Workboat articles from September 2007

Workboat archives from September 2007

Depth perception.(water resources in United States must be improved)(Editorial)
September 1, 2007... The dredging crisis in the U.S. has become a literal drag. When not scraping bottom, operators on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, Great Lakes and other shallow-draft waterways are light loading--and becoming lighter in the wallet as a result....

Are mariners guilty until proven innocent?(MAIL BAG)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Alice Evans' statement in your July issue really set me off. ("TWIC process can catch all those bad guys," Mail Bag, page 8.) She ended her letter with, "If you don't have anything to hide, what's the problem?" This is shortsighted. Such...

Solving the fatigue and crew shortage problems.(MAIL BAG)(United States. Coast Guard must increase the workers)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... It never ceases to amaze me every time an article comes out about the subject of crew fatigue. The U.S. Coast Guard, in union with vessel owners, comes up with suggestions to deal with the problem such as darker rooms, less noise, better food,...

Not all vessel operators are enjoying boom times.(MAIL BAG)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... I read your June editorial (Edit Watch, "The sky is not falling") and I'm pleased to see that the commercial workboat industry is faring so well at this time. You seem to include the passenger carrying vessels under your good news...

Reader says article brings back shipyard memories.(MAIL BAG)
September 1, 2007... The article on the C & D Canal in the March 2007 issue of Work-Boat ("Shortcut," page 24) took me back some 63 years to when I was the assistant supervisor of shipbuilding at the Annapolis Yacht Yard in Annapolis, Md. The yard was building...

Would seek marine career if he had another chance.(MAIL BAG)(Viewpoint essay)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... If I was 15 years old and had to do it all over again, I would convince my parents to relocate to New Orleans and establish residency. Then I would enroll in the maritime high school that is in the process of being opened there. ("Maritime high...

On the water: the Coast Guard stamp of approval--Part III.(AT A GLANCE)(personal retriever get approval after a long struggle)
September 1, 2007... I ended last month's column with a question: Why would anyone in their right mind want an approval system that's slow to the point of near paralysis, unnecessarily chokes off beneficial competition, and allows innovative new products to die on...

Captain's table: plying the Erie Canal--Part I.(AT A GLANCE)
September 1, 2007... In early July, three generations of Jacobsons manned the tiller and mooring lines on a one-week narrow boat voyage on the legendary Erie Canal. We congregated in Rochester, N.Y., where I flew in from Boston. My son, Michael, and his seven-year...

WorkBoat Composite Index: Index has first losing month since September.(AT A GLANCE)
September 1, 2007... The long winning streak for the WorkBoat Composite Index finally came to an end in July. For the first time since September 2006, the Index lost ground. The loss, however, was small, with the Index dropping only nine points, or 0.53 percent. In...

OSV day rates: gulf rig activity dips.(AT A GLANCE)
September 1, 2007... U.S. Gulf drilling rig activity slowed in July, as two additional rigs were idled. At the end of July there were 25 units without a contract compared with 23 at the end of June. Overall rig utilization stood at 81.2 percent on July 31 with 108...

Inland insider: relief from high steel prices?(AT A GLANCE)
September 1, 2007... Not too long ago, steel could be purchased during a down market for about half the price of when steel demand was normal. In an up market, a comparatively higher steel premium might have been paid. Moreover, there were usually abundant supplies...

Legal talk; Vessel allisions: who's at fault?(AT A GLANCE)(United States. Supreme Court passes a law governing water vessels)
September 1, 2007... Thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court, three states have had their names attached to important admiralty principles applicable in vessel allision cases: Pennsylvania, Oregon and Louisiana. The cases actually involved three separate lawsuits and...

Houston-based Bisso Marine Co.(NEWS LOG)(re-constructed railroad bridge)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Houston-based Bisso Marine Co.'s 600-ton derrick barge Lili Bisso recently replaced a repaired section of the Bayou Boeuf Railroad Bridge in Amelia, La. A barge tow had struck the bridge earlier this year resulting in significant damage to the...

Hornbeck beats out SEACOR for Sea Mar OSV fleet.(NEWS LOG)
September 1, 2007... Less than a month after SEACOR Holdings announced it had agreed to purchase Sea Mar Offshore, Horn-beck Offshore Services revealed that it had an agreement to purchase the offshore supply vessel operator. The deal between Nabors Industries...

USCG's marine safety duties questioned.(NEWS LOG)(United States. Coast Guard)
September 1, 2007... The prospect of stripping the Coast Guard of its maritime safety and regulatory duties is causing more than a little separation anxiety. The tension was evident at a recent hearing called to examine the proposed changes following criticism...

Stockholders to benefit from drilling contractors' merger.(NEWS LOG)
September 1, 2007... The recently announced merger of Transocean Inc. and GlobalSantaFe will produce an offshore drilling contractor with a fleet of 146 offshore rigs ranging from jackups to drillships capable of working in up to 12,000' of water and a company...

Congress losing patience with TWIC.(NEWS LOG)
September 1, 2007... If it's any comfort to the maritime industry, Congress also seems frustrated with unanswered questions about the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC). The implementation has been delayed, all the rules haven't been...

Marine safety is still a priority to the USCG.(NEWS LOG)(United States. Coast Guard)
September 1, 2007... The U.S. Coast Guard says it has not turned its back on marine safety in its quest to make U.S. ports and waterways more secure in a post 9/11 environment. "The marine safety mission is absolutely a priority," Adm. Joel Whitehead,...

Delta Queen to tie up permanently after exemption denied.(NEWS BITTS)(Ambassadors International Inc. must look into safety of the ship)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Owners of the historic Delta Queen failed to get a Congressional OK to keep the paddlewheeler operating after Nov. 1, 2008. Because the vessel has a wooden superstructure, Ambassadors International Inc. needed to extend a fire safety exemption...

Acl boosts its demurrage charges.(NEWS BITTS)
September 1, 2007... Jeffersonville, Ind.-based American Commercial Lines Inc. recently announced an increase of 15 percent a day in its demurrage charges on all liquid shipments. "We are adjusting our demurrage charges for our tank barge fleet in response to the...

Best buy: tug owner uses Wall Street savvy to fine-tune his company.(IN BUSINESS: NORFOLK TUG)(Ed Whitmore talks about the company)(Company overview)
September 1, 2007... In 2003 Ed Whitmore bought a small tug company with plans to build it into something more. Sounds like a typical story about someone who's spent his career in the commercial marine industry, then takes over a vessel company of his own. Not this...

Growth chart: new tugs just keep on a-comin'.(VESSEL REPORT: TUGS)
September 1, 2007... To hear all the talk, you'd think that we're in the midst of the biggest surge in the history of modern tug construction. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] We may well be. Marcon International, Coupeville, Wash., published a market...

U.S. Shipping takes delivery of first ATB.(CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT WORKBOAT YARDS)
September 1, 2007... The long and arduous task of building U.S. Shipping Partners LP's first new articulated tug-barge has been completed. On July 1, the 12,000-hp, 150'x46' tug Freeport and the 521'x72'x41' double-hulled, 140,000-bbl. barge Chemical Transporter,...

Blount completes ferry for DHS and Chicago tour boat.(CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT WORKBOAT YARDS)
September 1, 2007... In June, Blount Boats Inc., Warren, R.I., saw a pair of new steel boats leave the yard and enter service. The Plum Island, a 120'x30'x10' cargo and passenger ferry built for the Department of Homeland Security, began making runs between New...

Baltimore gets new fireboat from Canada's Hike Metal.(CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT WORKBOAT YARDS)(John R. Frazier)
September 1, 2007... The Baltimore City Fire Department christened the John R. Frazier at Fort McHenry National Park in early August. The 87'x22'x12'4" Frazier is a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Class A fireboat built by Hike Metal Products Ltd.,...

Neuville finishes four-vessel order for Iberia Crewboats.(CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT WORKBOAT YARDS)
September 1, 2007... New Iberia, La.-based Neuville Boat Works Inc. has delivered the last of four new aluminum crewboats to Iberia Crewboats, also of New Iberia. The 154'x30'x12'6" Lady Eve and its sister-ships were designed by Neuville. Kerry Neuville, the...

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, has begun construction of three new sightseeing vessels for Circle Line Sightseeing Yachts Inc., New York.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)
September 1, 2007... Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, has begun construction of three new sightseeing vessels for Circle Line Sightseeing Yachts Inc., New York. Delivery of the first vessel is scheduled for early next year. The new 600-passenger,...

Bollinger Marine Fabricators.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)
September 1, 2007... Bollinger Marine Fabricators, Amelia, La., recently delivered the first of two manned 35,000-bbl. oil tank barges to Bouchard Coastwise Management Co., Melville, N.Y. The 300'x64'x21' B. No. 231 features 10 cargo tanks with Byron Jackson cargo...

Aluminum Chambered Boats.(BOATBUILDING BITTS)
September 1, 2007... Aluminum Chambered Boats, Bellingham, Wash., will expand production capacity by increasing its space at the Port of Bellingham by 12,000 sq. ft. to 72,000 sq. ft. and by building a new facility in nearby Ferndale, Wash. The new construction...

Drudgery: funding, costs have curtailed dredging across the U.S.
September 1, 2007... Plying the waters between More-head City and Wilmington, N.C., is anything but smooth. It's not unusual to wait up to 12 hours to cross one particular spot on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Loaded barges with eight-foot drafts just...

2007 Power Guide.(DIESEL: ENGINES)
September 1, 2007... Helped by strong orders from the workboat market, marine engine manufacturers continue to enjoy robust demand for their products. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Such prosperity, however, often leads to problems in the supply chain, as...

Generation Z: tug delivery launches new design in the U.S.(BOATS AND GEAR: 99' Z-TECH TUG)
September 1, 2007... Suderman & Young Towing Company of Houston has finally taken delivery of the 99'x39' shiphandling/escort tug Thor from Main Iron Works. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Designed by Robert Allan Ltd., Vancouver, British Columbia, the new tug is...

Stress reducers: high-tech seats help dampen shock.(BOATS & GEAR: WHEELHOUSE SEATING)
September 1, 2007... The faster boats go, the greater the forces on everything, including the people onboard. Spend a day slamming against waves while running 35 knots or so and you'll feel like you've been beaten up. You have. The G-forces produced during...

Knight Well Services, Broussard, La., a division of Knight Oil Tools, has named Rene Bergeron project engineering manager.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)
September 1, 2007... Knight Well Services, Broussard, La., a division of Knight Oil Tools, has named Rene Bergeron project engineering manager. Bergeron oversees all plug and abandonment projects. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

ZF Marine LLC.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)
September 1, 2007... ZF Marine LLC has named Stephen Taylor account manager for the Gulf Coast and Inland River region. Taylor will be based out of ZF Marine LLC's St. Rose, La., facility. The company is a member of Italy-based ZF Marine Group. [ILLUSTRATION...

Austal USA.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)
September 1, 2007... Austal USA, Mobile, Ala., recently opened a new panel line shop. The ground floor of the building, where the panels are assembled, is 200'x45' and totals more than 9,000 sq.ft. The second level will house offices and meeting/training rooms.

J. Arnold Witte Sr., president and CEO of Donjon Marine Co. Inc., Hillside, N.J., has been named chairman of the American Steamship Owners Mutual Protection and Indemnity Association Inc. (the American Club).(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)
September 1, 2007... J. Arnold Witte Sr., president and CEO of Donjon Marine Co. Inc., Hillside, N.J., has been named chairman of the American Steamship Owners Mutual Protection and Indemnity Association Inc. (the American Club). The club, established in New York...

Bass Products, a manufacturer of electrical panels for power distribution, recently added a new 15,500-sq.-ft.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)
September 1, 2007... Bass Products, a manufacturer of electrical panels for power distribution, recently added a new 15,500-sq.-ft. building to its headquarters in Bristol, Conn. The new facility was designed to help streamline manufacturing and provide more...

Phoenix International Inc.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)
September 1, 2007... Phoenix International Inc., Largo, Md., has named Al Robichaux general manager of its Bayou Vista, La., facility. The Bayou Vista location provides underwater welding, diving, ROV and ADS services to the Gulf of Mexico oil and gas industry. ...

Quality.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)
September 1, 2007... Joseph R. Badeaux has joined Tidewater Inc., New Orleans, as general manager and vice president of its Quality Shipyards LLC business unit. Badeaux will be based at Quality, which is located in Houma, La.

Harco Manufacturing Co.(WORKBOAT BUSINESS)
September 1, 2007... Harco Manufacturing Co., a fabricator of premium engine exhaust silencers and emission control products, has relocated its corporate headquarters to a new facility in Newberg, Ore., that has doubled the company's available manufacturing space.

Slim borescope.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
September 1, 2007... Tracer Products, Westbury, N.Y., has introduced the COBRA-6. The ultraslim 38" multipurpose borescope enables technicians to inspect and leak-check hard-to-see components, such as pistons, intake valves, A/C evaporators, fuel systems, radiators...

Midrange waterjet.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
September 1, 2007... Ultra Dynamics has unveiled the UltraJet UJ410. The new waterjet, with a 410-mm-dia. impeller, provides more options between the company's UJ376 and UJ451 models. All components on the new model are plug-and-play and mounted on the jet. Ultra...

Fuel tank cleaner.(PRODUCT LOCKER)
September 1, 2007... Fort Myers, Fla.-based Algae-X International has introduced the TK-180 XT fuel-polishing system for recirculating, cleaning and/or transferring diesel fuel and light oils. With a flow rate of 180 gph, the new system is designed to efficiently...

Calendar.(conference of shipping industry)(Calendar)
September 1, 2007... Aug. 22-24 GICA CONVENTION The 102nd Annual Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association Convention, Wyndham New Orleans at Canal Place, New Orleans. 281-996-6915 info@gicaonline.com www.gicaonline.com Sept. 16-19 ...

Workboat looks back.(WB ARCHIVES)
September 1, 2007... SEPTEMBER 1947 * Efforts by two Florida Democratic congressmen helped salvage the Maritime Commission's seamen's training program. Reps. Joe Hendricks and J. Hardin Peterson exposed an alleged sabotage scheme by maritime unions to scuttle...