Workboat articles from September 2006

Workboat archives from September 2006

Missions accomplished?(EDITOR'S WATCH)
September 1, 2006... Search and rescue, drug interdiction, fisheries enforcement, vessel inspection and mariner licensing have traditionally been synonymous with the U.S. Coast Guard. Now, sadly, security is often the first word that comes to mind when describing...

Visas are not the solution.(MAIL BAG)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... In the May 2006 Mail Bag, Dave Wright suggested using skilled mariners from other countries ("Temporary visas could ease mariner labor woes"). Mr. Wright's suggestion is to allow foreign nationals to work in the industry with a nonimmigrant...

Monohull, not a pontoon boat.(MAIL BAG)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... In the story on the sinking of two small passenger vessels ("Weight Watchers, August 2006), an error has been made with reference to the type of vessel reported for the Ethan Allen. This vessel was, indeed is, as it was successfully raised...

Z-drive's design improved.(MAIL BAG)
September 1, 2006... Your coverage of the Z-drive tug Alma S. in the July 2006 issue was excellent ("Catching Some Z's"). To set the record straight, I am the designer of the Cecilia Slatten class of tugs, although I do not take credit for the design changes...

Seeks license extension help.(MAIL BAG)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... The Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006 was signed by President Bush on July 11. Section 702 of the law permits the Coast Guard to extend the expiration date of licenses for qualified mariners to April 1, 2007. After...

Jackup rig numbers updated.(MAIL BAG)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... We noted in your article regarding U.S. Gulf oil service suppliers (June 2006, "Yearbook," page 72) that "ENSCO operates 44 jackups with about half of them in the U.S. Gulf." We currently operate 43 jackups with ENSCO 108 under construction...

On the water: under the bridge--part I.(AT A GLANCE)
September 1, 2006... Scores of vessels pass under bridges everyday on the nation's waterways. However, to perform this relatively routine maneuver safely, you must know the air draft of your vessel and tow. Mandatory pre-voyage plans, which came about...

Captain's table: lighter and stronger composite material.(AT A GLANCE)
September 1, 2006... I recently spoke with Chris Hendricks, the chair of the Passenger Vessel Association Ferry Council's High Speed Subcommittee. Hendricks, who previously managed a large fleet of excursion and dinner boats, is currently an executive with Maine...

WorkBoat Composite Index; index loses ground in July.(AT A GLANCE)
September 1, 2006... The WorkBoat Composite Index began the third quarter on a down note, losing 14 points or just over 1 percent. For the month, losers topped winners, 19-17. The leading percentage gainer was Gulf Island Fabrication. The Houma, La.,...

OSV day rates; rates cool in July.(AT A GLANCE)
September 1, 2006... The Gulf of Mexico supply and crewboat markets gave back some of June's big gains but the cool-down in day rates may only be temporary. In July, day rates for small supply vessels decreased an average $205 while rates for larger suppliers...

Inland insider: corn, hogs, raw materials and the barge market.(AT A GLANCE)
September 1, 2006... It's a vicious circle. If too much corn is produced it means very low prices for farmers. When this happens, farmers feed the corn to raise hogs for higher prices, but then too much pork reduces hog prices. This is the old "corn versus...

Legal talk: retaliatory discharge.(AT A GLANCE)
September 1, 2006... Let's say you are on your third trip with your new employer. The vessel is top notch. You like your fellow crew and you don't mind the milk runs. With two kids in school and another one on the way, you're excited about the future. ...

Q&A: Adm. Thad Allen, the 23rd commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.(AT A GLANCE)(Interview)
September 1, 2006... WorkBoat: What are your priorities as the new commandant? Adm. Thad Allen: When I took command I issued an all-hands memo in order to establish direct communication and to explain that last year we had an extraordinary year, saving over...

Louisiana crewboat shipped to Dubai.(NEWS LOG)(Editorial)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... A 98-foot retired crewboat destined for a customer in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, sailed out of New Orleans in August aboard the deck of the 633'X91' Rickmers Jakarta. New Bern, N.C.-based SOS Global Express Project Shipping coordinated the...

Water Resources Act finally passes Congress.(NEWS BITTS)(Editorial)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... In July, Congress passed its first Water Resources Development Act in six years. WRDA authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct water resource studies and undertake specified projects and programs for flood control, inland...

Stability cited by NTSB in N.Y. tour-boat accident.(NEWS LOG)
September 1, 2006... The government's push for new passenger weight standards picked up steam with a report that blamed a tour boat's capsizing on "insufficient stability." In its report, the National Transportation Safety Board cited a number of factors for...

Mariner licensing in need of improvement.(NEWS LOG)
September 1, 2006... The marine industry is suffering from a severe personnel shortage that is being made worse by an inefficient mariner licensing process. That was the message delivered by marine industry officials at a July hearing on mariner licensing and...

Icebreakers, buoy tenders need repairs.(NEWS LOG)
September 1, 2006... The Coast Guard, already beset by problems from outmoded ships and communications systems, is facing two additional challenges: deteriorating buoy tenders and icebreakers that are in urgent need of repair or replacement. Like the assets...

Foss Maritime expands into the Northeast.(NEWS LOG)
September 1, 2006... Foss Maritime Co., the Seattle-based tug-and-barge company with the largest fleet of its kind on the West Coast, announced in July that it had purchased Constellation Tug Corp. Based in Charlestown, Mass., Constellation Tug provides...

Kirby Corp. purchases 11 inland towboats.(NEWS BITTS)
September 1, 2006... In July, Kirby Corp. agreed to purchase the assets of Capital Towing Ltd. The $15 million purchase includes Capital's 11 inland towboats, six of which are currently on charter to Kirby. One towboat is currently under charter to another company,...

Massachusetts oil spill law overturned.(NEWS LOG)
September 1, 2006... In July, the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts overturned that state's oil spill statute without the case going to court. Following an oil spill in Buzzards Bay in 2004 involving a Bouchard Transportation Co. barge, the state of...

Bay Ferries to halt Nova Scotia ferry.(NEWS LOG)
September 1, 2006... Bay Ferries Ltd. of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, said it plans to end ferry service between Saint John, New Brunswick, and Digby, Nova Scotia, on Oct. 31. The year-round service has employed 100 workers and provided transportation...

Speed kills: proposal to protect right whales may be a death knell for some vessel operators.(RIGHT WHALES)
September 1, 2006... A proposed 10-knot speed limit to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale has raised concerns that some marine businesses might become endangered themselves. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The National Oceanic and Atmospheric...

Tugging along: replacements and competition continue to push new tug design and construction.(TUGS)
September 1, 2006... With the offshore energy sector booming, there have been a lot of rigs moving in and out of the U.S. Gulf. Lately, many rigs have relocated, or are scheduled to relocate, to overseas markets. Sometimes a rig must be transported to a shipyard...

VT Halter launches ferry, delivers another NOAA vessel.(ON THE WAYS)
September 1, 2006... In late July, VT Halter Marine, Pascagoula, Miss., successfully launched the Island Home, a 225'X64'X10'6" double-ended steel ferry for the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority. Deisgned by Elliott Bay Design...

Two 121-foot ATB tugs at Washburn & Doughty.(Moran Towing Corp. contracts with Washburn and Doughty Associates Inc.)
September 1, 2006... In July, steel was being cut for the first of two 121'X36'X18' tugs to be built at Washburn & Doughty Associates in East Boothbay, Maine, for Moran Towing Corp. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The tugs are for articulated tug-barge units and...

Patrol boat from Moose.(ON THE WAYS)
September 1, 2006... Thanks to a grant from the Department of Homeland Security's Urban Area Security Initiative, the King County (Wash.) Sheriff's Office Marine/Dive Unit has a new patrol boat. King County includes the cities of Seattle, Bellevue and Kirkland...

Boatbuilding bitts.(ON THE WAYS)
September 1, 2006... Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Panama City, Fla., recently launched the 280' Harvey Spirit at the boatyard's Allanton facility. One of the largest vessels ever built at Eastern, the new offshore service vessel for Harvey Gulf International,...

Bollinger completes new OSV for AMT Marine.(ON THE WAYS)
September 1, 2006... Bollinger Shipyards Inc. recently put the finishing touches on the Mary Martin, a steel-hulled offshore supply boat for AMT Marine. Bollinger and AMT are both based in Lockport, La. The 193'X40'X15' OSV is another in a long line of...

Balancing act: the Coast Guard must juggle traditional missions with new security duties.(COVER STORY)
September 1, 2006... While 9/11 pushed the Coast Guard into a broadening set of new security duties, Hurricane Katrina was a reminder of what the Coast Guard traditionally does best: saving lives in times of crisis, keeping the waterways clear for navigation and...

2006 Power Guide.(DIESEL ENGINES)
September 1, 2006... The big story in the marine diesel engine industry lately has been supply and demand. Engine manufacturers have been scrambling to keep up with urgent requests for equipment from vessel owners. In some cases, the wait for engines is 18 months...

Air support: hovercraft will carry passengers and vehicles between remote Alaska towns.(93' HOVERCRAFT)
September 1, 2006... Think of it as an air-hockey table turned upside down," said Keith Whittemore, president of Kvichak Marine Industries, during an interview with a Seattle TV station. Whittemore was standing on the well deck of the Suna-X, a 93'X44'...

Screen test: mandated use of electronic charts is coming, so check out your options.(NAVIGATION)
September 1, 2006... As you plot the progress of your tug and tow up the river, you figure you've got radar and paper charts. It was good enough for Dad and it's good enough for you. Or maybe you don't see the need for an electronic chart system for your...

Superior Energy Services.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)
September 1, 2006... Paul Harris has been promoted to international business development manager, marine division, for Harvey, La.-based Superior Energy Services. Harris has been with the oil service company's marine division for three years.

Sea Recovery Corp.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)
September 1, 2006... Tom Ginnetti has been named commercial sales division manager for Sea Recovery Corp., Carson, Calif. Ginnetti has been with the company for three years. Sea Recovery is a manufacturer of reverse-osmosis desalinators.

Sherwin-Williams Industrial & Marine Coatings.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)
September 1, 2006... Sherwin-Williams Industrial & Marine Coatings, Cleveland, has added three marine and offshore coatings specialists to its staff. Greg Duckworth now serves the New Orleans. Rich Evans, who has over 15 years of experience in the industrial and...

Crowley Maritime Corp.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)
September 1, 2006... To better serve its Oakland, Calif., customers, Crowley Maritime Corp. has relocated its tugs to Berth 9 in the Port of Oakland. The move, eight miles from Crowley's previous terminal, allows the company to provide faster service after...

The American Salvage Association (ASA).(The American Salvage Association accepted as an member of International Salvage Union )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The American Salvage Association (ASA), Arlington, Va., has been accepted as an affiliate member of the International Salvage Union (ISU). In turn, London-based ISU has been accepted by ASA as an affiliate member. While operating on different...

Pelican Products Inc.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)
September 1, 2006... Torrance, Calif.-based. Pelican Products Inc., a manufacturer of high-impact, watertight equipment and safety-approved flashlights, has named Matt Miller director of sales for the commercial division and Scott Jones director of sales for...

Calendar.(calendar for organizations conferences and conventions)(Calendar)
September 1, 2006... Sept. 6-8 NWC MEETING The National Waterways Conference Annual Meeting, Benson Hotel, Portland, Ore. Tel: 703-243-4090 E-mail: info@waterways.org www.waterways.org Sept. 19-20 SECURITY CONFERENCE The 5th...

Welding wire.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
September 1, 2006... Hobart Brothers has introduced its Formula XL-550 gas-shielded flux-cored wires for single or multipass welding on ships, offshore oil rigs, and other structures. The wire delivers X-ray quality welds in all positions and features added...

Noise monitor.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
September 1, 2006... Noise Control Engineering Inc. has released a new software program that monitors a vessel's underwater noise. Sound-Guard is a PC-based data acquisition system used to measure, monitor and log underwater sound levels from any vessel. It is...

Digital radar.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
September 1, 2006... Acton, Mass.-based Brunswick New Technologies Marine Electronics has added a new digital radar to its product list--the Northstar High Definition (HD) Digital Radar. Compatible with Northstar's premier networked navigation products (the 8000i...

Computer enhancement.(Krill Systems)(Soft Display )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Krill Systems, a Bainbridge Island, Wash.-based manufacturer of vessel management systems, has released a new enhancement for its digital instruments line, the Krill Soft Display. A software interface for personal computers, the Soft Display...

Temperature sensor.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
September 1, 2006... Madison Company has introduced a temperature sensor made up of the Madison-Omni integrated display/control unit and a highly accurate platinum RTD (resistance temperature detector) temperature sensor tip. The user-programmable display interface...

Workboat; Looks back.(WB ARCHIVES)
September 1, 2006... September 1946 * The transfer by the War Assets Corporation of an undisclosed number of 150-hp utility tugs to the Army Engineers has brought several complaints from barge line operators who want another chance to bid on the vessels....