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Spectacle The 39th International WorkBoat Show.
JANUARY 2019
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The show floor at the 39th International WorkBoat Show. JANUARY 2019 • VOLUME 76, NO. 1
Diversified Communications photo
FEATURES 16 Focus: Balance of Power Offshore wind and hybrid power make some progress.
18 Vessel Report: Know Your ATBs ATBs are faster and more reliable.
26 Cover Story: Lowdown Coverage of the 39th International WorkBoat Show.
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BOATS & GEAR 20 On the Ways • Gulf Island Shipyards boasts a much more diverse orderbook • New multimission catamaran from Moose Boats for San Francisco • Seven companies bring boats to the WorkBoat Show: Safe Boats, Zodiac, Brunswick, Metal Shark, Lake Assault Boats, North River Boats, Scully’s Custom Aluminum Boats • New 75' pilot boat for Southeast Alaska from Gladding-Hearn • Master Marine delivers 1,600-hp towboat to Waterfront Services • Two new ferries for New Orleans from Metal Shark • Dakota Creek building four 3,600-hp Navy yard tugs
32 Self Operators A robotic solution to the welder shortage.
AT A GLANCE 8 8 9 10 10 11 11
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On the Water: Hurricane uncertainty — Part III. Captain’s Table: Highlights from the WorkBoat Show. Energy Level: Will the offshore improve in 2019? WB Stock Index: WorkBoat stocks gain 3.5% in November. Inland Insider: Who’s to blame for accidents? Insurance Watch: Agents want to hear from customers. Legal Talk: What is the definition of a towing vessel?
DEPARTMENTS
NEWS LOG 12 12 13 13 14
GAO says Coast Guard has set unrealistic icebreaker schedule. Eastern Shipbuilding rights trawler capsized by Hurricane Michael. Barge operators get long sought changes to ballast regulations. Asian carp control plan cost triples. Delta Queen finally receives congressional approval to sail again.
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
2 6 36 43 44
Editor’s Watch Mail Bag Port of Call Advertisers Index WB Looks Back
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Editor’sWatch
New sectors, new business
I
t has now been over four years since the Gulf of Mexico offshore slump began. But at November’s International WorkBoat Show there was little talk about hard times. Instead, I witnessed a lot of people running around with no time to chat. Why? They were busy conducting business. A good indicator of how business will be in the future are the shipyard booths. This year, like last, their booths 810-635-7111 • www.HOUGEN.com were buzzing with people inquiring about what the yards can build and when. Yards, especially those in the Hou-728-WorkBoat2.indd 1 11/6/18 11:29 AM Gulf, are continuing to diversify, a 508.995.7000 trend that started after the offshore downturn began. More and more, these yards are going after hot sectors like Den Haan Rotterdam passenger vessels. Navigation Lights A relatively new sector that shows promise is offshore wind. For the first • Robust Design • Maintenance Friendly time, we featured a session on the • Visibility at High Vertical Angles subject at the show, part of our Off• Excellent Thermal Management shore Program. Offshore wind energy • 2 - 5 Nautical Mile Range development is moving apace in the • Meets UL Standards Northeast, and the U.S. Gulf can be a source of boats and skills for the new industry. This could mean more work for Gulf shipyards and vessel operators. “What we would like to see is more DHR60 LED Series of the expertise held here move to this market,” Ross Tyler, executive vice www.imtra.com 508.995.7000 president and co-founder of the Business Network for Offshore Wind, told Offshore Program attendees. Tyler’s group includes U.S. industrial suppliers who could help develop the wind industry. “There’s a market there and we can be a conduit.” Designers, builders and propulsion companies all had their eyes on off30’ SENTRY shore wind and hybrid marine power at the show. “Hybrid technology is TOUGH BOATS FOR where everybody is trying to go,” said
ROUGH MISSIONS
GET ON BOARD / BRUNSWICKCGP.COM 2
David Krapf, Editor in Chief
Adam Jost, applications manager with Thrustmaster, the Houston-based propulsion integrator whose show display was built around its latest electric pod thruster design. Over at the American Bureau of Shipping booth, Domenic Carlucci explained what ABS is doing to assist customers making the move to hybrid power systems. “We’re seeing a lot of ferry work,” said Carlucci, manager of machinery, electrical and controls, and advanced technology and research for ABS. Hybrid and wind power should continue to grow, and the show will be there to foster that growth.
dkrapf@divcom.com
WORKBOAT® (ISSN 0043-8014) is published monthly by Diversified Business Communications and Diversified Publications, 121 Free St., P.O. Box 7438, Portland, ME 04112-7438. Editorial Office: P.O. Box 1348, Mandeville, LA 70470. Annual Subscription Rates: U.S. $39; Canada $55; International $103. When available, extra copies of current issue are $4, all other issues and special issues are $5. For subscription customer service call (978) 671-0444. The publisher reserves the right to sell subscriptions to those who have purchasing power in the industry this publication serves. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, ME, and additional mailing offices. Circulation Office: 121 Free St., P.O. Box 7438, Portland, ME 04112-7438. From time to time, we make your name and address available to other companies whose products and services may interest you. If you prefer not to receive such mailings, please send a copy of your mailing label to: WorkBoat’s Mailing Preference Service, P.O. Box 7438, Portland, ME 04112. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to WORKBOAT, P.O. Box 1792, Lowell, MA 01853. Copyright 20 18 by Diversified Business Communications. Printed in U.S.A.
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
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PUBLISHER
Jerry Fraser jfraser@divcom.com
EDITOR IN CHIEF
David Krapf dkrapf@divcom.com
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Kirk Moore kmoore@divcom.com
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Capt. Alan Bernstein • Bruce Buls • Michael Crowley • Dale K. DuPont • Pamela Glass • Max Hardberger • Kevin Horn • Joel Milton • Bill Pike • Kathy Bergren Smith Doug Stewart dstewart@divcom.com
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EXPOSITION SALES DIRECTOR
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(207) 842-5508 • Fax: (207) 842-5509 Producers of The International WorkBoat Show, WorkBoat Maintenance & Repair Conference and Expo, and Pacific Marine Expo www.workboatshow.com Chris Dimmerling (207) 842-5666 • Fax: (207) 842-5509 cdimmerling@divcom.com Theodore Wirth Michael Lodato mlodato@divcom.com
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
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Long Range Identification and Tracking: Has your vessel reported in the last six hours?
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he Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system is a designated International Maritime Organization (IMO) system designed to collect and disseminate vessel position information received from IMO member states’ ships.
LRIT must be carried on any ship that is engaged in an international voyage and falls into the following categories: • All passenger ships. • Cargo ships of 300 gross tons or more. • Mobile offshore drilling units. LRIT provides satellite-based, realtime position reporting capabilities. Any ship transiting within 1,000 nautical miles of the U.S. coast or bound for a U.S. port (engaging in international voyages) must be equipped with LRIT.
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The Coast Guard maintains the U.S. National Data Center. The Coast Guard Navigation Center (NAVCEN ) operates the NDC interface called the Business Help Desk and is responsible for monitoring LRIT vessel reporting requirements. According to LRIT international guidelines, the default LRIT shipreporting rate is every six hours through a ship’s LRIT terminal. LRIT plays an important role in maritime domain awareness (MDA). Countries that fall under the purview of the SOLAS convention can share the necessary marine security information along with all other required information about the ships that sail through the countries’ coastal boundaries. Has your LRIT-equipped vessel reported in the last six hours? NAVCEN, in collaboration with the Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance, developed a program to identify vessels that have not reported their LRIT status and are not in compliance with 33 CFR 169.230. Once notified, local Coast Guard units enforce the LRIT reporting requirement. If you are an LRIT vessel operator and have a question about your status, please contact NAVCEN through the website (https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/) or at 703-313-5900.
WorkBoat encourages readers to write us about anything that appears in the magazine, on WorkBoat.com or pertains to the marine industry. To be published, letters must include the writer’s address and a daytime phone number.
Send letters to: workboat@cox.net MAIL BAG P.O. BOX 1348 Mandeville, LA 70470
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
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On the Water
Hurricane uncertainty — Part III
T
By Joel Milton
Joel Milton works on towing vessels. He can be reached at joelmilton@ yahoo.com.
he graphical presentation of the National Hurricane Center’s cone of uncertainty has specific meaning. “The cone represents the probable track of the center of a tropical cyclone and is formed by enclosing the area swept out by a set of circles (not shown) along the forecast track (at 12, 24, 36 hours, etc). The size of each circle is set so that two-thirds of historical official forecast errors over a five-year sample fall within the circle.” That is the official definition from the Hurricane Center, and it means two things: that the circles themselves are variables and that it accounts for only two-thirds of the track errors, not all of them. That small circle showing the position of the cyclone’s center at the time of the forecast (labeled S, H or M to indicate strength) is the only part of the graphic that isn’t an estimate. Everything else about it is simply the best educated guess to be
Captain’s Table
Highlights from this year’s International WorkBoat Show
I
By Capt. Alan Bernstein
Alan Bernstein, owner of BB Riverboats in Cincinnati, is a licensed master and a former president of the Passenger Vessel Association. He can be reached at 859-292-2449 or abernstein@ bbriverboats.com.
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am convinced that the International WorkBoat Show keeps getting better and better each year, and this year was no different. The sheer size and scope of the trade show floor is astounding. Just being on the exhibit floor is a treat and something that I look forward to year after year. Here are some highlights from this year’s show held in New Orleans in November: • The seminars and speakers are always interesting. This year the Inland Waterways & Passenger Vessel Program was particularly informative. It highlighted Army Corps of Engineers projects, financial needs and priorities for our inland rivers, vessel design trends, and even tips on how to survive a Coast Guard inspection. WorkBoat is able to focus in on the top items of the day and attract great speakers to address the diverse audience that this show attracts. • The attendees and exhibitors. For those like myself who have spent their careers in the maritime industry, we don’t always get the chance to
made with the always incomplete and constantly changing data. To fully grasp the size of the area that might be affected by tropical storm force winds you would need to have another asymmetrical circle shape of accurate scale that equals that wind field and, using its center, trace around the perimeter of the cone of uncertainty. That now much larger swept area would be your no-go zone. And even then, because of all of the various forecast errors and uncertainties, as well as the possibility that the wind field may expand, it should be understood that it possibly under represents the area that could be affected (and dangerous to navigate in) by a significant margin. However, the appropriate warning is shown boldly at the top of the graphic. “Note: The cone contains the probable path of the storm center but does not show the size of the storm. Hazardous conditions can occur outside of the cone.” I think “will occur” would be more accurate. Translation: Make sure you fully understand what you’re looking at and what you are reading before you start making critical decisions.
see or talk to each other during our work time. Thus, it is a homecoming week for me to see many of my fellow mariners and suppliers. I even run into a few loyal readers of this column. So going to New Orleans for these three days is always a great time to catch up with everyone. • My final highlight was the foot traffic. This year’s show was particularly busy for us at the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) booth, which served as my headquarters during the show. The PVA booth saw almost nonstop traffic and visitors. Information and business cards were exchanged at a rapid pace. With Subchapter M regulations now coming into force, many of the small towing companies were asking questions about Coast Guard inspections. PVA members have been inspected by the Coast Guard for many years and we are pleased to share tips and advice. And let’s not forgot another big plus of attending the WorkBoat Show — the food. At the end of a long day on the show floor, I look forward to experiencing the culinary delights served up by New Orleans’ countless fine restaurants. I hope you had a great time at the WorkBoat Show and I look forward to seeing you in New Orleans next year.
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
Energy Level
Mar-18 Apr-18 May-18 WORKBOAT GOM INDICATORS Jun-18 SEPT. '18 18-Jul WTI Crude Oil 73.23 18-Aug Baker Hughes Rig Count 18 18-Sep IHS OSV Utilization 30.4% Oct-18 U.S. Oil Production (millions bpd) 11.1 18-Nov Sources: Baker-Hughes; IHS Markit; U.S. EIA
An improved 2019 for the U.S. Gulf?
.
NOV. '18 51.46 23 31.2% 11.7*
NOV. '17 58.10 20 25.4% 9.7
*Estimated
GOM RIG COUNT
GOM Rig Count
By Bill Pike
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A
s December ends and 2018 comes to a close — a time when activity often winds down a bit as annual budgets run out and the industry resets — the market looks somewhat brighter after the oil price plunge over the past couple of months. Although there were two OSV term charter losses in the Gulf of Mexico in October, the OSV utilization rate at the end of November stood at 31.2%, up from 25.4% at the same time last year. In particular, shallow water is looking better, with elevated activity levels since March 2018. The shallow water jackup rig count now stands at 12, with shallow water day rates up a few hundred dollars, according to Richard Sanchez at IHS Markit. In large part, we can thank stabilizing oil prices over the last month for the modest increases. On Dec. 13, the price of WTI oil was near $53 bbl., with Brent at around $62 bbl. The prices are a far cry from the $100-plus prices we have seen. For now, however, prices are fairly stable and at a point where operators can begin to think about ramping up activity a little. But a cloudy set of circumstances looms just over the horizon that could severely affect this scenario. The first is the unclear direction that OPEC might take. As oil prices have stabilized, investors and oil and gas companies have looked to OPEC for signs of movement regarding production levels and oil prices. The second factor is the continued increase in U.S. oil production. In August, U.S. crude oil production reached 11.3 million bpd, making the U.S. the top crude oil producer in the world. This came as the U.S. surpassed its 1970 record for proven oil and gas reserves according to the Energy Infor-
12 18 18 18 OCT. 15 '18 67.00 16 18 18 30.1% 18 11.2* 23
20 15 10
11/17
11/18
5 0
1
2
3
4
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mation Administration. U.S. oil and gas reserves are now double those of only a decade ago, totaling 39.2 billion bbls. Either of these two factors could
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
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adversely affect the current stabilizing price of oil. To continue on the stable track requires determination and a large amount of restraint.
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WorkBoat Composite Index Stocks gain 3.5% in November
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he WorkBoat Composite Index gained 67 points in November, or 3.5%. The Index was up after posting a big 13% loss in October. For the month, losers topped winners by a 2-1 ratio. Among the top percentage gainers was Kirby Corp. Shares in the Houston-based inland tank barge operator were up over 6% in November. STOCK CHART
During Kirby’s third quarter earnings call in late October, David Grzebinski, president and CEO, said the company’s inland marine transportation business continued its recovery from the downturn and saw a steady increase in activity during the quarter. He said increasing volumes from petrochemical and black oil customers, refinery turnarounds and the compleSource: FinancialContent Inc. www.financialcontent.com
INDEX NET COMPARISONS 10/31/18 11/30/18 CHANGE Operators 320.07 319.10 -0.97 Suppliers 3090.94 3261.41 170.47 Shipyards 2631.43 2616.72 -14.71 Workboat Composite 1908.26 1975.01 66.75 PHLX Oil Service Index 119.56 104.74 -14.82 Dow Jones Industrials 25115.76 25538.46 422.70 Standard & Poors 500 2711.74 2760.16 48.42 For the complete up-to-date WorkBoat Stock Index, go to: workboat.com/resources/tools/workboat-composite-index/
PERCENT CHANGE -0.30% 5.52% -0.56% 3.50% -12.40% 1.68% 1.79%
Inland Insider
Are accidents now management’s fault?
D
uring the Tugs and Coastal Towing Program at the International WorkBoat Show in November, Capt. Eric Johansson, a professor and inland towing specialist at the State University of New York Maritime College, discussed a curious decision by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) regarding a towing vessel accident on the Mississippi River in 2017. Investigators determined in a report released in October that the probable cause of the allision of the Cooperative Venture towing vessel with the St. Paul Union Bridge in Minnesota was “the operating company’s assignment of an inexperienced pilot who incorrectly positioned the tow prior to maneuvering through a turn with a following current when approaching the bridge span.” The Cooperative Venture was traveling southbound on the river with a 17-barge tow and a crew of 10 when it hit the bridge. This made Johannson 10
take pause. In all the years that he’s studied towing vessel accidents, he’s never seen the NTSB place probable cause on a vessel’s operating company. He cited numerous other NTSB rulings that faulted the captain or another individual on the vessel, not the company. For example, in the 2015 allision of the tug Peter F. Gellatly with a pier in Bayonne, N.J., which caused $2.7 million in damages and fuel oil discharge into the waterway, the NTSB found probable cause to be poor communication between the captain and engineer. In 2013, the Bayou Lady was pushing six empty hopper barges to a scrap yard in Morgan City, La., when the barge struck a bridge near Houma, La. The NTSB said probable cause was the “decision of the captain to transit the bridge opening in windy conditions.” Johansson thought the Cooperative Venture decision was especially interesting since the new federal towing
tion of some major lock infrastructure projects all helped to drive up Kirby’s tank barge utilization. At the end of the third quarter, Kirby’s inland fleet utilization was in the mid-90% range. As a result of these tight market conditions, Kirby’s spot market rates increased between 3% and 5% compared to the second quarter. “Things continue to move in the right direction,” Grzebinski told analysts. “Inland pricing has inflected higher, barge utilization is nearly at capacity and operating margins moved meaningfully higher.” The coastal sector is also showing signs of life again, he said, “with increased revenue, some contracts renewing higher, and operating margins improving earlier than anticipated.” Kirby said it expected coastal sector utilization of around 80% for the remainder of 2018. — David Krapf vessel inspection program, Subchapter M, which went into effect in July, states that the master is responsible for the safe operation of the vessel. The NTSB rul- By Pamela ings have “gone Glass from master to management, so will the next step be the owner?” he asked. “I just found it striking. I don’t know if anyone else sees it that way. I may be off on this, but it seems like a big shift and it’s shifted very quickly.” It’s not clear what this might mean for towing companies, but Johansson said it could cause them to “think twice about how they are preparing or vetting their crewmembers to be on a vessel.” Pamela Glass is the Washington correspondent for WorkBoat magazine and WorkBoat.com. She can be reached at pamelamglass@aol.com.
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
Insurance Watch Insurance agents want to hear from customers
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nsurance agents love to hear from their customers. Yes, it’s true. We want to provide the appropriate coverage but can’t do that unless we understand what you, the insured, are doing. Companies can undergo many changes during the policy term and unless these changes are communicated to the insurance agent, there may not be coverage available in a company’s current policy. Some areas to think about: • Written contracts. These should be reviewed by your attorney, with the insurance portion examined by your agent. • Change in operations. A commercial vessel engaged in one type of operation, say crab fishing, decides to switch to fin fishing. Your vessel’s warranty may state that only one type of
fishing is permitted and if you engage in a different type you may not have coverage. • New equipment or property. If during your policy term you purchase new equipment for your business or build a new building, these may not be covered on your policy unless you schedule them and increase your limits. • Independent contractors. If you hire independent contractors, make sure you get a certificate of insurance from them first. Not only do you want to see that they have proper liability coverage but you will also want to be named as additional insured on their policy. • Liability limits. Has your operation grown since you first purchased insurance? Have your liabilities exceeded your limits of insurance? It may be time for an excess liability policy.
Legal Talk What is the definition of a towing vessel?
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powerful oceangoing tug lugging a fuel barge up the East Coast is clearly a towing vessel. And a towboat on the inland rivers pushing a cluster of coal barges also fits the bill. But as vessels handle new roles in the offshore energy industry, the definition of a towing vessel can go beyond traditional ones we recognize. This was illustrated by a recent decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals in the Fifth Circuit. The matter arose in the Gulf of Mexico and involved something known as a towfish, which is an underwater sonar device. The one here was about 7.5' long and shaped like a torpedo. It was deployed by Tesla Offshore to conduct a high-resolution survey of the Outer Continental Shelf. Tesla chartered a vessel from International Offshore Services for the tow. While reeled out with about 14,000' of cable, the towfish struck one of the mooring lines of a mobile offshore drilling unit operated
by Shell Offshore. This resulted in the line losing tension and a suspension of drilling operations. Shell sued for damages, with the jury ruling in favor of the company and awarding it more than $9 million. The court’s decision placed 75% of the blame on Tesla and 25% on International Offshore, which challenged the court’s finding that its vessel was a towing vessel under 46 U.S.C. 2101. The U.S. Code defines a towing vessel as “a commercial vessel engaged in or intending to engage in the service of pulling, pushing, or hauling alongside, or any combination of pulling, pushing, or hauling alongside.” Why was this towing vessel issue so important? Under federal rules applied by the court here, the master of a towing vessel of 26' or more in length is required to hold a towing license. The captain of the vessel pulling the towfish did not hold the relevant towing cre-
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
• Vessel navigational limits. All commercial hull policies state where a vessel can navigate. If you go outside these limits then you have no coverage. Should you increase your navigation limits By Chris let your agent Richmond know. • Named insured. If you create a new business entity for tax purposes but fail to add it to your insurance policy, then not only is there no coverage for the new entity but also no coverage for what it owns. Chris Richmond is a licensed mariner and marine insurance agent with Allen Insurance and Financial. He can be reached at 800-439-4311 or crichmond@allenif.com dential. International Offshore argued that its vessel was not a towing vessel as a matter of law. It didn’t dispute the court’s analysis under a plain reading of the statute, but it felt that the statute could produce By Tim Akpinar absurd results if applied literally. On appeal, the higher court upheld the lower court’s decision that International Offshore’s vessel was a towing vessel, thus it was subject to the federal rules mentioned above. This shows that although maritime law deals with terms that seem simple on their face, such as “seaman” or “vessel,” multimilliondollar lawsuits can be fought over how such terms are interpreted. Tim Akpinar is a Little Neck, N.Y.-based maritime attorney and former marine engineer. He can be reached at 718-2249824 or t.akpinar@verizon.net. 11
JANUARY 2019
NEWS LOG The icebreaker Polar Star in the Antarctic’s McMurdo Sound in January 2018.
NEWS BITTS
Corky Decker
Coast Guard/CPO Nick Ameen
TRAWLER WASHED AWAY IN HURRICANE MICHAEL RIGHTED
I
GAO icebreaker warning, but commandant is ‘guardedly optimistic’
T
he Government Accountability Office said that the Coast Guard has set an unrealistic schedule for completing new heavy polar icebreakers, which could lead to design flaws and add to the estimated $9.8 billion cost of adding three new vessels to the service’s polar operations. Despite that report from the investigative arm of Congress — and a possibility that icebreaker funding could be diverted toward building President Trump’s wall along the Mexico border — Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz said there’s bipartisan support to get $750 million and start building the first new U.S. icebreaker in 20 years. “I am guardedly optimistic that we are going to have a little different discussion about polar security cutters and icebreakers going forward,” Schultz said in a Dec. 7 video streamed conference with Coast Guard rank and file. Schultz said he is continuing to push a “6-3-1 strategy,” to build a total of six icebreakers, three of them heavy, with 12
one to be delivered as soon as possible to replace the 399' heavy icebreaker Polar Star, now headed to its annual deployment in Antarctica. “We need one now. The Polar Star is in I think her 42nd year of life,” said Schultz. “We’re doing everything to keep that ship operational, but the fact is there’s a finite amount of life left. We’re beyond what was its planned service life.” On its last deployment to support U.S. scientists in Antarctica, the Polar Star had major mechanical breakdowns that could have ended the mission if not for the crew’s ability to fix them at sea. A major propulsion casualty would leave the U.S. with just one icebreaker, the 420' Healy, a medium icebreaker delivered in 1999 and used primarily for Arctic science and search and rescue missions. The GAO said the Coast Guard lacked a sound business case when it established the cost, schedule and performance baselines for its icebreaker acquisition program, setting the project
t took nearly two months but Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Panama City, Fla., finally got the 261' Alaska factory trawler North Star turned right side up for customer Glacier Bay Fish Co., Seattle. The new boat was just weeks away from departing for Alaska when it was swept away from Eastern’s Allanton yard into St. Andrews Bay when Hurricane Michael’s eyewall passed near the yard on Oct. 10. The category 4 storm produced a storm surge that was at least 5.31' above ground level onshore at Panama City, second only to Hurricane Opal in 1995. The North Star was left capsized on its starboard side on a sandbar. Work by a salvage crew using a barge, oil rig anchors, tugs and winching righted the boat Dec. 5. It still requires extensive refit and replacement of equipment. — K. Moore
up for many problems. It said baselines were set before a preliminary design review was done, which could produce an unstable design and increase costs. A technology readiness assessment wasn’t completed to determine maturity of key technologies, and the cost estimate didn’t take into account possible costs over the entire life of the program, thus compromising its reliability and potentially underestimating the total funding needed.
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
— Pamela Glass and Kirk Moore
Barge operators win change in ballast water discharge regulations
T
he barge industry has finally won major changes in the way ballast water discharges from vessels are managed federally and by state governments. President Trump signed into law Dec. 4 the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018 that would end an overlapping patchwork of state and federal discharge regulations that for years had been costly and confusing to vessel owners. Operators long argued that the lack of a single, national standard has exposed them to fines and other penalties for violating standards in one state while complying with those in another, and they say
Marine Environmental Resource Center
In addition, planned delivery dates were “driven by the potential gap in icebreaking capabilities instead of being informed by a realistic assessment of shipbuilding activities,” the report said. An unrealistic schedule “puts pressure on the Coast Guard to take shortcuts,” Marie Mak, director of GAO’s Acquisition and Sourcing Management Office told the House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation subcommittee hearing in late November. A tight construction schedule leaves little time to review vessel performance, presenting the risk “of transmitting design problems from one (vessel) to another,” added Ronald O’Rourke, specialist in Naval Affairs at the Congressional Research Service. But Rear Adm. Michael J. Haycock, assistant commandant for acquisition and chief acquisition officer, said the Coast Guard is “planning to be successful” with the project. “I’m confident we’ll have a design of a high level of maturity before we start cutting steel,” he said in response to questions from lawmakers. “We have conducted industry studies over the past five years and this has informed designs. Our next step is detailed design.”
A vessel discharges ballast water.
some state regulations can’t be met with current technologies. Winning passage of the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA) was a top legislative priority for the barge industry and the American Waterways Operators. AWO has worked with other stakeholders over the years to fashion a bill that would set federal standards for vessel discharges, but success has been elusive until now. The legislation was slowed by opposition from environmental groups, worried that it would weaken standards on discharges and lead to the release of harmful organisms into waterways and lakes, and from state legislatures and governors concerned that the federal government would take over the authority to monitor waters in their jurisdictions. Critics were especially upset that responsibility would be shifted from experts at the EPA to the Coast Guard, which they say lacks expertise to monitor lakes and rivers for invasive species. Under the new law, the EPA retains lead responsibility for establishing discharge standards, and the Coast Guard is in charge of enforcement. States will be able to adopt their own ballast regulations, but they can’t be stricter than federal laws. (Great Lakes states, however, could work together to go beyond federal standards). The EPA has two years to develop the new regulations and until then, existing state and federal regulations will remain in place. VIDA also exempts commercial vessels under 79 feet from needing to obtain EPA permits for ballast water and other incidental discharges.
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
Environmental groups are generally happy with the compromise, and AWO said the legislation “will give vessel owners and mariners the certainty of a nationally consistent regulatory system, while ensuring high standards of environmental protection.” — P. Glass
Cost of new Asian carp control plan triples
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he cost of a final plan to keep Asian carp from the Great Lakes at Brandon Road Lock and Dam — a key control point in Illinois located 27 miles southwest of Chicago — has nearly tripled to $778 million. A report by the Corps of Engineers recommends a technology alternative that includes electric barriers, an air bubble curtain, and acoustic fish deterrent at the lock on the Des Plaines River near Joliet, Ill. A tentative plan issued last year had a price tag of $275 million which was raised for additional engineering and design work as well as environmental mitigation. The Corps said it settled on this plan because it reduces the risk of the invasive carp getting into the lakes “to the maximum extent possible, while minimizing impacts on navigation.” If the project is funded, work could be completed by 2027. A final engineering report is due to Congress in February. As outlined by the Corps, the project could be done all at once, or in increments to minimize navigation disruption through in-water construction during planned maintenance closures of nearby locks on the Illinois Waterway. The long-awaited plan for the Bran13
USFWS/Ryan Hagerty
don Road lock, which handles about 11 million tons annually, is part of an issue that has pitted states, politicians and businesses against one another for several years. The recommendation is in addition to the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS) released several years ago that outlined eight alternatives to stop the spread of the carp. The most drastic option would cut off the lakes from the Mississippi River basin and cost the barge, passenger vessel, chemical, agricultural and other groups billions. But the carp also threaten the Great Lakes’ $7 billion fishing and tourism industries. The Corps received more than 1,400 comments on the draft report. Imported from Southeast Asia in the 1970s to help clean up catfish farms and wastewater treatment ponds, the carp escaped in floods and soon began to compete with native species for food, consuming up to 20% of their
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist holding a bighead carp.
body weight daily. The American Waterways Operators favored nonstructural alternatives, such as overfishing the carp population, arguing the draft proposal posed safety and operational issues as well as negative economic repercussions. The states want the lock closed, citing a high risk of environmental and economic damage from the fish. — Dale K. DuPont
Historic paddlewheeler gets nod to sail again
A
fter years of trying, the Delta Queen’s owners finally won congressional approval to get the historic steamboat sailing again. The 1926 paddlewheeler, now docked in Houma, La., could return to service in 2020, adding one more vessel to the country’s growing inland
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www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
Delta Queen Steamboat Company
Congress approved a regulatory exemption to allow the 1926 paddlewheeler Delta Queen back into commercial service.
river overnight cruise market. “I’m absolutely thrilled,” Cornel Martin, CEO of Delta Queen Steamboat Co., said after the provision was included in the Coast Guard authorization bill signed into law in December. Next, Martin must raise funds for the estimated $10 million to $12 million — and maybe more — needed to renovate the vessel. “We’ve been talk-
ing to folks for the last several years, and there are several tracks we’ve been pursuing,” said Martin, a current owner and former executive with an earlier Delta Queen operator. He has consistently said the legislation was important for obtaining commercial financing. “For me, it’s been six years in the making. For some of my other partners, it’s been 10 years.” Now, he said, “we need to look seri-
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
ously at opening a mechanism where people can book cruises.” The long-sought provision exempts old vessels operating on inland waters from current fire hazard restrictions if the owners make annual alterations to at least 10% of the areas not constructed of fire-retardant materials. The 176-passenger vessel has a wood and steel superstructure. The vessel received a series of exemptions before it stopped sailing in 2008 when Majestic America Line shut down. The vessel will be homeported in Kimmswick, Mo., a small town about 25 miles south of St. Louis. Two years ago, the National Trust for Historic Preservation put the steamboat on its list of America’s Most Endangered Historic Places. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1989 and a National Treasure by the trust in 2013. — D.K. DuPont
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Wind/Hybrid Power
The Lillgrund wind farm located 10 km off the coast of Sweden opened in 2007. U.S. offshore wind installations will use much larger and more powerful turbines.
Balance of Power By Kirk Moore, Associate Editor
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T
he arrival of Donald Trump in the White House gave traditional fossil fuel companies a powerful advocate and appeared to deal a stunning setback to advocates for renewable energy. But not, as it turned out, for the emerging U.S. offshore wind industry. “I can tell you this administration has not adversely affected our industry at all,” said Ross Tyler, executive vice president of the Business Network for Offshore Wind, a nonprofit organization for development of wind power and a U.S.-grown supply chain. “We are seeing absolutely no slackening — if anything, there’s been a streamlining” of the federal planning and permitting process for offshore leasing and wind power development, Tyler told an audience at the International WorkBoat Show in New Orleans in November. During the 2016 campaign, Trump on occasion ridiculed wind power. He also had an earlier history of fighting government officials in Scotland over offshore turbines near one of his golf resorts. But in spring 2018, Interior Secretary Ryan
Zinke made clear that the Trump administration will push ahead with offshore wind leasing, even as it tries to expand offshore exploration for oil and gas — essentially an extension of the Obama administration’s “all of the above” energy policy. “They see it as part of the solution. I think they also like it because it can be a revenue generator for the federal government,” said Liz Burdock, president and CEO of the Business Network for Offshore Wind. In the meantime, key East Coast state governments have taken the lead on policymaking to push offshore wind development, she said. Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey have all set aggressive goals for offshore wind to replace aging onshore nuclear and fossil fuel power plants. In mid-December, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management held another lease sale for offshore New England, with bid prices expected to exceed a then-unheard-of $42 million that Norway-based developer Equinor paid in 2016 for 79,350 acres off New York. At the same time, New Jersey was ready to buy 1,100 megawatts from offshore developers,
Siemens
Offshore wind, hybrid propulsion gain firm footholds.
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
Damen Shipbuilding Group
followed by New York’s plan to sign similar power agreements in February 2019. That could set the stage for wind power companies to start ordering workboats and other hardware to ramp up for construction, said Burdock. “I think the dominoes are going to start falling,” said Burdock. Developers will order turbines for their installations, and the industry could see orders for boats coming to U.S. shipyards in late 2019, she said. Designers, builders and propulsion companies all had their eyes on the markets for offshore wind and hybrid marine power at the WorkBoat Show. Damen Shipbuilding Group promoted its latest design, the FCS 3410, a 112' service accommodation and transfer vessel (SATV), designed specifically for the U.S. wind industry. As an enlarged upgrade from boats that Netherlands-based Damen has built for the European wind industry, the fast crew supplier is designed to handle the longer distances and time at sea that will be needed to service turbine arrays on the U.S. outer continental shelf. The FCS 3410 would be built in U.S. shipyards with licensing and technical support from Damen, as the company has done for many years with tugs, patrol boats and other vessels built by
Damen’s new FCS 3410 transfer vessel is a 112' design for the emerging U.S. offshore wind industry.
U.S. partners. “This vessel is well suited to numerous markets. However, we have given it long endurance capability so that it can remain at sea for up to five days at a time — a requirement typically seen in U.S. operations,” said Daan Dijxhoorn, Damen’s U.S. sales manager, in announcing the new design. “To facilitate this, we have designed a vessel six meters (19.6') longer than previous FCS types, able to host more onboard personnel and accommodation.” HYBRID MOVES AHEAD Like offshore wind power, hybrid propulsion is further along in Europe and is now a small but promising segment of the U.S. workboat market. The Enhydra, the first 600-passenger, Subchapter K-certified passenger
vessel with hybrid electric propulsion built for San Francisco’s Red and White Fleet, was named WorkBoat’s 2018 Boat of the Year at the WorkBoat Show. With its quiet, ultra-low emissions power profile, the Enhydra is at the cutting edge of moves to reduce the environmental impact of California’s commercial marine industry by reducing air pollution emissions and the industry’s contribution to atmospheric carbon dioxide linked to climate change. “The hybrid technology is where everybody is trying to go,” said Adam Jost, applications manager with Thrustmaster, the Houston-based propulsion integrator whose show display was built around its latest electric See WIND page 35
WIND POWER ADVOCATES SEEK U.S. GULF EXPERTISE
Business Network for Offshore Wind
F
ounded in 2014 to help start the offshore wind industry in Maryland, the Business Network for Offshore Wind is working to help developers and coastal states develop a U.S.-based supply chain. “A lot will come out of adapting oil and gas technology,” said Liz Burdock, president, CEO and cofounder of the network. “The next big thing for offshore wind is floating (turbines) … that technology is directly derived from oil and gas.” With 20 years’ experience in the field, Burdock started her career in energy efficiency and environment-friendly measures at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Liz Burdock, president Development. Recently WindPower and CEO, Business Monthly named her one of its most Network for Offshore influential industry figures of 2018. Wind. “With the U.S. offshore sector
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
set to take off in a big way in the next couple of years, Burdock’s voice and experience will become ever more valuable,” the magazine wrote. “Assembling the components to kick start the U.S. offshore wind sector, Burdock has been working in the sustainability field for the best part of 20 years ... she (also has) focused on establishing the Business Network for Offshore Wind, a not-for-profit organization to support offshore wind development in the U.S.” At an Offshore Marine Service Association meeting in New Orleans in late 2018, Burdock spoke about how the Gulf of Mexico energy industry can be involved in developing new offshore wind ventures. Burdock’s colleague and network co-founder Ross Tyler, the group’s executive vice president, sounded the same note when he spoke a few weeks later at the International WorkBoat Show. “We need vessels. We need vessels that can lift the nacelles (turbine housings) and the rotors,” Tyler told an audience of Gulf operators. — K. Moore 17
ATBs
Know Your ATBs The popularity of ATBs is pushing them into more diverse sectors.
By Ken Hocke, Senior Editor
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M
aybe it’s an overused cliché to say that the introduction of a new idea changed an industry. Yet to say that the articulated tug/barge (ATB) unit redefined the way the towing industry hauls liquid cargoes is not a stretch. ATBs, which consist of a tug, barge and a coupler system to connect them, are largely regarded as more reliable and safer than towed vessels for a number of reasons, not the least of which is greater control over the barge. Compared to tankers, ATBs are generally cheaper to build, take less time to construct, and have lower operating costs. For example, crewing an ATB tug is far less expensive than crewing a tanker — fewer people to pay. And over the last decade plus they’ve become increasingly popular. “The ability to push 100% of the time has made ATBs the equal of any ship in terms of schedule
reliability. ATBs can be designed to operate in the very same weather conditions a ship can operate in and can, in some cases, even operate better,” Robert Hill, founder of the Milford, Mass.-based Ocean Tug & Barge Engineering Corp., a naval architect and marine engineering firm specializing in ATB design, said at the International WorkBoat Show in November. “The vast improvement in tug accommodation design has meant that operators can retain crew and reduce turnover, meaning that crew experience and knowledge is not lost via turnover. This in turn increases the reliability factor in the operation of a particular ATB.” ATB EVOLUTION OT&BE handled the concept design for one of WorkBoat’s Significant Boats of 2018 — an ATB made up of the 158'4"×52' tug Douglas B. Mackie and its 433'×92' suction hopper dredge Ellis Island. ATB suction hopper dredges are new to the www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock
The ATB suction hopper dredge Douglas B. Mackie/Ellis Island was named one of WorkBoat’s Significant Boats of 2018.
FUTURE INNOVATIONS Because of its many accomplishments, the ATB continues to evolve and the engineering is being applied to more industry sectors. VT Halter Marine is building two 8,000-cu.-meter LNG ATB bunkering vessels for Quality Liquefied Natural Gas Transport LLC (QLNG). These are the first LNG ATB units to be built in the U.S., according
Cummins Inc.
U.S. dredging industry, another use for the ATB concept. Built by Eastern Shipbuilding Group, the barge is fitted with twin Schottel STT2 electric, fixed-pitch bowthrusters, producing 800 hp each, powered by the shaft generators on the tug. The dredge pumps are powered by two, 5,000-hp EMD ME20G7C-T3 diesel engines on the barge. The Ellis Island has a dredging depth of 122' and a discharge diameter of 34". The Douglas B. Mackie and the Ellis Island are connected by a Taisei coupler system. Hill said ATBs have evolved to the point where they are now being used in international and transoceanic shipping. “Improvements in ATB speeds and reliability has resulted in current ATBs being increasingly involved in the movement of chemicals, liquified gases (LPG), interisland and remote island resupply operations, and even military cargoes moving overseas, particularly in the Pacific region,” he said. Other advancements include improvements to the inside of the tugs such as the introduction of the fulllength forecastle deck arrangements to increase available interior space, bigger staterooms and more single-person staterooms, exercise rooms, and improvements to the size and configurations of the galleys and mess spaces. The ATB has led to improvements in fuel loading systems that have nearly eliminated fuel overfill spills, Hill said. In addition, the double-hull barge skin reduces the chance of a spill in the case of an accident, hull designs reduce fuel consumption, and the development of the connector system allows for 100% pushing at sea which saves fuel.
The Asseteague and Double Skin 801, an 80,000-bbl. ATB for Vane Brothers built at Conrad Shipyard.
to Q-LNG. The ATBs will be made up of a 324'×64'×32.6' barge and a 128'×42'×21' tug, which are designed to carry 4,000 cu. meters of LNG. The U.S.-flag ATBs will be ABS classed and built to International Gas Carrier Code requirements. The project is a collaboration between VT Halter and Wärtsilä, who are supplying some key equipment to the barge including all of the cargo handling, cargo control, and cargo containment systems as well as the power management system (PMS) and automation onboard. For the tug, equipment from Wärtsilä will include all of the bridge navigation, communications, and dynamic positioning equipment as well as thruster, PMS and automation. Q-LNG was formed in 2017 and signed a long-term contract with Shell Trading to deliver LNG to ports in Florida and the Caribbean. Hill said safety will continue to be the No. 1 driver of ATB design in the future, but other factors will include emissions and environmental protection, manning and crew comfort, fuels and consumption, class society problems, dealing with increased vessel complexity, and a wide expansion of cargo types and trade routes. “We will see an increase in the number of ATB tugs built with double-skin fuel tanks, both by regulation and by owner choice,” said Hill. “We will see an increase in the application of multigenerator VSG (variable speed generation) diesel and gas/electric propulsion systems that are able to provide optimal power in the best part of an engine’s fuel map at any load point required by the tug’s current operational situation.”
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Use of the ATB is expanding around the world. Safety, efficiency, economy and practicality are the hallmarks of a good ATB design. “ATBs can go anywhere a ship can go, in the same weather and sometimes with more reliability. This is an advanced marine transportation system for the 21st century,” Hill said. “We who design them, and you who build, supply or operate them either aboard or ashore, know this very well. These boats are here, their numbers are increasing, and their success in doing their jobs safely and efficiently is beyond question. Best of all, we collectively will keep making them better.” MORE NEWBUILDS ATBs under construction or delivered over the past year include: • Crowley Fuels LLC awarded a contract to Bollinger Shipyards to build a new Alaska-class 100,000-bbl. ATB to transport clean petroleum products in the Alaska market. The ATB is being built at Bollinger Marine Fabricators in Amelia, La., with an estimated delivery in the fourth quarter of 2019. The contract with Bollinger includes an option to build a second ATB. Jensen Maritime, Crowley’s Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering subsidiary, designed the 483' ATB to meet Ice class and Polar Code requirements including increased structural framing and shell plating and extended zero discharge endurance. It also features a ship-shape bow to enhance its ability to maneuver in icy conditions. The tug will have azimuthing drives to enhance maneuSee ATBs page 34 19
CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT WORKBOAT YARDS
On TheWays
ON THE WAYS
Ken Hocke
New contracts diversify Gulf Island‘s orderbook
Gulf Island cut a former casino boat in half in preparation of adding a 60' midbody.
B
etween its three Louisiana yards in Houma, Lake Charles and Jennings, Gulf Island Shipyards’ orderbook has benefitted from a diverse collection of newbuild contracts. First up is a major retrofit project for American Queen Steamboat Co. involving the former 257'×78'×14' casino boat Kanesville Queen. A 60' midbody and a paddlewheel will be added, increasing the length of the vessel to 362'. The 245-passenger vessel will be renamed the American Countess. Gulf Island cut the Kanesville Queen in half, leaving one half of the boat in one side of the 300-foot shed at its Houma yard and moving the other half to the other side of the shed. “We’re also adding a couple of bowthrusters and a crew’s quarters down below,” said Jeffrey Larke, the conversion’s project manager. “We’re preparing it to become a passenger vessel.” In 2013, Viking River Cruises announced plans to enter the U.S. market. By 2017 Viking terminated the plans because of “economics.” Gulf Island worked with Viking officials on vessel designs during those years. “It didn’t work out, but we established some very impor20
tant and valuable working relationships with passenger vessel vendors that are helping us with the American Queen project,” said Chris Vaccari, Gulf Island’s senior vice president, business development. “The outfitting on this project is maybe eight to 10 times more than the steel work. That’s where our management and supervision expertise is so important.” In May, Gulf Island was awarded a $63.5 million Navy contract for the design and construction of a steel towing, salvage and rescue ship (T-ATS). The T-ATS will feature an ABS-classed DP-2 system, a bollard pull of 160 metric tons and a working deck area of almost 6,000 sq. ft. The Navy contract calls for a vessel with a minimum length of 131' and a minimum width of 36'. The contract includes options for seven additional vessels which could bring its total value to $523 million. The new boat, which will have a 21' draft, is scheduled for delivery by 2021. It will replace the current T-ATF and T-ARS 50-class ships in service with the Military Sealift Command. Gulf Island teamed up with Wärtsilä in pitching the design to the Navy. Main propulsion will come from twin Wärtsilä 8L32 diesel engines, producing 6,217 hp at 750 www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
Gulf Island Shipyards
rpm each. The mains will connect to Wärtsilä 145"-dia., controllable pitch, 4-bladed props through Wärtsilä marine gears. The propulsion package will give the Navy vessel a running speed of 13 knots. Capacities will include 400 cu. meters of fuel, 270 cu. meters fresh water; 825 cu. meters salvage storage space, and 375 cu. meters of mission storage space. The towing vessel and salvage will have accommodations for a crew of 65. Important ancillary equipment includes a towing winch, traction winch, knuckle boom crane, shark jaws, and tow pins. Gulf Island is building some research vessels for the National Science Foundation (NSF). Last year, the NSF awarded Oregon State University a grant of $122 million to begin construction on the first of three first-ofa-kind regional class research vessels,
Gulf Island teamed up with Wärtsilä in pitching the T-ATS design to the Navy.
representing the largest grant in the university’s history. This past summer, the grant was supplemented with an additional $88 million, allowing Gulf Island to proceed with the contract for the second vessel which will go to the University of Rhode Island. (A third vessel is expected to be awarded in 2019.) The first vessel, Taani, will have a 12'6" draft and is scheduled for delivery in March 2021. It will measure 199'6"×41'×19' and be equipped to conduct detailed seafloor mapping to
reveal geologic structures important to understanding subduction zone earthquakes that may trigger tsunamis and other items. The research vessel will have a range of over 5,000 nautical miles and be able to stay out at sea for about 21 days before returning to port. It will have berths for 16 scientists and 13 crewmembers. Main propulsion will come from a diesel-electric power package featuring three Caterpillar C32 diesel engines. This will enable the vessel to cruise at 11.5 knots and have a maxi-
BOATBUILDING BITTS
Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corp.
he Southwest Alaska Pilots Association has taken delivery of a new pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corp., Somerset, Mass. The Emerald Island was delivered to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where it was put on a ship bound for the U.S. West Coast. The 75.7'×20.6'×3.11' all-aluminum boat features GladdingHearn’s Ray Hunt-designed deep-V hull. With twin Cummins QSK38-M1, EPA Tier 3 diesel engines, each delivering 1,400 hp at 1,800 rpm and connected to twin ZF-5000 gear boxes, the pilot launch is propelled by a pair of Hamiltonjet HM651 waterjets for a top speed of 29 knots. Humphree interceptors, with active ride control and automatic trim optimization, are installed at the transom. Ship’s service power is provided by two Northern Lights 30-kW generators. Master Marine, Bayou La Batre, Ala., has delivered the 67'×28' towboat Rick Pemberton to Waterfront Services Co.,
75.7' pilot boat hitched a ride to the West Coast aboard a ship.
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
Master Marine
T
The 1,600-hp towboat Rick Pemberton.
the fourth of a four-boat contract. The boat was designed by Entech Designs, Kenner, La. With a maximum 7'9" working draft, the boat is powered by a pair of Laborde Productssupplied S6R2-Y3MPTAW Mitsubishi 803-hp Tier 3 diesel engines to be operated at 1,400 rpm. The engines are coupled to Twin Disc MG-5321, 5:1 reduction ratio marine gears with E300 electronic controls with R.W. Fernstrum Inc. keel coolers. Laborde also provided electrical power with two Northern Lights M65C13.2S 65-kW Tier 3 electronic controlled generators with Fernstrum keel coolers. A pair of Sound Propeller Services 70"×48"×7" 4-bladed stainlesssteel propellers provides thrust through two J&S Machine Works Inc. 7" ABS Grade 2 propeller shafts with all Thordon Marine Industries Corp. bearings, Thorplas bushings and shaft seals. Master Marine recently signed a contract to
21
On TheWays
Lt. j.g. Bill Morrison, U.S. Navy
build six 67'×28' Subchapter M-compliant towboats designed by Entech. The Houma, La.-based shipyard has laid the keels for the first two vessels, which will be working for Osage Marine Services, St. Louis. The rest will operate in the Lower Mississippi River system for an undisclosed customer. Each towboat will be powered by a pair of Laborde Products, S6R2-Y3MPTAW Mitsubishi 803 HP Tier 3 diesel marine engines to be operated at 1,400 rpm coupled to Twin Disc 5321 gears. Laborde Products is also providing electrical power with two Northern Lights M65C13.2S 65-kW Tier 3 electronic controlled generators with Fernstrum keel coolers throughout. Two new 105', 150-passenger, high-speed, aluminum catamaran passenger ferries built for the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) by Metal Shark have been completed and are ready to enter service. The first of the two new ferries was delivered to New Orleans in July. The second vessel is 100% complete at Metal Shark’s Franklin, La., shipyard where it successfully passed Coast Guard inspections at the beginning of October and is ready for delivery. The new ferries, RTA 1 and RTA 2, will replace decades-old ferries and will usher in new standards of comfort, safety, reliability, and efficiency. The vessels were designed by BMT and built to meet the specific requirements of the RTA. The Subchapter T ferries are powered by twin 715-hp Caterpillar C-18 Tier 3 diesel engines and feature a proven, low wake/low wash, high efficiency hull design for reduced environmental impact. Dakota Creek Industries, Anacortes, Wash., is building four 90'×38.25'×16.5' newly designed yard tugs for the Navy. The Navy currently plans to deploy the four new tugs at U.S. military bases in the Pacific Northwest and Yokosuka, Japan. They are designed to perform shiphandling duties for the full range of Navy surface warships and submarines. For this purpose, the tugs are equipped with an array of underwater fendering as well as typical resilient style fenders for handling surface ships. Main propulsion for the Robert Allan Z-Tech tugs will be provided by two Caterpillar 3512E engines — each rated at 1,800 hp at 1,600 rpm and each featuring a Schottel SRP 340 (formerly SRP 1012) azimuthing stern drive unit with 2,100-mm diameter fixed pitch propeller and an input power of 1,782 90' tugs for the Navy. hp. The combina22
Metal Shark
BOATBUILDING BITTS
The second 150-passenger ferry for New Orleans is complete.
tion is designed to provide a bollard pull of 43 MT and a freerunning speed of approximately 12 knots. Each of the ASD tugs will be equipped with two Schottel Rudderpropellers. Damen Shipyards Group has unveiled a new design for a bigger, longer-endurance offshore wind power service vessel, stepping up its proven European designs for challenging conditions of the emerging U.S. wind industry. The fast crew supplier (FCS) 3410, a 112' service accommodation and transfer vessel (SATV), would be built in U.S. shipyards with licensing and technical support from Damen, as the Netherlands-based group has done with tugs, patrol boats and other vessels built by U.S. partners. The FCS 3410 concept was featured at Damen’s display at November’s International WorkBoat Show. Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic officially launched the newest addition to its fleet, the National Geographic Venture, at a christening ceremony in San Francisco Bay recently. The Venture is only the second newbuild in the company’s history. The National Geographic Venture and its sistership National Geographic Quest were named one of WorkBoat’s 10 Significant Boats of 2018. The first 50-cabin coastal vessel, National Geographic Quest, joined the Lindblad fleet in July 2017. The 238'×44'×10', 100-passenger cruise vessels get their main propulsion from twin MTU 12V4000 Tier 3 diesel engines, producing 1,600 hp at 1,800 rpm each. The boats were built by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders and designed by Jensen Maritime Consultants. The Navy has awarded Austal USA a $40.3 million contract to fund the acquisition of long lead-time material (LLTM) and production engineering for the construction of a 103-meter expeditionary fast transport, EPF 14. Austal was awarded the initial contract to design and build the first 338' EPF in November 2008. Since then, 10 Spearhead-class EPFs have been delivered and are meeting Military Sealift Command’s requirements worldwide. Burlington (EPF 10) was delivered in November and two more EPFs are under construction. A similar contract was recently awarded to order long lead-time materials for EPF 13 in anticipation of a construction contract award. www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
Moose Boats
mum speed of 13 knots. The power package includes twin Schottel STP1012 Z-drives. In addition, the Taani will feature two Schottel thrusters — one SRP170 and one SPJ82. For service power, there will be a pair of Siemens generators, sparking 871 kW each. Another project at Gulf Island is a 118'×45'×19'7" tug for the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp., designed to provide icebreaking/ice management services on the St. Lawrence Seaway. Other responsibilities will include handling aids to navigation buoys and pushing two buoy and gate lifter barges. Designed by Robert Allan Ltd., the tug’s propulsion package will consist of twin Caterpillar 3516C diesel engines producing 2,675 hp each. The Cats will be coupled to Rolls-Royce US 35 CP stainless steel Z-drives with 102" variable pitch, 4-bladed props. The propulsion package will give the new tug a running speed of 13.5 knots and a bollard pull of 65 LT. Capacities will include 34,968 gals. of fuel; 7,462 gals. fresh water; 444 gals. lube oil; and 4,388 gals. foam. Ship’s service power will come from two Cat C9.3, Tier 3 gensets, sparking 150 kW of electrical power each. There will also be a C7.1, Tier 3 harbor genset, producing 150 kW of electrical power. The tug will be ABS classed Maltese Cross A1 Towing Service, Ice Class 1A and ABS, ABCU Green Passport. Delivery is scheduled for August 2019. Gulf Island is also building two new 300-passenger, 183'7"×46'10"×10'6" ferries for the North Carolina Department of Transportation and was recently awarded another contract from NCDOT to build two more ferries. Designed by Seattle-based Elliott Bay Design Group, the 300-passenger ferries will be powered by three diesel electric 565-kW Caterpillar engines connected to Schottel Z-drives. Running speed for the ferry will be 8.5 knots.
New fire rescue vessel for San Francisco from Moose Boats.
Capacities will include 3,500 gals. of fuel oil and 1,500 gals. potable water. The first steel ferry will have a crew of seven and is scheduled to be delivered in April 2020. In November, NCDOT awarded Gulf Island a contract to build two river-class vehicle ferries. The two ferries will cost about $23 million. The two new ferries, tentatively named the Avon and Salvo, will carry 40 vehicles each and replace the smaller Hatteras-class ferries Kinnakeet and Chicamacomico. The new ferries are scheduled to be delivered in 2020. “These two new boats, along with the two others already under construction, will both increase our capacity and upgrade our technology,” NCDOT ferry division director Harold Thomas said in a statement. The North Carolina ferry system is the second-largest state-run ferry system in the U.S., operating 21 boats on seven regular routes across five bodies of water. “We are pleased to have been selected by the North Carolina Department of Transportation to build these ferries. This is yet another example of our continuing diversification plan that goes beyond the traditional oil and gas sector,” Kirk Meche, president and CEO of Gulf Island Fabrication, said in a statement. Another Gulf Island contract calls for the construction of two 105'×34'×10'6" steel towboats for an unnamed customer. Designed by Gilbert Associates Inc., the new towboats’ main propulsion will come from twin Caterpillar 3512C diesels connected to 88"-dia. Sound Propeller Services wheels through Twin Disc MGX-5600 marine
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
gears with 6.04:1 reduction ratios. Ship’s service power will come from two John Deere-generator drive engines powering a pair of 99-kW gensets. Capacities will include 33,000 gals. of fuel; 8,000 gals. water; and 700 gals. lube oil. There will also be accommodations for a crew of seven. The first of the two USCG certified, Subchapter M towboats will be delivered in the summer of 2019 and the second in the winter of 2019. — Ken Hocke
Moose Boats delivers multimission catamaran to San Francisco Moose Boats, Vallejo, Calif., has delivered a new 38'10"×13'10" M2-38 catamaran dive and fire rescue vessel to the San Francisco Fire Department. SFFD’s Marine Unit responds to hundreds of shoreline and open-water search and rescue calls each year so the new M2-38 is outfitted with a cabin roof observation tower and an array of high-powered searchlights. The SFFD’s new, M2-38 Moose Boat will support a wide range of emergency response scenarios, such as dive operations, search and rescue, and fire suppression, according to SFFD’s assistant deputy chief Anthony Rivera said. “The SFFD annually responds to hundreds of marine related calls for service. The new Moose boat is an additional asset that will increase our marine capability and effectiveness in serving, not only the city of San Francisco, but the entire San Francisco Bay area region,” said Rivera. The M2 is outfitted with an inte23
grated dive/recovery platform and a bow ladder for beach rescues. Due to its homeland security role, it is also equipped with a Hale fire pump with Logan Clutch PTO flowing in excess of 1,500 gpm of fire suppression water, radiation detection equipment and CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) positive pressure cabin air filtration. A heavy duty push knee enables the M2-38 to come in contact with larger vessels and San Francisco’s many piers. Main propulsion comes from twin Cummins QSB6.7 425-hp turbo
diesel engines connected to Hamiltonjet HJ292 waterjets through Twin Disc MG-5075Sc marine gears. SFFD’s new Moose boat has a host of electronics including a Simrad multifunction navigation screen, radar and 3-D side scan sonar, L3 Maritime Systems AIS, FLIR stabilized thermal imaging camera, Motorola and Icom communications radios and an Ocean Technology Systems diver recall system. FEMA’s Port Security Grant Program funded 75% of the cost of the SFFD M2-38 catamaran. — K. Hocke
Ken Hocke
On TheWays
ZODIAC MILPRO HURRICANE H-1300 CAN HIT 55 KNOTS Zodiac of North America Inc., Stevensville, Md., brought its Hurricane H-1300 Interceptor to this year’s WorkBoat Show. The 43'×12'2" boat features dual consoles, reconfigurable deck spaces, dive access doors and advanced propulsion control/vessel positioning systems. The dual controls are fitted with a removable roof and windscreen and foldable mast for reduced transport height. Electronic components, engines, control systems, outfitting items, and deck layout may be changed at the customer’s request. Physical characteristics include 12'2" height, a displacement of 21,285 lbs., speed of 55 knots, and a 350-nautical-mile range (at 35 knots). The Michael Peters MACH 2 hull and deck design features welded aluminum hull and deck, deck tracks and cargo tie-downs, self-draining deck with integrated OBM splashwell, bow boarding and cuddy cabin, ABS high-speed craft guidelines, and seating capacity for four crew and seven passengers.
Seven companies displayed boats at this year‘s WorkBoat Show.
Ken Hocke
Safe concept demonstrator.
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had triple Suzuki 350 outboards), has a height on trailer of 12'6", a lightship weight of 13,616 lbs., an 83-sq.-ft. main cabin deck area, and a 48 sq. ft. aft cockpit deck area. Other features include an interior cabin height of 79.5", cuddy interior height of 58" (minimum) and 64" (maximum), aft cabin door opening height of 73", and a forward cockpit hatch door opening height of 48". Other design details include over 90 sq. ft. of visible window openings, more than 155 cu. ft. of storage options in 27 individual locations, side door located behind boat operator/navigator, centerline/below deck location for optional generator with 40-plus hours runtime.
BRUNSWICK FEATURES TWO BOATS AT WORKBOAT SHOW Brunswick Commercial and Government Products’ 25' Guardian is a center console design and classic un-
Ken Hocke
Doug Stewart
2018 WORKBOAT SHOW BOATS ON DISPLAY
SAFE BOATS SHOWS OFF 2019 CONCEPT BOAT Bremerton, Wash.-based Safe Boats International’s 2019 concept demonstrator was on display at the WorkBoat Show. It measures 35'8"×10'4" (without engines, though the boat at the show
Zodiac 43' Hurricane H-1300 Interceptor.
Brunswick displayed two boats.
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
Metal Shark 32' Defiant.
Ken Hocke
Lake Assault‘s 24LE RIB.
LAKE ASSAULT SHOWS OFF ITS 24' PATROL BOAT Lake Assault Boats, Superior, Wis., had its 24LE RIB on display at the WorkBoat Show. The boat measures 24'9' and has a running speed of 45 knots. The 24LE on display on the show floor is a modified V-hull design with a center console T-top configuration that is powered by twin Honda 200-hp outboards, making the vessel suitable for fast shallow water response, Lake Assault officials said. The highly maneuverable, lightweight design is able to operate in as little as 12" of water — ideal for first responders addressing a wide range of water conditions. A similar configuration was recently purchased by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. NORTH RIVER BOATS BRINGS FIRE/SEARCH AND RESCUE BOAT TO NEW ORLEANS Roseburg, Ore.-based North River Boats brought its 37'4"×10'3" Sounder fire/search and rescue vessel to this year’s WorkBoat Show. (Measurements include the outboard crash guard and D-bumper.) The deep V aluminum boat is powered by twin outboard engines (one standard rotation and one counter rotation) that give the boat a running speed of 45 mph. Firefighting/CBRNE equipment includes a Darley HE500 engine mounted fire pump with bronze impeller, Vortec 2.4-liter (130-hp) fire pump engine with through hull exhaust, Darley fire pump control, Task Force
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
North River 37' Sounder.
Tips manually operated forward monitor, nozzle and aft monitor, Whelen emergency lighting and scene lighting, and D-tect System’s MiniRad-V radiation detector. Propulsion comes from twin Yamaha F250XCA outboards producing a maximum speed of 46 mph.
stallation with greatly improved safety and reliability achieved by eliminating the need for highly volatile gasoline.
SCULLY’S BRINGS LANDING CRAFT TO IWBS Scully’s Custom Aluminum Boats, Morgan City, La., had its 2684LC landing craft that measures 26'4"×8'6" at the WorkBoat Show. The workboat features a 6° deadrise, 3" bulb t-beam frames, 3" D rubber gunnel, double bottom and gate with 3/16" tread plate. As the company’s name says, every boat is custom made whether it’s a center console boat, landing craft, cabin boat, survey boat, yacht, house boat, fireboat, USCG-certified boat, pushboat or deck boat. Custom options include paint, aluminum trailers, cabin sizes, galvanized trailers, fuel tank sizes, lift eyes, moon pools, outboard engine brackets, engine guard rails, tow bits, davits, push knees, insulated ceilings, air conditioning and heating, generators, hydraulic steering, navigation lights, spot lights, and tool boxes. — K. Hocke
Ken Hocke
Ken Hocke
METAL SHARK UNVEILS NAVY’S NEWEST PATROL BOAT Metal Shark selected this year’s Workboat Show to provide the public with its first peek at the Navy’s newest patrol boat, the 40 PB. The new, next-generation Defiant X patrol boat platform represents the latest evolution of Metal Shark’s proven monohull pilothouse series of vessels. On the technology front, Metal Shark brought a new 32' Defiant pilothouse vessel equipped with Sharktech autonomous technology developed in concert with autonomous technology developer L3 ASV. The boat was fitted with Cox Powertrain CXO300 high-powered diesel outboards. The four stroke V8 diesel CXO300 offers up to 25% more range compared to gas outboards and is designed to last up to three times longer. The engine combines the simplicity and economy of an outboard in-
Ken Hocke
sinkable fiberglass hull platform built for heavy loads. The boat is designed for simple, no nonsense operation that lets the operator focus on the mission. The user friendly walk-around deck allows adaptive operation, making it a versatile workhorse on the water. The Guardian measures 24'7"×8' and can be powered by 200-hp to 400-hp outboards. With a draft of 16", the Guardian also features an 18° deadrise, 12-person capacity, 150-gal. fuel capacity, and 25" transom height. Brunswick also had its 10-meter aluminum impact series boat on display. The Edgewater, Fla.-based company partners with MetalCraft Marine on this model with MetalCraft building the hull and Brunswick handling the rest of the construction and outfitting.
Scully‘s 26' landing craft.
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Lowdown
Thrustmaster’s latest electric pod design was on display at the 2018 International WorkBoat Show.
H
ybrid and electric powered vessels are still a small part of the workboat fleet. But November’s International WorkBoat Show in New Orleans offered some insight into where next-generation propulsion systems are going. The Enhydra, the new Red and White Fleet hybrid excursion vessel built for the San Francisco Bay operator by All American Marine, had pride of place at the show as WorkBoat’s 2018 Boat of the Year. With its quiet, ultra-low emissions power profile, the Enhydra is at the cutting edge of moves to minimize the environmental impact of California’s commercial marine
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Kirk Moore
News from the 39th International WorkBoat Show.
industry, by reducing air pollution emissions and the industry’s contribution to atmospheric carbon dioxide linked to climate change. British Columbia and Washington state ferry operators are adding hybrid and battery power, and manufacturers are moving to meet demand. “The hybrid technology is where everybody is trying to go,” said Adam Jost, applications manager with Thrustmaster, the Houston-based propulsion integrator whose show display was built around its latest electric pod thruster design. The company is offering “a complete turnkey solution for hybrid vessels,” and a big part of that market is ferry operawww.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
the future,” said Carlucci. The maritime world’s biggest operators are looking there too. ABS experts have been working with containership operators who are looking for new technology in applications like ship generators, said Carlucci. Shipping giant Maersk says it wants more “carbon-neutral” power for its new containerships by 2030. — Kirk Moore
*** FUNDING HITS RECORD LEVELS FOR THE INLAND WATERWAYS The inland waterways have enjoyed two consecutive years of strong funding from Congress, which helped with the completion of the Olmsted locks and dam project in Illinois, and funding for other projects to improve efficiency of river transportation, Michael Toohey, president and CEO of the Waterways Council said at the International WorkBoat Show. Toohey was the featured speaker at the Inland Waterways and Passenger Vessel Program. “We have been able to make $8.8 million in capital improvements so we can continue to compete internationally,” Toohey said. “The world is coming to the United States (for its food supply), and we are preparing to feed the world.” Meeting this demand will involve modernizing the nation’s antiquated and unreliable system of locks and dams. Progress has been stymied for decades by inconsistent funding from Congress and certain policies at the Army Corps of Engineers, but with a Mike Toohey, president and CEO of the Waterways Council.
Ken Hocke
tors and state and local transportation agencies, said Jost. Thrustmaster saw the market coming this way and has been making strategic moves over the past three years. One was bringing on board designer Paul Rembach as hybrid systems manager and the patents he developed with Legacy Automation Power & Design in Houston. An expert in energy management, Rembach said the technology now going into the first generation of hybrid workboats still has much to gain in efficiency and “greener” supply chains. “Part of the cost of batteries is also when you finish using them,” said Rembach, so those financial and ecological costs should be factored in. While some components of dead batteries can be recycled, some 40% are incinerated or otherwise wasted, he said. By dividing a battery’s lifespan in three phases — mining, manufacture and transport, then working life, and in the end as waste — the actual costs can be calculated, he said. “You’re always coming out with more than 100% carbon in the end,” Rembach added. Thrustmaster’s goal is to come up with solutions that are “economically feasible for our clients, and ecologically green,” he said. Over at the American Bureau of Shipping booth, Domenic Carlucci explained what ABS is doing to assist clients making the move to hybrid power systems. “We’re seeing a lot of ferry work,” said Carlucci, manager of machinery, electrical and controls, and advanced technology and research for ABS. On the workboat side, operators are interested in hybrid power for dynamic positioning, and energy storage that can add to bollard pull on tugboats and towing vessels. Reducing emissions is another motivator. Hybrid power can be a solution for boosting horsepower without the expense and design challenges of going to bigger EPA Tier 4 diesels. On the West Coast, California air pollution regulators are looking for ways to tighten what are already the nation’s toughest air quality rules for working vessels. “California makes everyone look to
new funding direction, progress has taken a remarkable turn for the better. Toohey said both the fiscal year 2018 and 2019 federal budgets for the Corps’ civil works programs, which funds waterways improvements, have hit record levels. In fiscal 2018, the budget hit a record $6.85 billion, allowing for completion of the much-delayed Olmsted project and for improvements to the Lower Monongahela River in Pennsylvania, the Kentucky lock and the Chickamauga lock in Tennessee. The budget hit another record for the current fiscal 2019, with nearly $7 billion appropriated. In addition, record funding levels were appropriated for operation and maintenance of the inland waterways system, and none of the budgets include an earlier plan by the Trump administration to impose new taxes, fees or tolls on the barge industry. Toohey said the 2019 budget also included an important change: a new cost-sharing arrangement to speed up the Chickamauga project from the current 50/50 split between the Inland Waterways Trust Fund and the federal treasury, to 85% federal and 15% trust fund. The barge industry supports the fund through a 29-cent-per gal. diesel fuel tax. Assuring that the funds are spent on the waterways is a top priority because “there is a great temptation in Congress to spend trust fund money on other programs, and if we don’t advocate, that’s what will happen.” Toohey said, however, that funding windfalls have a downside, as some locks and dams will close for improvements. In 2020 and again in 2023, the Illinois Waterway will shut for major repairs on six locks, which is expected to extend their lives for another 25 years. — Pamela Glass
*** SUBCHAPTER M: ALL VESSELS MUST BE IN COMPLIANCE It’s been less than five months since Subchapter M was officially implemented, requiring towing vessels to comply with Capt. Austin Gould discussed the challenges presented by a host of new rules to improve safety in the tug, towboat and recent hurricanes. barge industry. But already, vessel operators say the new regulatory regime
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
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Kirk Moore
has resulted in important changes in the way they do business. The shifts are many, said Benjamin “Bos” Smith, vice president of operations at Stevens Towing, Yonges Island, S.C. There’s been a decline in the number of towboats in the fleet as older boats that can’t be brought up to Coast Guard standards are retired, more expensive and extensive repairs to get boats into compliance, a drop in value of vessels not passing inspection and many being sold, and a rise in construction of new vessels to meet new requirements and replace those retired. “This is what we’ve seen so far under Subchapter M,” he said. Smith was the featured speaker at the show’s Tugs and Coastal Towing Program. Under the new regime, which was published in 2016 after years of delays and public hearings, operators had until July 20, 2018, to get their vessels in compliance, but Coast Guard-required vessel inspections to check compliance are being phased in over four years. This has resulted in some confusion in the industry, Smith said, causing many companies to wrongly think that they can put off compliance until the Coast Guard inspection is done. But in reality, their vessels must have been in compliance as of July 20, 2018. Some are discovering this the hard way. Should a vessel be involved in a marine casualty that involves dry docking, this can spark a Coast Guard inspection that reveals the vessel is not
Bos Smith, vice president of operations with Stevens Towing.
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in compliance. “If there is a marine casualty, the vessel can be subjected to a Subchapter M on the spot,” he said. “Inspections are more rigorous than expected, and tugboats can be inspected at any time. I don’t think tug operators had expected that.” Under Subchapter M, operators must have a Certificate of Inspection from the Coast Guard to maintain fleet operations. Two options are available to help them reach compliance: under the Towing Safety Management System option, routine inspections of vessels will be done by an outside auditor based on a safety system tailored to a fleet’s needs. For operators preferring not to develop their own safety systems, they can opt to have the Coast Guard do the inspections. Smith said given the diversified nature of Stevens Towing’s business and the heavy paperwork involved in compliance, they chose Coast Guard inspections, “preferring to get third party inspections with no agenda.” He said that should a vessel become involved in an accident and a court case follows, it’s a plus having the Coast Guard inspection. In addition to a new inspection regime, Subchapter M also creates new requirements for design, construction, equipment and operation of towing vessels, clearing the way for a shift in how shipyards design and build vessels, vendors manufacture equipment, and operators train crew and assure safe operation of their vessels. Other highlights from the Tugs and Coastal Towing program: • Z-drive propulsion has gained traction in recent years, recognized for its increased power and maneuverability using the same horsepower as traditional engines, especially for operators on the Lower Mississippi, said Mike Vitt, president and general counsel at E.N. Bisso & Son Inc., New Orleans, which added its first Z-drive tug to its fleet in 2007 and made its most recent acquisition in 2015. But Z-drives aren’t for everyone. “On the East Coast, it’s suicide,” said Smith of Stevens Towing.
“It’s a vacuum cleaner and in shallow conditions it will suck anything off the bottom and you have an expensive repair.” • Crew training using simulators can avoid costly mistakes and collisions. “It’s a good place to learn rather than on your own equipment,” said Capt. Eric Johansson, professor, professional mariner training department at the State University of New York Maritime College, Bronx, N.Y. “You need to decide how to move forward. A simulator is not inexpensive, but it’s a lot cheaper to restart a simulator than to fix your vessel. Johansson said vessel owners should pay even more attention to crew training because they are being increasingly blamed when accidents happen. There’s been a shift in how regulatory authorities assume responsibility when disaster strikes — from the master to the owner. “This shift has been faster than I thought we’d see.” • Scott Craig, director of marine personnel and compliance at Crowley Maritime, Seattle, said his company set up an assessment program of its 630 deck officers to evaluate their skill levels after a series of incidents in the 2000s. Weaknesses identified were addressed through additional training. The company now uses assessments as a regular part of gauging the competence of its veteran marine employees and its new hires, including assessments of navigational skills, underway assessments, and engineering knowledge. One conclusion: “Even when they have a Coast Guard license and STCW documents, and good experience, you can’t take it as a blanket conclusion that the officer is competent in watchstanding skills.” He also said that a degradation of skills is noted after two years and that skills and performance of crews on tugs that are on standby degrade quickly. The data collected at Crowley is indicative of what’s going on in the rest of the industry, he said. • Articulated tug-barges (ATBs) provide many benefits in terms of fuel costs and crewing, and their future is bright, said Robert Hill, president, Ocean Tug & Barge Engineering
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
with the higher horsepower vessels. — P. Glass
*** OSV OPERATORS MUST ALL ACT ‘RATIONALLY’ The market for modern platform supply vessels could tighten in 2019 and give the industry a chance to start raising rates to cover costs and long-deferred maintenance, a Gulf of Mexico offshore operator said at the WorkBoat Show. With a significant portion of the 4,000-dtw PSV fleet stacked or now overseas, day rates that had been $10,000 or less have crept back to $15,000 now, said Matthew Rigdon, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Jackson Offshore Operators LLC, New Orleans. Generally, at that level, “pricing power returns to the owners and we’ve
Kirk Moore
Corp., Milford, Mass, which specializes in ATB design. “In the U.S., they have an excellent track record. ATBs are doing very well. The crews are happy and there’s a real future for them in the U.S. transportation industry.” Demand is also growing from foreign buyers. “Half of our inquiries for ATBs are coming from overseas,” he said, and they’re also interested in ro/ro units, container carriers, gas carriers and LNG. • Buyers of today’s ship-assist tugs are looking for even higher horsepower but at the same time seeking smaller vessels, and this presents challenges for marine designers, according to Bruce Washburn of Washburn & Doughty Associates Inc., East Boothbay, Maine. It’s hard to cram in what’s needed onboard, from firefighting to crew comfort to new Tier 4 engines or Z-drives, and hard to get the noise level down
Matthew Rigdon, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Jackson Offshore Operators.
seen that,” said Rigdon, the featured speaker at the show’s Offshore Program. With 29 of those larger vessels due for drydocking in 2019, the industry could get into a position to climb out of its long-underpriced rut with discipline.
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15,000' of water, the upper decks of the house torn off in the sinking, and finally the VDR itself. Retrieved in a third sortie by the Apache, the VDR was brought ashore and 26 hours of conversations analyzed — the key evidence for an investigation that brought 53 safety recommendations. Those are becoming part of the biggest reforms of maritime safety in decades with legislation recently passed by Congress. The undertaking with Woods Hole made big strides in the NTSB’s ability to find and retrieve debris from deep underwater, and “we’ll continue that partnership going forward,” said Curtis. The agency’s complete report on the El Faro can be accessed online at https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/MAR1701.aspx.
Brian Curtis, director of the NTSB’s marine safety office.
in deep ocean exploration, said Brian Curtis, director of the agency’s marine safety office. “We never found any personal items from the crew,” Curtis said of the Oct. 1, 2015 sinking of the 790' ro/ro containership in Hurricane Joaquin. “We had no vessel, we had no survivors.” Curtis spoke at a Think Tank session held on the first day of the WorkBoat Show. All that the NTSB and Coast Guard had in those first days was a recorded phone call from El Faro captain Michael Davidson to ship operators TOTE Maritime in Florida, telling them the vessel was in imminent danger. But investigators knew that the El Faro carried a voyage data recorder (VDR), a capsule mounted atop the main house that contained a digital memory stick that would have held at least 12 hours of crew conversations on the bridge. “Now, we’re looking for something the size of two basketballs in the ocean, and we don’t even know where the ship went down,” Curtis recalled. The deep-sea collaboration that followed brought the Coast Guard and NTSB into close partnership with the Coast Guard and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute based on Cape Cod, Mass. Two missions to the area of the sinking east of the Bahamas by the Navy salvage ship Apache and the Woods Hole research vessel Atlantis located the wreck of the El Faro in
— K. Moore
*** AUTONOMOUS VESSEL MARKETS AND TECHNOLOGY CONTINUES TO DEVELOP Still-developing technology and markets for autonomous vessels could take the infant sector in unexpected directions, two leading-edge providers said at a Think Tank session at the WorkBoat Show. Thinking about mating solar energy panels and electric drives to autonomous patrol boats raises the prospect of picket vessels with ultra-long endurance, said Chris Allard, CEO of Metal
Doug Stewart
*** EL FARO INVESTIGATION MADE PARTNERS OF NTSB, DEEP OCEAN SCIENTISTS The National Transportation Safety Board could not have determined what sank the El Faro with her crew of 33 had it not been for help from experts
Doug Stewart
With the cost of intermediate drydocking around $750,000 and special drydocking twice that, operators need to raise rates to get their assets back on better maintenance tracks, said Rigdon. In Rigdon’s analysis, “recovery of drydock costs over two or three years is just not possible for owners at $15,000 a day.” The industry would need to get back over $30,000 a day to finance a newbuild phase, so in the near-term, owners need prices to move upward just to meet drydock needs, he said. After the oil market collapse some companies had been operating below cost for several years just to maintain position, he noted. “If rationality can continue to prevail, we will see more vessels due for drydock go to stack,” Rigdon added. “It will be the decrease that will drive utilization to 80% … this assumes that we as an industry can act rationally.” In 2016-2017, day rates went as low as $7,000 to $8,000, a big drop from 2008 “when it was probably full utilization of the marketed fleet,” said Richard Sanchez, a senior marine analyst with IHS Markit, Houston. In the deepwater market, “it’s really a soft recovery,” said Sanchez. The large newest PSVs can get $15,000 to $17,000 a day but 3,000-dtw vessels still hover around $5,000 to $6,000, he said. “Five thousand for these boats is not going to pay your debt costs, and probably not your drydock costs,” said Sanchez, adding the situation is “not sustainable yet, but it’s definitely moving upward.” Meanwhile some big boats have gone south. “Guyana’s got at least eight or nine boats down there,” he said. “If you can get a boat down to Guyana, you’ll probably be looking at $18,000 to $20,000.” — K. Moore
Mike Johnson, founder and CEO of Sea Machines.
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
Shark, which this year unveiled its first Defender-class patrol vessel equipped with ASV Global technology. “If you take away the two to four gallons per hour for stationkeeping, we’ve done scenarios where it’s startlingly close to infinite,” said Allard. Autonomous functions will complement navigation bridge crews, effectively extending eyes and ears with their sensors, said Michael Johnson, founder and CEO of Sea Machines with offices in Boston and Hamburg. Sea Machines is now working with Maersk to conduct sea trials on autonomous technology in that role on a crewed containership in the Baltic. Johnson and Allard say the technology can apply as a smart autopilot, alerting human operators to changing vessel conditions and external factors. — K. Moore
*** COAST GUARD SEEKS INDUSTRY HELP FOR NEW INLAND CUTTERS DESIGN Inland cutters are some of the Coast Guard’s most versatile boats, and the oldest — with an average age over 53 years old. A new class of waterways commerce cutter is next in the Coast Guard’s recapitalization effort, and the WCC team came to the International WorkBoat Show to brief shipbuilding and design officials. “We’re looking for what’s stateof-the-market,” said Aileen Sedmak, manager of the WCC program, now in partnership with the Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command to analyze needs and design requirements. “Our internal Coast Guard design team is working on an indicative design,” and seeking help from the Corps of Engineers design center as well, Sedmak explained to a standing-room crowd at the presentation. “What does ‘early’ mean? Early means we have not fleshed everything out yet.” The inland fleet includes the Coast Guard’s oldest vessel, the 100' tender Smilax, a circa World War II cutter homeported at Fort Macon, N.C., and
all of the vessels face issues of obsolescence and sustainability. The goal is to have the first new waterway cutter finish sea trials and be operational in 2024 and have the new fleet operational in 2030. The challenge is to come up with a concept that will replace a fleet of 35 vessels that accomplish three main missions, across the lower 48 states and Alaska, including inland construction tenders, river buoy tenders and inland buoy tenders. “It’s our biggest hurdle. Can we combine the missions in one or two (designs)?” said Sedmak. In walking around the show, Sedmak noted, she had heard that industry people are coming up with questions about the WCC needs. The Coast Guard already has a request for information (RFI) out to solicit ideas, and some in the briefing audience had more. The RFI calls for 150 tons deck cargo capacity. Stephen Berthold, vice president of sales with Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Panama City, Fla., asked if the preliminary draft dimensions were open to change, and Coast Guard officials said they are wide open to suggestions. “If you think what we are putting out is physically impossible … we want to hear that,” said Sedmak. “We’re at a point where we’re still trying to figure it all out.” That goes for deck equipment too, added Lt. Cmdr. John M. Singletary: “Please respond to the RFI because we’re using the same cranes and drivers since 1961.” “Everyone says this is just a workboat … here we are trying to get a vessel for three different missions across the nation up into Alaska,” said Sedmak. “Think of it as a system of systems. It is not an easy problem.” While the WCC program is still at the stage of analyzing options, the team says it has some broad requirements already: • Designs must fulfill the three inland aids to navigation missions. • Potential solutions that can per-
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
form the mission more efficiently using different methods from the current fleet will be considered. • A goal should be to maximize commonality and standardization. • Designs should minimize needs for drydocking, preventative maintenance, and relying on shipyards and other external maintenance providers. More information, including slides from the WorkBoat show briefing, are available at the WCC program web page at https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/ Our-Organization/Assistant-Commandant-for-Acquisitions-CG-9/Programs/ Surface-Programs/WCC/. The team can be contacted directly by email at wcc@uscg.mil. — K. Moore *** OFFSHORE WIND CAN PRODUCE OPPORTUNITIES FOR GULF OSV OPERATORS Offshore wind energy development is moving apace in the Northeast and the Gulf of Mexico can be a source of boats and skills for the new industry. Despite early doubts about the Trump administration’s attitude toward wind power, “we are seeing absolutely no slowdown,” but a move to streamline the permitting process, said Ross Tyler, executive vice president and cofounder of the Business Network for Offshore Wind. Tyler spoke at the International WorkBoat Show, the same day that wind developer Equinor announced it will move ahead with plans for its Boardwalk Wind project on a federal lease off New Jersey. The nation’s first commercial offshore wind array, built by Deepwater Wind at Block Island, R.I., used foundations from Gulf Island Fabrication, Houma, La., and liftboats from Montco Offshore, Galliano, La., for installation. “What we would like to see is more of the expertise held here move to this market,” said Tyler, whose group includes U.S. industrial suppliers who could help develop the wind industry. “There’s a market there and we can be a conduit.” — K. Moore 31
Welding Lighting
Self Operators Robotics may help ease the welder shortage.
By Michael Crowley, Correspondent
32
I
t’s a growing issue for shipbuilders: finding qualified welders, especially younger ones. The current labor pool favors older welders. “The average age at Newport News (Shipbuilding) is 56 years old,” said Gerald Dasbach, president of Fit Up Gear in Houston. The situation, as Dasbach sees it, is the younger crowd, which in decades past would have filled slots for apprentice welders in shipyards, “aren’t willing to work anymore. They think they can have a computer job and they would rather do that.” He compared the shortage of qualified welders in the U.S. to the situation in Europe, which
is much different. Because “they actually look at welding as a profession,” Dasbach said. “Welders are very well respected over there.” Whereas in the U.S., welding is “not regarded as a profession. It’s looked at as a dirty job and it really isn’t a dirty job.” With limited new talent coming into shipyards, “we’ve got to replace (the lack of welders) with something,” said Dasbach. His answer is a “robotic solution” that’s currently in the early stages of development at Fit Up Gear. Basically, it envisions an older experienced welder, who is not as agile as he once was but www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
David Krapf
U.S. shipyards continue to suffer from a shortage of qualified welders.
David Krapf
has a lot of experience, in an air-conditioned room with computer screens. “He’ll manipulate the robot with controls in his hands from the air-conditioned space where (he is) comfortable.” No longer does he have to worry about “climbing over this or that,” and he just might put off retirement for a few years. The person in the air-conditioned room controlling the robot will work with a “setter” who places the robot where the weld needs to be made. Once the welding is completed, the setter moves the robot to a different spot. “It’s got to be a quick process, so we are talking about several different ways of doing it,” said Dasbach. Eventually, Dasbach envisions setters moving into the control room after they’ve worked with the robots long enough to understand what is involved in the welding process and what needs to be done.
In the U.S., the welding profession is not as respected as it is overseas.
Besides using setters, there is also the possibility of putting the robot on a flexible rail, which allows the robot to be driven up and down along the rail. Dasbach said a company in Denmark
has that type of welding apparatus. As far as having a robot that can be controlled to move around on its own, he said there’s “not the ability to do that yet” with a heavy emphasis on yet, indi-
MECHANIZED WELDING TORCH
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
the SpinArc torch can be adjusted depending on the application. The MA-400DM is not a familiar name to shipyards but Weld Revolution is working on changing that. As a start, Christofferson said they have eight torches in production at a naval shipyard. “They are The SpinArc mechanized welding torch. welding fillet welds and welding over primer. SpinArc has helped to reduce the defect rate.” SpinArc just might be one of those welding tools that help make up for the dwindling labor force of welders that Fit Up Gear president Gerald Dasbach talks about. In fact, he said, “it should make an OK welder a really good welder by spinning the wire in the puddle.” Christofferson agreed, saying SpinArc will make up for a lack of skilled people. “There’s a lot less learning time to teach someone to weld with SpinArc,” he said. “Takes a lot of the guess work out.” — M. Crowley
Weld Revolution
D
o you want to reduce welding time by up to 50%? That’s what Weld Revolution LLC in Spring, Texas, claims can be achieved with its recently released MA-400-DM SpinArc mechanized welding torch. Part of the reason that’s possible is SpinArc’s contact tip. “It rotates the welding arc at a high rate of speed so it spreads the heat out,” said Eric Christofferson, Weld Revolution’s president. The rotating speed of a torch’s tip varies from 400 rpm to 5,500 rpm, depending on the work being done. Spreading the arc out allows better sidewall fusion, especially in narrow groove weld applications, such as for thick-walled pipe and vessels. Pushing out the weld puddle means the joint is more completely filled and fewer passes have to be made. Thus, both time and filler metal are reduced when compared to conventional welding. SpinArc minimizes distortion because the heat is focused over a larger area and higher travel speeds are possible. Since little or no bevel angle is needed, prep time is reduced, as are the number of welding passes. Christofferson said plate that’s 1/2" and under typically isn’t beveled at all. The MA-400-DM is currently a machine torch, best used with some type of automation, a fixed piece of equipment or a gantry. It can be used with a pistol grip, but not in all cases because of its weight. A MA-400-DM hand torch should be released in the second quarter of 2019. The MA-400 SpinArc torch is available with a water-cooled nozzle that enables continuous welding at 400 amp. Both the speed and the rotational diameter (1 mm to 8 mm) of
33
STUD WELDING
cating that it might not be that far off in the future. Welding on the exterior of a hull is where a robotic welder can be put to its best use. That eliminates the need for scaffolding, which Dasbach notes are “very expensive and time consuming.” Dasbach said he doesn’t know of another company trying to do what Fit Up Gear is doing, which isn’t to say the technology for this type of robotic welding isn’t available. “The technology is out there. We are putting the pieces together but it’s a slow process.” Many components for the robotic welder are coming from ABB Robotics, Auburn Hills, Mich. “I tell him what I’m looking for and he’s digging up pieces for me.” Without a solution for the diminishing labor pool of welders, Dasbach noted, “we have a big problem coming our way very quickly.”
O
n a more traditional note, there’s Arcon Welding Equipment LLC’s latest product, the Studhorse 1500DM. It’s a 1,500-amp inverter power source that shoots up to a 3/4"-dia. stud. It’s an improvement over Arcon’s 1,200-amp model that was limited to a 5/8"-dia. stud that has been “used quite a bit in shipbuilding,” said Mike Bell, product engineer at Arcon. One of those uses would be cable raceways. Shoot a threaded stud to the ceiling, attach a plate to it and then run cables through. Another use is when two large plates need to be welded together. “Shoot a stud on each plate, attach a plate to those studs to hold the two pieces together, then do the weld,” said Bell. A couple of things make the Studhorse 1500DM stand out from most of the competition. It’s small — 17.9" high, 10.5" wide and
19.5" long — and in its fiberglass case weighs The Studhorse 1500DM. only 90 lbs. With one possible exception, said Bell, “most in the industry are big, 400 to 500 pounds.” In addition, he added, “all of our competition uses IGBT transistors for switching circuitry for its inverter.” Arcon uses SCR in its inverter. “It’s made to handle larger power so they are more durable,” said Bell. The Studhorse 1500DM, which was displayed at this year’s International WorkBoat Show in New Orleans, was undergoing field trials at the end of 2018. Bell said it will be in full production at the beginning of 2019. — M. Crowley
Arcon Welding Equipment
Welding
ATBs
verability, and an Intercon C-series coupling system with a first-of-its-kind lightering helmet and barge ladder wave design. • Conrad Deepwater South, Amelia, La., is building three 403'×74'×32' ATB tank barges for Vane Brothers Co., Baltimore. Designed by Bristol Harbor Group, Bristol, R.I., the first 80,000-bbl. double-hull tank barge was delivered in February 2018. The ATBs are equipped with a complete loading and discharging system in 10 tank compartments and includes a cargo 10 MMBTU thermal heating system. The two cargo heaters are Vapor Power ONC-5937-AHK-50s. For added maneuverability, there is an OmniThruster HT600 bowthruster. The 110'×38'×17' ATB tugs are being built at Conrad’s Orange, Texas, facility. • Senesco Marine LLC, North Kingston, R.I., delivered a new ATB in June to its parent company Reinauer 34
Senesco Marine
ATBs continued from page 19
The 150,000-bbl. ATB Bert Reinauer/RTC 165.
Transportation Companies LLC, Staten Island, N.Y. The ATB — the 8,000-hp tug Bert Reinauer and 150,000-bbl. barge RTC 165 — is the largest such ATB unit built in the Northeast, Senesco said. An Intercon pin system connects the tug to the 515'4"×73'7"×41' barge. Main propulsion for the Bert Reinauer is provided by two 12-cylinder GE Tier 4-certified marine diesel engines. Four John Deere generator drive engines (including an emergency diesel generator)
provide the tug’s electrical needs. The tug’s navigation equipment includes an electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS), automatic radar plotting aid (ARPA) and fullyinterfaced redundant navigational systems. The RTC 165, a grade “A” clean service barge, is equipped with an electronic gauging system and Cargo Max loading system. It has four independent segregated cargo systems that can load or discharge up to four products at the same time.
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
Wind/Hybrid Power
pod thruster design. The company is offering “a complete turnkey solution for hybrid vessels,” and a big part of that market is ferry operators and state and local transportation agencies, said Jost. Thrustmaster saw the market moving this way and has been making strategic moves over the past three years. One was bringing on board designer Paul Rembach as hybrid systems manager and the patents he developed with Legacy Automation, Power & Design. An expert in energy management, Rembach says the technology now going into the first generation of hybrid workboats still has much to gain in efficiency and “greener” supply chains. “Part of the cost of batteries is also when you finish using them,” said Rembach, so those financial and ecological costs should be factored in. While some components of dead batteries can be recycled, some 40% are incinerated or otherwise wasted, he said. By dividing a battery’s lifespan in three phases — mining, manufacture and transport, then working life, and in the end as waste — the actual costs can be calculated, he said. “You’re always coming out with more than 100% carbon in the end,” Rembach added. Thrustmaster’s goal is to come up with solutions that are “economically feasible for our clients, and ecologically green,” he said. Over at the American Bureau of Shipping booth at the WorkBoat Show, Domenic Carlucci explained what ABS is doing to assist customers making the move to hybrid power systems. “We’re seeing a lot of ferry work,” said Carlucci, manager of machinery, electrical and controls, and advanced technology and research for ABS. On the workboat side, operators are interested in hybrid power for dynamic positioning, and energy storage that can add to bollard pull on tugs and towing vessels. Reducing emissions is another motivator. Hybrid power can be a solu-
tion for boosting horsepower without the expense and design challenges of going to bigger EPA Tier 4 diesels. On the West Coast, California air pollution regulators are looking for ways to tighten what are already the nation’s toughest air quality rules for working vessels. “California makes everyone look to the future,” said Carlucci. The pace of innovation is keeping ABS busy generating and updating guides for new power systems, including components for energy storage from batteries to flywheels, and fuel cells, solar and wind generation. Some of what is new was once old,
like new direct current (DC) systems, said Carlucci. “DC is making a comeback based on lower costs of components. We’ve seen a shift to DC for smaller vessels.” Developing an offshore wind power industry in U.S. waters is requiring its own huge effort toward cooperation with the marine transportation and commercial fishing industries. At a December meeting in Newport, R.I., representatives from the fishing industry, wind developers, BOEM, the Coast Guard and National Marine Fisheries Service met to continue developing vessel transit lanes.
TRANSIT LANES, TIMES DISCUSSED FOR WIND ENERGY AREAS
T
he Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, representing fishing businesses from Maine to North Carolina, pressed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to plan for transit lanes through offshore wind leases already held by Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind and Vineyard Wind LLC, and for the three additional lease offerings in December. “In addition to loss of access within the lease areas, commercial fishermen coastwide have long been concerned about their ability to safely travel across wind energy arrays to access other historical, traditional commercial fishing grounds,” the alliance said in a statement after the meeting. “They are especially concerned with the size of the WEAs (wind energy areas) being proposed by BOEM, which are by far the largest in the world.” Minimizing transit times through the turbine arrays is a primary goal of the effort, according to the alliance, which noted “safety risks greatly increase due to the long distances — up to 50-70 miles — fishing boats may be required to transit either around or through wind energy arrays.” Similar discussions are ongoing with the Coast Guard and maritime transportation industry in the New York Bight, where BOEM is considering the need for an offshore tug and tow transit lane running diagonally across the bight from Cape May, N.J., to Montauk Point, N.Y. A first draft of possible
www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
BOEM
WIND continued from page 17
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management released draft plans for wind energy areas in the New York Bight to reduce conflicts with the maritime transport and commercial fishing industries. wind energy areas for that region issued by BOEM in November keeps potential lease areas farther away from traffic lanes. “BOEM is going to try to de-conflict the (wind energy) sites as much as possible before development,” said Liz Burdock, president, CEO and co-founder of the Business Network for Offshore. — K. Moore
35
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Your Source For Employment, Equipment & Services ADVERTISERS INDEX
Advertiser / Page Ahead Sanitation Systems Inc . . . . . . . . . . . .14
MTU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
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Research Products/Incinolet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
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Brunswick Commercial & Gov't Products . . . . .2
Tandemloc, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,5
Duramax Marine LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CV3
Twin Disc Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CV2
Furuno USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
USA Pumps 24, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Hougen Mfg ., Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Yanmar America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Imtra Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 International WorkBoat Show . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Karl Senner, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CV4 Louisiana Cat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
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www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
SIGNIFICANT BOATS OF 2018
Congratulations to all Owners, Builders and Designers of the 2018 Significant Boats Cindy L. Erickson, Chris Reeves, Jerry Jarrett (Triple-Screw Towboats) Owner: Marquette Transportation Co. Builder: C&C Marine and Repair Designer: CT Marine
Clean Jacksonville (LNG Bunker Barge) Owner: TOTE Maritime Builder: Conrad Industries Designer: Bristol Harbor Group (barge)/GTT (LNG cryogenic membrane)
Douglas B. Mackie (tug), Ellis Island (dredge) (Suction Hopper Dredge ATB) Owner: Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. Builder: Eastern Shipbuilding Group Designer: Ship Architects Inc. (tug), Bay Engineering Inc. (dredge), Ocean Tug & Barge Engineering (concept design)
Enhydra (Hybrid Ferry) Owner: Red and White Fleet Builder: All American Marine Designer: Teknicraft Design
Marine 24 (Fire/Rescue Boat)
National Geographic Quest, National Geographic Venture (Expedition Cruise Vessel) Owner: Lindblad Expeditions Builder: Nichols Brothers Boat Builders Designer: Jensen Maritime Consultants
Potomac Taxi I, II, III and IV (Water Taxi)
Owner: Potomac Riverboat Co., Entertainment Cruises Builder: Metal Shark Designer: BMT
Rosemary McAllister (Ship Assist/Escort Tug)
Owner: McAllister Towing and Transportation Co. Inc. Builder: Eastern Shipbuilding Group Designer: Jensen Maritime
Seastreak Commodore (Commuter Ferry) Owner: Seastreak LLC Builder: Gulf Craft LLC Designer: Incat Crowther
Owner: Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District Builder: Lake Assault Boats/Fraser Shipyards Inc. Designer: Lake Assault Boats
Millville (tug), 1964 (barge) (Articulated Tug/Barge Unit) Owner: Wawa Inc. Builder: Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Designer: Guarino & Cox
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON
SIGNIFICANT BOATS FOR
2019
Visit: workboat.com
LOOKS BACK JANUARY 1949
• The Commerce Department’s Office of Industry Cooperation held a hearing in December on the first quarter steel quota for boat and barge builders that serve the inland water transportation industry. During the fourth quarter of 1948, the yards were reportedly satisfied with its allocation of 20,000 tons of steel a month. Steel industry sources report a
general improvement in supplies, with the worst of the shortage now over. Steel officials doubt that any system of voluntary allocation would be needed in 1949. • A bill to extend the route of Federal Barge Lines from Mobile, Ala., to Pensacola, Fla., is expected to be introduced by Rep. Bob Sikes, D-Fla., early in the new session of Congress. The House Interstate and JANUARY 1959 Foreign Com• Santa Claus came to Pittsburgh last month via towboat. He arrived at the city’s Allegheny River wharf aboard Dravo Corp.’s 580-hp Ram-class towboat Ranger, which was borrowed from its barge and derrick boat moving assignment at the nearby Fort Duqesne Bridge construction project. • The oldest ferry crossing on Lake Champlain will have a new ferry this spring. Larrabee’s JANUARY 1969 Point Ferry,
• Sun Oil Co. and Global Marine Inc., Los Angeles, have signed an agreement to explore more than 6.5 million offshore acres in the Canadian Arctic Islands for possible oil and gas structures starting this year. The agreement provides for pooling three permit areas in the Canadian Arctic offshore area, located north of the delta where the McKenzie River empties into the 44
merce Committee failed to act on a similar Sikes bill in the last session. Sikes said recently that he would push hard for his bill to bring barge lines to Pensacola regardless of larger issues, including the effort to force the government out of the inland water transport business. Fort Ticonderoga, N.Y., has awarded a contract to Blount Marine Corp., Warren, R.I., to build a steel 106', 18-car cable ferry. The ferry began operating around 1910.
Arctic Ocean. Global Marine previously secured exploration permits for a total area of almost 5 million acres, with most water depths averaging less than 100'. • More than a quarter of all freight moving along the Ohio River, 27.8%, either began or ended the journey at ports along the tributaries of the mainstream. www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2019 • WorkBoat
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17990 Great Lakes Parkway Hiram, Ohio 44234 U.S.A.
info@DuramaxMarine.com | www.DuramaxMarine.com
PHONE 440.834.5400 FAX 800.497.9283 USA & Canada or 440.834.4950