper...

Towboat veteran has finally seen everything.(Mail Bag)(USS Razorback (SS394))(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Well, after all these years of working out here on the rivers, it might be safe to say that I've seen it all. On July 15, while doing tow work at Rosedale, Miss., we met a northbound submarine! It was the USS Razorback (SS394), a World War...

More on the Jean Lafitte.(Mail Bag)
September 1, 2004... I saw the letter from Barry Slater at Textron about the Jean Lafitte. ("Reader says OSV was his father's supply boat," Mail Bag, June 2004.) In 1979 she became the Juno del Golfo and then we sold her into the Alaskan fishing fleet in the '80s...

Mariners are receiving bad licensing information.(Mail Bag)
September 1, 2004... Mr. Werdehoff ("Solution needed for mariners seeking to renew licenses," Mail Bag, June 2004) is among the many who are receiving, or have received, incorrect licensing information. U.S. Coast Guard regulations do not require any sea service at...

REC examiner has a problem with older mariners.(Mail Bag)
September 1, 2004... Capt. Ron Roman's comments in the May issue ("Coast Guard doesn't want older mariners") deserves further comment. I also attended the seminar mentioned by Mr. Roman and was amazed to hear the Baltimore Regional Examination Center's chief...

On the water: mariner advancement blocked--part I.(At a Glance)
September 1, 2004... It looks like the day of the hawespiper will soon come to an end. The time-honored route where one could start out at the bottom as an ordinary seaman or wiper and work up the ranks--gaining valuable practical experience along the way--to...

Captain's table: commandant's concerns may increase passenger vessel costs.(At a Glance)
September 1, 2004... During a recent speech in Washington, D.C., Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thomas H. Collins described maritime security vulnerabilities that he felt were not sufficiently protected under current Coast Guard regulations. As these security...

WorkBoat Composite Index: stocks take 4 percent dip.(At a Glance)(Illustration)
September 1, 2004... Stocks returned to their losing ways in July as the WorkBoat Composite Index lost 31 points (3.8 percent). For the month, losers topped gainers by a 7-5 ratio. The Suppliers Index lost over 45 points (5 percent). Shipyards lost over 1 percent...

Inland insider: capturing the true value of waterways.(At a Glance)
September 1, 2004... Several decades ago, one of the regional economic development agencies published an annual "waterway savings" report. It identified the volumes of cargo moving by rail and water. The mere presence of waterways lowers rail rates as a result of...

OSV day rates: rates inch upward.(At a Glance)
September 1, 2004... The Gulf of Mexico mobile rig count was down by one from June to July, but vessel operators reported increased day rates and utilization rates over the same period. Large anchor-handling tug/supply vessels experienced the largest increase,...

Legal talk: there is a limit to maritime damages.(At a Glance)
September 1, 2004... If a boat runs into something and causes damage, a lawsuit may soon follow as various parties attempt to recover losses. In general, if somebody did something a reasonable person would not have done, or failed to do something a reasonable...

Q & A: a talk with R. Barry Palmer, president of the Waterways Council Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based waterways association.(At a Glance)(Interview)
September 1, 2004... WorkBoat: Why was it necessary to unite Waterways Work! and DINAMO into one group, and what are your main goals? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Barry Palmer: Waterways Work! got started four years ago after the Corps of Engineers came under...

Andrew J. Barberi.(News Log)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... In early August, a Coast Guard 25-foot patrol boat guarded the southern tip of New York City as a Staten Island Ferry, the Andrew J. Barberi, approached the slip at the South Ferry Terminal. Coast Guard and other federal, state and local...

Slow start for N.Y.-Toronto fast ferry.(News Log)
September 1, 2004... The debut of the fast ferry between Rochester, N.Y., and Toronto has hardly been smooth sailing. First, while on the way to its new home, the $42.5 million, 284-foot aluminum vessel hit a pier in New York City, gouging the hull. Then there...

Coast Guard bill closes Jones Act loophole.(News Log)
September 1, 2004... Before breaking for summer recess, a House-Senate Conference Committee signed off on the Coast Guard's fiscal year 2005 budget. It authorized $8.2 billion for Coast Guard operations and new equipment. The big news for the marine industry...

Oil spill legislation irks industry groups.(News Log)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... A bill that places a slew of new requirements on operators of tank barges in Massachusetts waters was signed into law in early August. The law, enacted in the wake of last year's Buzzards Bay oil spill that involved a Bouchard...

Smithsonian weighs in on U.S. waterways.(News Log)
September 1, 2004... In what could be a huge boost to the image of the nation's waterways, the Smithsonian Institution has launched two initiatives on the history and economic importance of U.S. waterways. The annual 10-day Folklife Festival held this summer on...

Defense budget boosts Navy LCS funding.(News Bitts)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... In July, a House-Senate Conference Committee approved the fiscal year 2005 Defense Appropriations Conference Report that provides $416.2 billion in new discretionary spending for the Department of Defense. It includes $11.1 billion for...

Cruise ship runs aground in the Aleutian Islands.(News Bitts)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The 340'X51' Clipper Odyssey ran aground on Aug. 1 at Akutan Pass in Alaska's Aleutian Islands. The boat's forward fuel tank was punctured, spilling 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel and forcing 126 passengers and 31 nonessential crew to abandon...

Allision closes Texas River at Port Arthur.(News Bitts)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... On Aug. 2, a tank barge pushed by the towboat San Tomas rammed into the 528' Danish tanker Torm Mary on the Neches River at Port Arthur, Texas, spilling an estimated 30,000 gallons of fuel oil. The Torm Mary was at the Sun Anchorage for routine...

Jeffboat launches 10,000th vessel.(News Bitts)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Jeffboat LLC, the largest single-site U.S. inland shipbuilding and repair facility, launched its 10,000th vessel in July. Jeffboat, a subsidiary of American Commercial Lines LLC, specializes in barge construction. Jeffboat also builds towboats...

Short stop: transportation gridlock may open the door for short-sea services.(Short-Sea Shipping)
September 1, 2004... Call it short-sea shipping, container-on-barge, coastwise shipping, or to be more formal, a water-borne intermodal system. Whatever the term, this sleeping giant is ready to awaken. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Coastwise shipping--the...

Flow chart: barge traffic continues to dwindle on the Missouri River.(Barge Industry)
September 1, 2004... With the legal battle over the use of the Missouri River far from over, commercial barge operators must continue to cope with a shortened navigation season and uncertain water flows. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Here's the latest:...

Austal is busy with high-speed cat, ferries and more.(On the Ways)
September 1, 2004... If you think things are busy this summer at Austal USA, just check back in a year or so. The Mobile, Ala.-based shipyard is currently building a high-speed surface-effect catamaran that will be used to demonstrate advanced hull-form...

Corps of Engineers dredge underway at LeTourneau.(On the Ways)
September 1, 2004... Oilfield-Electric-Marine (OEM) is building a new steel-hulled dredge for the Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul (Minn.) District. The 180'X39'X7' Goetz is being constructed at LeTourneau Inc.'s yard in Vicksburg, Miss. (OEM and LeTourneau are...

Northwind Marine delivers aluminum push tug.(On the Ways)
September 1, 2004... When Bowhead Transportation Co. needed a push tug able to work the beaches of the North Slope, they turned to Northwind Marine. The Seattle-based boatbuilder designed and built the aluminum 30'X12'X23" tug Ingutuq II, the Eskimo name for a...

Blount to build 12-meter garbage skimmers.(On the Ways)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Luther Blount has been building boats for over half a century in Warren, R.I., which makes Blount Boats one of the older boatyards in New England. But that doesn't mean it is too old to try something new. A good example is the Rover 12, which...

Montana fabricator builds Missouri River ferries.(On the Ways)(Montana Department of Transportation)(RTI Fabricators)(Measuring 50'X22'X3')
September 1, 2004... Three ferries built for the Montana Department of Transportation by RTI Fabricators, Plains, Mont., prove that you don't need a lot of horsepower to move big loads from one point to another. Measuring 50'X22'X3', the steel ferries are each...

Repair & refurb: stern to stern at Ketchikan drydock.(On the Ways)
September 1, 2004... Alaska Ship and Drydock's 433'X110' (inside the wing walls) drydock in Ketchikan, Alaska, has been fully occupied this summer. At one end of the 9,600-ton capacity drydock has been the LeConte, a 235-foot Alaska Marine Highway System ferry,...

Boatbuilding bitts.(On the Ways)(159'X36'X12' offshore supply vessel)(Gulf Ocean Marine Services Inc)(Duclos Corporation)(Delta Launch Services)(measures 52'7"X17')
September 1, 2004... In June, Master Boat Builders, Bayou La Batre, Ala., delivered the Gulf Quest, a 159'X36'X12' offshore supply vessel to Gulf Ocean Marine Services Inc., Grand Chenier, La. The new OSV is pushed by a pair of Caterpillar 3508B mains each rated at...

Day trippers: Alaska's newest ferries initiate point-to-point shuttle service.(ferry race)
September 1, 2004... The indispensability of ferries in Southeast Alaska hit me within minutes after getting off my flight from Seattle to Ketchikan. Because the jetport is on one island (Gravina) and the town of Ketchikan is on another (Revillagigedo), the only...

Matched set: new tugs from Thoma-Sea get paired with new double-hull tank barges.(Vane Tugs)
September 1, 2004... Faced with impending OPA '90 deadlines, Vane Brothers Co. decided the time had come to step up the construction of double-hulled tank barges for its Vane Line Bunkering Inc. The Baltimore-based company launched a barge newbuild program in 2001...

2004 power guide.(Engines)(Illustration)
September 1, 2004... After investing many years and millions of dollars in research and development, it's safe to say that marine engine manufacturers have produced the cleanest diesels in history. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Even so, the Environmental...

Easy-to-use radar.(Product Locker)
September 1, 2004... Nobeltec has introduced its new InSight Radar 2 (IR2). The company says the IR2 surpasses traditional radar systems through its use of the Visual Navigation Suite and Nobeltec Admiral navigation programs. Use of these two programs makes the IR2...

Fuel purifier.(Product Locker)
September 1, 2004... Dieselcraft Fluid Engineering, Auburn, Calif., has developed a new Two Stage Diesel Fuel Purification System. Stage one involves a high-speed centrifuge separator that removes 99 percent of the water and 95 percent of the solid contaminants in...

Rust away.(Product Locker)
September 1, 2004... Orison Marketing, Abilene, Texas, has developed a new product, Evapo-Rust[TM], that's specially designed to attack rust. The formula is safe, easy to use and nontoxic, according to the company. One gallon of Evapo-Rust[TM] can remove half a...

Autopilot system.(Product Locker)
September 1, 2004... Simrad Inc. says its new AP25 Series autopilot system is the company's most successful new product launch in the U.S. market. Engineered for vessels up to 60 feet, Simrad says a big part of the AP25's success can be attributed to its...

Calendar.(Calendar)
September 1, 2004... Sept. 13-16 OFFSHORE MEETING The 4th Annual Offshore Communications Conference & Exhibition (OC 2004), Marriott Westchase Hotel & Conference Center, Houston. Contact: Inger Peterson Tel: 877-270-7102 E-mail:...