WorkBoat February 2022

USMMA • Safety Training • ATBs ®

IN BUSINESS ON THE COASTAL AND INLAND WATERS

On the Mend

FEBRUARY 2022

Passenger vessel operators saw business finally improve in 2021.

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Content

FEBRUARY 2022 VOLUME 71, NO. 2

FEATURES 16 Focus: Retrain

Systemic issues remain at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y.

18 Vessel Report: Fluid Dynamics

Design and construction of ATBs continues to advance.

26 Cover Story: Sick Days

16

Covid has hit the passenger vessel industry hard, but operators saw some signs of life in 2021’s second half.

BOATS & GEAR 22 On the Ways

• Midship Marine delivers 720-passenger ferry to Seastreak • Main Iron delivers 6,000-hp ASD tug to Bisso Towboat • Weeks Marine takes delivery of 78' lugger tug from Rodriguez Shipbuilding • American Patriot Holdings seeks bids for four inland river container “hybrid” design vessels

30 Safe and Sound

With a strong safety culture, most workboat accidents are preventable.

30

AT A GLANCE 8 On the Water: Covid unveils multiple failures.

8 Captain’s Table: Funding needed for inland infrastructure.

9 Energy Level: U.S. poised to become global leader in LNG exports.

10 WB Stock Index: Small gain for workboat stocks in December.

10 Inland Insider: Grain transportation steady in 2021.

11 Insurance Watch: Consider Maritime Employers Liability coverage.

12 Legal Talk: Running aground on hearsay rocks.

12 Nor’easter: New Jersey’s offshore wind impact studies.

NEWS LOG

DEPARTMENTS 2 Editor’s Watch 6 Mail Bag 34 Port of Call 42 Advertisers Index 44 WB Looks Back

14 BOEM begins environmental assessment for offshore wind in the Gulf.

14 Feds award $241 million in grants to U.S. ports.

ON THE COVER 14 OXE Marine to purchase U.S. distributor Diesel Outboards.

The 399-passenger Casco Bay Lines ferry Aucocisco III 14 Massachusetts and Maryland sign offshore wind contracts. approaches the Great Diamond Island dock in Portland, Maine. Photo by Britton Spark

www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

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EDITOR'S WATCH

Returning to the water

BRIAN GAUVIN PHOTO

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SAVE the DATE! Don’t forget to mark your calendar for the 2022 edition of the largest commercial marine tradeshow in North America.

’s been a tough couple of seasons for passenger vessel operators.

Arguably, it is the workboat sector that has been hit hardest by the Covid pandemic. The passenger vessel industry went from the hottest workboat sector to the coldest. Some operators saw business drop as much as 90% from previous years.

Operators have had to deal with all the virus variants, mandates, mask and sanitation protocols, supply chain woes and higher costs for everything including labor (that’s if they could even find qualified workers).

As Dale DuPont writes in this month’s cover story (see page 26), most operators have survived, but it hasn’t been easy. They’ve had to be flexible, such as postponing boat refurbishments and other maintenance, and reducing boat capacities and sailings — all while burning through reserves.

But things finally began to improve midyear. “A slowly rebounding economy, coupled with consumer desire to travel, helped PVA vessel operators in many industry segments with increasing business during the second half of 2021,” John Groundwater, Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) executive director, told WorkBoat. “If Covid variants do not force new business shutdowns in 2022, PVA anticipates that U.S. passenger vessel operators will make slow progress in rebuilding their businesses.”

For overnight operator UnCruise Adventures, Seattle, last year “was the start of a recovery,” owner and CEO Capt. Dan Blanchard told Dale.

He said bookings “are running very solid” for this year. “We feel pretty ai16389015345_editwatch_BPA_2021.pdf good,” knowing Covid and its vari-

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ants like Omicron are still a threat. “If it’s not anything worse than the Delta variant, we can handle it.”

Wendella Sightseeing Boats in Chicago had a “pretty successful season,” said Andrew Sargis, chief of operations.

The same goes for Classic Harbor Line in New York. “We had a great season,” said Capt. Sarah Pennington.

Let’s hope 2022 will also be a great season. Passenger vessel operators have worked hard to stay afloat. They deserve it.

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12/7/21

1:25 PM

WORKBOAT® (ISSN 0043-8014) is published monthly by Diversified Communications, 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 22

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MAIL BAG Vessel inspection: Be informed

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read with interest Capt. Alan Bernstein’s column in the December WorkBoat regarding the latest generation of Coast Guard inspectors (“USCG vessel inspection: The old days”).

Full disclosure: I have known Capt.

Bernstein for years, have done trip work for him, and have a long history of interacting with inspectors on large and small passenger vessels and towboats. I offer some thoughts that may be of use as we navigate going forward.

First, I believe that a positive approach regardless of whether the inspector is experienced or new to the rivers is to view the inspector as a partner. We both want the same thing — a safe operation that protects our boats, crews, passengers and reputation.

We need to make the effort to reach out to them and get to know them. I have often said that if you are meeting

your inspector for the first time at 0300 on a rainy Sunday night your people skills may need improvement. Sharing coffee, breaking bread together or spending time getting to know them at conferences will help develop this partnership.

We need to be informed consumers.

None of us would buy a refrigerator or truck without doing research and we should approach the application of regulations to our operation with the same vigor. As one that continually studies the regs, I agree that sometimes it is a barge load of information from multiple sources, but the effort must be made. Fortunately, the internet makes the information easily available. One cannot just depend on the regs in the CFRs but also access such things as NVICs, the Marine Safety Manual, or policy letters or bulletins.

I agree with Alan the black and white regs sometimes do not exactly fit the gray that may spring up in the

maritime world. One set of regs may not fit every vessel. Many times, what the USCG may accept is an equivalent level of compliance. However, I recommend that you never say “what do you think?” as they will take your credit card and max it out. The better course is to propose a well thought out and reasonable solution that is readily defined and easily defended.

We all have opinions. Tread carefully when offering yours or accepting another’s opinion. If at times an inspector offers an opinion, it is perfectly acceptable for all to simply say, “what do the regs say?” Better yet, offer a “chief I see where you are coming from but when I read the reg (and let him see it) I understand it this way. Can you give me some guidance?”

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www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

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AT-A-GLANCE

On the Water

Covid unveils multiple failures

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BY JOEL MILTON Joel Milton works on towing vessels.

He can be reached at joelmilton@ yahoo.com.

or the first time since I have been around, transportation systems, networks and infrastructure (including the human component) have taken center stage in the public’s consciousness with the ongoing Covid pandemic.

So many elements of our complicated, underappreciated, misunderstood, overused, undermaintained, and long inadequate system of aviation, road, rail and shipping have failed in ways great and small. It has revealed the depth and folly of our spectacular neglect. The virus accomplished what no amount of forward thinking white papers, symposiums or conferences could ever accomplish: to undeniably and viscerally demonstrate the serious consequences of ignoring and taking for granted that which all of modern civilization depends upon for everything.

The coronavirus has shown a distinct tendency, as invisible pathogens historically do, to exploit our every failing of vision, planning, preparedness,

Captain’s Table Funding needed for inland locks, dams and bridges

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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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or years, I have watched our locks and dams on the inland rivers age and deteriorate.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s the Army Corps of Engineers began modernization projects for locks and dams built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. These projects took years to complete and there are still a few left that need to be modernized on the upper Ohio River. Unfortunately, these modernized locks are now 60 to 70 years old, and our locks, dams and bridges are in serious need of repair and, for some, complete replacement.

A recent Notice to Mariners listed an alarming number of locks and dams that are scheduled to be closed for maintenance. This is serious because it causes major delays in the delivery of materials, fuel, agricultural products, and other important commodities. In the case of a towing vessel with a 15-barge tow, it may mean a delay of two or more days. Such delays are costly. The crew continues to get paid, and the company burns fuel while going nowhere.

There are also serious consequences for passen-

execution and will — not to mention our gross historical amnesia.

While this particular coronavirus may be “novel” to us, pandemics are an irregular but unavoidable fact of life. And the viruses almost always get the better of us. Like a small gob of roofing tar on a pair of coveralls, no matter how careful we imagine ourselves to be, it soon winds up literally everywhere. Throw in our divisive politics and the lack of a common sense of purpose, and you have all the ingredients needed for a full systemwide meltdown. As an “essential worker” in transportation, I’m intimately familiar with our system’s complexity and the only thing that has surprised me so far has been that it hasn’t been worse.

With all of the expected political bickering, lots of money and resources are being thrown at this old crisis within a new crisis. And like all such things, especially when done under duress, much will be wasted.

We’ve never had nearly as much interest in maintaining what we’ve got as in building the shiny and new. Thus, we are left in a predicament of our own making. ger vessel operators and their passengers. Passengers may not reach scheduled destinations, miss flights, bus transfers, or suffer a variety of other problems.

In Cincinnati there are two infrastructure projects that need immediate attention. Replacement of the Brent Spence Bridge has been planned for 25 years. Opened in 1963, the bridge has been classified as “functionally obsolete.” The Newport, Ky., riverfront is in bad need of erosion protection and has in recent years been left to slide into the Ohio River.

There is good news, however. For the first time in many years there are billions of dollars available for inland waterways construction and rehabilitation projects.

In November, Congress approved the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The measure provides $2.5 billion in funding for navigation projects, $4 billion for Corps projects such as dredging, and $12.5 billion for bridge rehabilitation and replacement, which includes the Brent Spence Bridge in Covington, Ky. I am eager for these projects to get started and urge industry leaders to pay close attention to them and the associated funding to ensure that our inland river system get its fair share.

www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

AT-A-GLANCE

Energy Level Fast track to top LNG dog

BY JIM REDDEN, CORRESPONDENT

S

tep aside Australia and Qatar. The U.S. is poised to become the global leader in liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity by the end of this year, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) said.

The bulk of U.S. LNG exports are delivered off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas, where expansions of existing facilities and newbuild terminals will increase cumulative peak capacity to 13.9 billion cubic feet/day, the DOE said in a Dec. 9 note. That will exceed the peak export capacity of perennial LNG top dogs Australia and Qatar by 2.5 Bcf/d and 3.5 Bcf/d, respectively. The DOE describes peak capacity as the volume of LNG produced under optimal operating conditions, including modifications to production processes that increase operational efficiency.

Getting to this point, however, has meant playing catch up in a big way, as the nation’s first international-bound LNG cargo didn’t depart Cheniere Energy’s pacesetting Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana until February 2016. By comparison, gas-rich Australia has been exporting LNG since 1989, while Qatar followed suit in 1997.

The four terminals on the Gulf Coast are by far the largest of the seven existing U.S. LNG export facilities with a combined capacity of 10.29 Bcf/d as of the end of 2021, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

The remaining three — Kenai, Alaska, Cove Point, Md., and Elba Island, Ga. — together account for only 351 MMcf/d of export capacity.

Cheniere remains the largest of the U.S. shippers with aggregate capacity of 6.01 Bcfd at Sabine Pass and its Corpus Christi, Texas, terminal that opened in 2018. The company’s total capacity is expected to grow by up to 0.76 Bcf/d in early 2022 with the completion of a sixth processing liquefaction unit (or train) at the Sabine Pass facility. Even with Hurricane Idainduced delays, the two terminals together

WorkBoat GOM Indicators OCT. '21 WTI Crude Oil 84.64 Baker Hughes Rig Count 13 IHS OSV Utilization 20.9% U.S. Oil Production (millions bpd) 11.3

NOV. '21 69.88 15 20.3% 11.6*

DEC. '21 75.49 15 20.4% 11.8*

DEC. '20 47.50 17 21.2% 11.0

Sources: Baker-Hughes; IHS Markit; U.S. EIA *Estimated

GOM Rig Count

18 16 14 12 10

12/20

12/21

8 6 4 2 0

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2

3

4

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7

8

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shipped out a record 141 cargos in the third quarter of 2021, said Cheniere President and CEO Jack Fusco.

By year’s end, another 1.6 Bcf/d, or 12 MM metric tons/annum, in nameplate

capacity is expected to come online when all 18 liquefaction trains of the Venture Global LNG Calcasieu Pass facility near Lake Charles, La., go into full operation.

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AT-A-GLANCE

WorkBoat Composite Index Index posts small gain in December

T

he WorkBoat Stock Index posted a slight gain of just over 5 points, or .18%, in December. For the month, winners topped losers by a 2-1 ratio.

Kirby Corp. was among the top percentage gainers in December, rising almost 14%. Kirby rose on the news that it had agreed to pay $15.3 million in damages and assessment costs from

STOCK CHART

a 2014 oil spill from a Kirby barge — after a collision the company was found to have caused. The Department of Justice made the announcement in early December.

The U.S. and Texas concurrently filed a civil complaint along with a proposed consent decree. The complaint sought money damages and costs

Source: FinancialContent Inc. www.financialcontent.com

INDEX COMPARISONS Operators Suppliers Shipyards WorkBoat Composite PHLX Oil Service Index Dow Jones Industrials Standard & Poors 500

11/30/21 318.88 4,887.42 3,403.78 3,009.63 50.46 34,483.72 4,567.00

12/31/21 323.88 4,766.66 3,763.31 3,014.93 52.72 36,338.30 4,766.18

NET CHANGE 5.00 -120.77 359.53 5.29 2.26 1,854.58 199.18

For the complete up-to-date WorkBoat Stock Index, go to: www.workboat.com/resources/workboat-composite-index

Inland Insider

2021 grain transportation steady

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BY DAVID KRAPF David Krapf has been editor of WorkBoat, the nation’s leading trade magazine for the inland and coastal waterways industry, since 1999. dkrapf@ divcom.com

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ate last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its “Synopsis of Agricultural Transportation in 2021.” Here’s what the USDA found: • Year-to-year grain inspections remained steady. Total year-to-date (YTD) grain inspections for export are nearing 2020’s record level.

As of Dec. 23, YTD inspections were around 137 million metric tons (mmt), unchanged from the same period in 2020, with corn increasing 31%, but wheat and soybeans decreasing 10% and 19%, respectively. Corn inspected for export to Asia increased significantly in 2021, with increased Asian demand.

• Barged grain movements were slightly lower than in 2020. The barge industry showed its resilience despite multiple challenges to navigation. This included severe winter weather and a limited barge supply, the USDA said. Also, flooding and damage from Hurricane Ida affected barge traffic for months. For the week ending Dec. 25, barged grain shipments reached 36.2 million tons, 6% lower than 2020, but 4% higher than the

PERCENT CHANGE 1.57% -2.47% 10.56% 0.18% 4.48% 5.38% 4.36%

under the Oil Pollution act of 1990 for injuries to natural resources resulting from Kirby’s March 2014 discharge of approximately 4,000 bbls. (168,000 gals.) of oil from one of its barges into the Houston Ship Channel.

Under the proposed consent decree, Kirby will pay $15.3 million as natural resource damages for the spill, which the federal and state trustees will jointly use to plan, design and perform projects to restore or ameliorate the impacts to dolphins and other aquatic life, birds, beaches, marshes, and recreational uses along the Texas coast. Kirby also has been paying the federal and state trustees for their assessment work and will reimburse the last remaining unpaid costs, as required under OPA ’90.

In a related Clean Water Act enforcement action in 2016, Kirby paid $4.9 million to improve the company’s operations to help prevent future spills.

— David Krapf

three-year average. These volumes were supported by high production and strong export demand.

This year’s spot rates mostly followed the historical pattern, staying relatively low in the first two quarters of 2021. In mid-August, rates started to rise quickly, spurred by rising movements and a shortage of empty barges. Overall, 2021 weekly rates were higher.

• Grain carloads started and ended 2021 strong. Grain carloads originated by Class I railroads began 2021 high. Through May, carloads were well above recent years. However, during the summer the situation flipped, with grain carloads well below recent years. As the grain harvest headed into September, grain carloads rose significantly and stayed above the weekly averages for 2018-20.

• Fuel prices were above the three-year average. Average diesel fuel prices from January through November were 11% above the threeyear average. Fuel prices have been on an upward swing since January. With the lifting of pandemic restrictions, demand rose and fuel supply could not keep up. Several factors worsened the supply shortage, including a cyberattack on the Colonial pipeline in April and a breach and spill in a key pipeline that supplies the Southeast, in October. www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

AT-A-GLANCE

Insurance Watch Maritime Employers Liability

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BY CHRIS RICHMOND 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

ur company recently reviewed a marine contractor’s insurance coverage. During the review, we learned that one of their employees had operated a crane aboard another contractor’s barge for that contractor’s project.

While this occurred only rarely, it did open up a big gap in their coverage. Fortunately, there was a solution: Maritime Employers Liability (MEL).

Commercial vessels carry Protection and Indemnity. P&I provides coverage for the insured’s crewmembers, but this only applies to crewmembers who are employed by the vessel owner or operator. Employees that work on board someone else’s vessel would be covered under MEL. MEL follows your employees while they are on nonowned vessels. Coverage under the policy can include: • Jones Act; • Death on the High Seas Act; • General maritime law of the U.S.; and • Maintenance, cure and wages.

www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

One important thing to remember is that while an MEL policy will provide coverage for the benefits listed above it does not include a workers compensation policy. You will still need to have coverage under either your state workers compensation policy or your U.S. Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation (USL&H). One nice thing about an MEL is that you can often have it added to your existing USL&H policy.

Crewmembers under MEL are rated differently from crewmembers on a typical P&I policy, who are charged per crew for a fixed price, usually between $750 and $1,000 per head. MEL not only looks at how many employees you have working on non-owned vessels but also at your total number of employees, as well as payroll associated with both wet and dry exposures. Payroll also needs to be broken out between USL&H, state act (workers compensation) and Jones Act. Much more underwriting goes into an MEL quote as compared with crew on an owned vessel.

The premium associated with the MEL policy will vary based on the payroll associated with the exposure − but expect to pay at least $5,000 since there is often a minimum premium with this coverage.

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AT-A-GLANCE

Legal Talk

Summer boating: Running aground on hearsay rocks

I

BY JOHN K. FULWEILER John K. Fulweiler of Fulweiler LLC is a licensed mariner and maritime attorney. He also served as a staff captain with a New England towing and salvage firm prior to law school. He can be reached at john@ saltwaterlaw.com or 1-800-383-MAYDAY.

t makes me mad when the evidence rules keep me from getting full and complete justice.

A recent case clearly shows how these rules can short-circuit things.

It was a summer night with two guys and a girl on a borrowed boat. Okay, maybe not borrowed because that’s the issue we’re going to unpack.

The operator allegedly turned the boat unexpectedly and a passenger fell out and was badly injured. The operator was charged with grand theft for using the boat and then, sadly, committed suicide.

The injured passenger brought a civil suit against the boat’s owner asserting a negligent entrustment claim. However, the boat owner claimed he didn’t allow the boat to be borrowed by the deceased operator and therefore could not be held liable for entrusting it to him. The two passengers as well as the decedent’s mother testified that the

Nor’easter

New Jersey’s offshore wind impact studies

F

BY KIRK MOORE, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Contributing Editor Kirk Moore was a reporter for the Asbury Park Press for over 30 years before joining WorkBoat in 2015. He has also been an editor for WorkBoat’s sister publication, National Fisherman, for over 25 years.

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ishermen and ocean environmental advocates are loudly calling for more forward-looking scientific studies as the Biden administration and East Coast states race to plan offshore wind energy projects.

Now New Jersey utility regulators say they are starting a fund that will collect more than $26 million in fees from offshore wind energy developers for research and monitoring of offshore wind – an assessment of $10,000 per megawatt of capacity.

The state Board of Public Utilities in mid-December approved memoranda of understanding with developers Ørsted, the Shell New Energies US/ EDF Renewables North America joint venture Atlantic Shores, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Under the agreements, the DEP will administer use of the funds collected by the BPU as part of its approvals in June 2021 for the second and third wind projects now planned off New Jersey: The 1,509MW Atlantic Shores array off Long Beach Island

driver told them he had permission to borrow the boat. Sounds like a jury question, right?

Nope! The court barred the statements describing what the deceased operator had said as hearsay because the operator was an unavailable declarant (having died) and his statements weren’t given at a trial, hearing or deposition. As for the catchall exception to the hearsay rule, the court concluded the statements weren’t reliable or trustworthy.

There are some other reasons given for dismissing this civil suit, but it’s this evidentiary rule that catches your eye.

I think justice was foiled by the hearsay rule.

In my opinion the winner is probably the boat owner’s insurance company, which I bet pushed this technical defense at the expense of justice. You never know the whole story by reading a court’s decision and there could be other elements at play, but I don’t know.

I’m curious whether the operator’s statements could’ve been admitted under the state-of-mind exception to hearsay. Was the operator confessing a good faith belief that he was operating the boat with permission when he talked about it being borrowed? If so, his statements should’ve come in.

and the Ørsted 1,148-MW Ocean Wind 2 project to the south off Atlantic City. Together the developers will kick in approximately $26.6 million, according to BPU documents.

The state’s “Research and Monitoring Initiative” will be governed by a steering committee drawn from the DEP and BPU staffs, according to the agreement between the agencies. According to that document the group will focus on “activities that reflect the state’s highest research priorities and that will further the scientific understanding of the impacts from the offshore wind farms’ installation and operations, changes in vessel traffic along shipping lanes, and changes in fishing practices, both beneficial and detrimental, on existing natural resources and ecosystems, with respect to physical and chemical characteristics of the ocean, and with respect to both flora and fauna in coastal environments and in the benthic environment and waters off of New Jersey’s coastline.”

The agreement specifies the fees must be “dedicated to the performance of research and monitoring initiatives concerning the conditions of and potential impacts upon natural and aquatic resources, including wildlife and fisheries that may be implicated by the introduction of offshore wind generating capacity in the Atlantic Ocean.” www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

AT-A-GLANCE The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA), a coalition of fishing groups and communities, compiled a list of proposed research projects for 2022, “which we have circulated to relevant state and federal agencies,” said Fiona Hogan, RODA’s research director.

“We’re also currently working on a broader rollout plan. New Jersey DEP reached out to us during the development of these priorities and were very interested given that it came directly from the fishing industry.

“At this stage we don’t know how the research and monitoring program would be structured, however, we’re hoping the New Jersey DEP creates an inclusive and transparent process for that program,” she continued. “RODA is excited to engage in that process and support it in any way

possible.”

RODA’s recommendations are based in part on 88 survey responses the group received from the fishing industry across the U.S. Off southern New Jersey, the Atlantic Shores and Ocean Wind 2 projects with a combined 192 turbines

has appealed to regulatory authorities to create regional environmental monitoring plans to address a large number of outstanding questions, but observe that research approaches remain piecemeal.

“The fishing industry expressed clear concern over the lack of cumulative impacts analysis identifying fishery and ecosystemlevel impacts from compounding impact factors and across multiple projects,” the report said.

“The introduction of human made structures to the ocean will affect every aspect of the ecosystem ... At present, limited or no cumulative impact analyses exist at regional levels. A detailed analysis should address all scales as well the effects of project distance to the cumulative impact intensity.”

‘RODA is excited to engage in that process and support it in any way possible.’

140FT

planned have alarmed surf clam and scallop dredge fishermen, who say safety concerns will effectively shut them out of the arrays.

“The research recommendations evidenced a clear perception that meaningful interaction has not occurred with the fishing industry during OSW (offshore wind) siting processes,” notes the introduction to the RODA paper. “The fishing industry

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13

NEWS LOG

News Bitts

BOEM begins environmental evaluation for Gulf offshore wind

Feds award $241 million in grants to U.S. ports

T

he U.S. Department of Transportation announced in January it had awarded over $241 million in discretionary grant funding for 25 projects to improve port facilities in 19 states and one territory. The grants were made through the Maritime Administration’s (Marad) Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP). For a full list of recipients go to maritime.dot.gov/PIDPgrants.

OXE purchase to boost U.S. distribution and manufacturing Wind farms coming to the Gulf of Mexico?

T

unsplash.com/photo

he Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced in January that it is preparing a draft environmental assessment (EA) to consider the impacts of potential offshore wind leasing in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

The area that will be reviewed in the EA includes almost 30 million acres just west of the Mississippi River to the Texas-Mexico border. This is the same area for which BOEM requested public input in a Call for Information and Nominations published in the Federal Register on Nov. 1, 2021. BOEM said it will narrow the area based on stakeholder and ocean user input before advancing any Wind Energy Areas, which are offshore locations that appear most suitable for wind energy development.

“The Gulf of Mexico is well-positioned to support a transition to a renewable energy future, as much of the infrastructure already exists to support offshore wind development in the region,” said BOEM Director Amanda Lefton. “BOEM’s Environmental Assessment is an important step to ensure that any development in the region is done responsibly and in a way that avoids, reduces, or mitigates potential impacts to the ocean and to ocean users.”

BOEM said it is preparing a draft EA on the call area now in order to be able to respond to future needs of the states and opportunities as technology develops for deeper waters and lower wind speeds. The draft EA will consider potential environmental effects of site characterization activities (i.e., biological, archeological and geological, as well as geophysical surveys and core samples) and site assessment activities (i.e., installation of meteorological buoys) associated with the possibility of issuing wind energy leases in the U.S. Gulf.

If a lease sale advances, prior to approving the construction of any offshore wind energy facility in the Gulf, BOEM will develop an Environmental Impact Statement to analyze the specific environmental consequences of any proposed project, in consultation with tribes and appropriate federal, state, and local agencies, and with participation by stakeholders and the public.

14

S

wedish outboard engine manufacturer OXE Marine AB has entered into an agreement to acquire Diesel Outboards and Outdoor Network Manufacturing’s U.S. distribution and manufacturing business. With the purchase, OXE said it will strengthen its position in the U.S. market, creating a directto-market model, gaining access to end-user, dealer, government and OEM networks. This follows the successful ramp-up of production of the OXE300 diesel outboard late last year.

Massachusetts and Maryland sign offshore wind contracts

S

tate officials in Massachusetts and Maryland announced in December that they have selected offshore wind proposals to bring an additional 1,600 megawatts of potential generation for each state. The Massachusetts projects are Commonwealth Wind, a 1,232-MW joint venture with Avangrid Renewables, and Mayflower Wind, a 400-MW plan. The Maryland Public Service Commission awarded offtake agreements to two offshore wind plans that will generate a combined 1,654.5 MW: the Ørsted Skipjack II and US Wind Momentum Wind projects.

Go to workboat.com/news for the latest commercial marine industry news, or download our mobile app.

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www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

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FOCUS USMMA

Retrain Long-term, systemic issues at Kings Point still need attention, report says.

By Jerry Fraser, Correspondent

Enrollment at Kings Point is 79% white and 79% male, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

16

USMMA

W

hen President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y., in 1943, in the midst of World War II, he said, “This academy serves the Merchant Marine as West Point serves the Army and Annapolis serves the Navy.”

He might easily have added, “and as the U.S. Merchant Marine serves our nation,” for it would be hard to overstate the Merchant Marine’s contribution to the war effort.

To say nothing of its sacrifice.

According to U.S. Merchant Marine figures, about 9,300 merchant mariners were killed during the war – about one in 26, the highest casualty rate of any service. Indeed, many Kings Point midshipmen served on vessels in combat zones, and 142 lost their lives.

The young academy was tested by war, and it more than met the challenge. Enrollment rose to 2,700, more than two and half times its enrollment today, and the planned course of study was reduced from four years to two to ensure a supply of officers for the wartime merchant fleet.

Nearly 80 years later, the global economy saw the U.S. supply chain move a record amount of goods and materials in 2021, much of it coming or going by ship, underscoring the importance of the U.S. merchant fleet.

Nevertheless, what has emerged in recent times is a portrait of a school that, despite a reputation for stellar academics, has become somewhat beleaguered over the last decade or so.

Indeed, a 2016 article in The Washington Post, the only major newspaper that reports on the school with any regularity, referred to USMMA as “a forgotten outpost on Long Island Sound.”

The description belies the school’s status as one of the five national service academies. And like West Point, Annapolis and the Air Force Academy, a congressional nomination is required of all Kings Point applicants. (The U.S. Coast Guard Academy, which is under the Department of Homeland Security, is the exception to this rule.)

That status notwithstanding, more than a decade ago, in 2010, the Department of Transportation’s “Red Sky in the Morning Report” found severe deterioration among numerous buildings on the Kings Point campus. “The condition of USMMA’s physical plant has reached a tipping point,” the report stated, and warned that “current maintenance and capital funding are not sufficient to reverse this decline.” Failure to “aggressively invest” in upgrading, the report ominously intoned, “risks the eventual loss of the school’s accreditation.”

And although its praises were sung

as recently as 2020 in the pages of U.S. News & World Report’s Best College Rankings, in November USMMA was taken to task in a report by the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA).

Casting itself as a challenge to the academy, the report identified what it described as “long-standing issues that put the safety and health of the midshipmen and the entire USMMA community in peril,” and added, “The charge to address these changes is significant and will require meaningful leadership attention, strategic prioritization, and substantial resource commitments.

The risk of inaction, the report concluded, “is immense.”

Speaking on background via email, an academy spokesman called the NAPA report “a frank assessment.”

Elaborating, he said, “The report makes clear that these are long-standing and systemic [issues], compounded

www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

USMMA by years of under-resourcing.

“Addressing these issues will require many years of work and an extensive investment of resources.”

SEA YEAR HALTED

USMMA

The broadly focused NAPA report came on the heels of Kings Point’s decision — since rescinded — to halt, for the second time in five years, its Sea Year program, following the account by a member of the class of 2022 of being raped by a drunken first engineer aboard a Maersk Line vessel while at sea.

The account, which prompted similar reports of sexual harassment and assault from other midshipmen, in October led six members of Congress to call on Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to remove the Merchant Marine Academy’s superintendent, Vice Adm. Joachim Buono, who, they said, “failed to take seriously the safety of his students and has not demonstrated a commitment to change the toxic culture at the academy and during Sea Year.”

This assertion, particularly the use of the term “toxic,” did not sit well with a broad contingent of midshipmen, upward of 180 of whom signed a letter to the congressmen urging the reinstatement of the “unequalled Sea Year training” and defending the school as well as Buono, whom they described

as “an inspirational and transformative leader.”

The Sea Year program is unique.

Rather than go to sea on a teaching vessel, as students at state maritime academies do, midshipmen at Kings Point traditionally spend what amounts to a year acquiring hands-on experience aboard commercial carriers.

In December, the DOT unveiled a new set of standards to prevent sexual harassment and promote an inclusive workplace and announced the resumption of the Sea Year program. Carriers will be obliged to meet these standards and the Coast Guard will hold offenders accountable.

“The Sea Year pause gave us an opportunity to review, develop, and to implement enhanced policies and procedures to strengthen our support for cadets at sea and improve safety,” the academy spokesman said.

Early this winter, midshipmen returned to Sea Year training aboard federal vessels and training vessels.

Meanwhile the USMMA’s industry partners are preparing to implement a new program, called EMBARC, for “every mariner builds a respectful culture,” designed to engender appropriate responses to sexual assault, sexual harassment and other misconduct.

Marad, the DOT and USMMA are “committed to ensuring that all

In a 2016 article, The Washington Post referred to USMMA as “a forgotten outpost on Long Island Sound.”

www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

members of the academy community learn and work in safe and supportive environments,” the spokesman said.

SYSTEMIC ISSUES In its report last fall, the National Academy of Public Administration said that not much had changed with respect to facilities and infrastructure. In addition, the report cited “longstanding systemic issues” in several areas, including education and training; diversity, equity and inclusion; support for students; and health and safety, among others.

“Numerous studies previously made recommendations to resolve several of these issues,” the NAPA panel said.

“Yet, the systemic issues remain, largely because the root causes have not been addressed.”

The panel did not lay the blame exclusively at the feet of the Merchant Marine Academy, finding that the school has lacked “effective external guidance, oversight, and support” from the Maritime Administration as well as the Department of Transportation.

However, it also found that the Kings Point culture “communicates a perception that external scrutiny and guidance endanger its operations and future.”

The NAPA report also criticized Kings Point on the issue of diversity.

Enrollment at Kings Point is 79% white and 79% male, according to the U.S. Department of Education. For its part, the academy says it is committed to a diverse student body that embodies leadership and embraces the USMMA mission.

“Creating a more diverse and inclusive maritime industry is enormously worthwhile, but also an immense challenge,” the spokesman said. “It will take time.”

It’s a challenge the academy can ill afford to shrink from. With everincreasing manufacturing and distribution of goods throughout the world, and global dependence on shipping, the maritime industry is as important as ever. And as the supply chain bottlenecks that emerged throughout the pandemic made clear, shipping is a key component of the U.S. economy.

17

VESSEL REPORT ATBs

ABS

Fluid Dynamics

By Ken Hocke, Senior Editor

I

n this month’s WorkBoat Looks Back (page 44) taken from the pages of WorkBoat’s February 1972 issue, Kelso Marine Inc., Galveston, Texas, a subsidiary of C. Brewer and Co. Ltd. of Hawaii, delivered the Ponciana, a pressure tank barge that incorporates a tug-barge pushing system, “making the barge and its propelling vessel an integrated one.”

In other words, the tug and the barge are locked together through a connecting system. Articulated tug/barges were rare 50 years ago. Tankers usually handled those jobs.

Today, the small to medium tankers carrying liquid cargoes along the U.S. coastal routes are fewer because of advances in ATB unit design and construction.

Crowley Maritime, for example, has 40 double-hull tank vessels currently in operation — 23 tankers and 17 ATBs — with a combined capacity of more than 12 million bbls.

It’s usually cheaper to operate ATBs than tankers because it takes a much smaller crew to operate an ATB, thus Crowley saves money on its most expensive commodity — labor costs.

18

A sistership to the Clean Canaveral is currently under construction in Wisconsin.

ON THE WAYS

Last year, Crowley signed a long-term time charter with Shell NA LNG LLC for the construction and operation of a new, 416' U.S.-built, LNG bunker barge.

When built, the barge will be the largest Jones Act-compliant vessel of its kind, helping to expand current network capacity and meet demands for cleaner energy, Crowley officials said.

The vessel is being built at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay, Wis. The LNG bunker barge will feature advanced technologies in cargo handling capabilities and increased transfer rates, including a state-of-the-art solution from Shell and Crowley Engineering Services to flexibly deliver LNG to various types of LNG containment systems.

The design will offer capacity for 12,000 m3 (3.17 million gals.) to fully serve ocean carriers.

The vessel will become the second Jones Act-compliant bunker barge Shell has under long-term charter in the U.S. It is expected to be deployed to serve LNG-fueled ships that www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding

Hauling liquid cargoes via ATBs continues to evolve.

Greenbrier Marine

ATBs

The Qamun, a 55,000-bbl. shallow-draft double-hull ATB petroleum tank barge, is specifically designed for the Alaska fuels market.

call at U.S. East Coast ports starting in 2024. With this barge, Shell continues to expand its global network for LNG bunkering, with 10 LNG bunker ves-

sels currently under contract and plans to add further to its growing global fleet.

Earlier in the year, Crowley

launched and christened the Qamun, a 55,000-bbl. shallow-draft doublehull ATB petroleum tank barge built at Greenbrier Marine, Portland, Ore. The 350'×88'×23' ATB petroleum barge, specifically designed for the Alaska fuels market, is now paired with Crowley’s 108'×46'×16' pusher tug Aurora, which was built last year at Master Boat Builders Inc., Coden, Ala. The 410' ATB has a range of 4,300 miles and is able to access most locations in Alaska, including those in waters as shallow as nine feet.

The Aurora/Qamun has a design speed of 9 knots. It incorporates modern technologies like Z-drive propulsion, Tier 4 engines, and has been equipped with 400-hp bowthrusters to maximize maneuverability in tight areas. Additionally, ship fenders and a specialized coupling system with a first-of-its-kind lightering helmet,

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19

Senesco Marine

VESSEL REPORT ATBs

Upon delivery, the Janice Ann Reinauer went to work transporting product on the U.S East and Gulf coasts.

allow for ship-to-ship lightering at a load rate of 6,000-bbls. per hour.

The vessel’s double anchor system allows her to move close to the beach to reach undeveloped port and village sites.

The new ATB was specifically designed to meet Ice Class and Polar Code requirements to safely and effectively operate in Western Alaska yearround. The vessel can operate in winter ice conditions and temperatures as low as -20°.

The barge’s 55,000-bbls. of oil cargo are carried in 10 tanks.

The Aurora has tankage for 81,150 gals. of fuel oil and 7,135 gals. fresh water.

Crowley Engineering Services provided on-site construction management using an Alaska-specific design

by Jensen Maritime.

Rick Meidel, vice president and general manager of Crowley Fuels, said the Qamun, paired with the Aurora, “will bring a new generation of cost-efficient, sustainable service for Alaskan communities and business customers. Teams at Crowley and Greenbrier have worked hard together to ensure this vessel design and its construction delivers exceptional service to ensure that, high quality, life-sustaining fuel supply continues to reach across the most remote parts of the state on time.”

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuild20

ing delivered the 340' LNG bunkering barge, Clean Canaveral, to Polaris New Energy in December.

Shipyard officials said the 5,500 m3 ATB is the largest ever built in the U.S. and will soon be followed by another barge of similar size for Polaris.

Just a month prior, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding was awarded a contract from PNE Marine Holdings, an affiliate of Polaris New Energy, to build a second 5,500-m3 LNG bunker barge.

The new 340'×66'×32'10" ATB barge will be a sister vessel to the Clean Canaveral.

Demand for LNG fueling in the maritime sector is growing rapidly.

Over the next several years 400 new vessels utilizing LNG are expected in service, the companies said, adding that LNG is the leading solution to fuel the maritime sector as the industry advances its sustainability goals through a transition to lower carbon fuels.

Northstar Holdco Energy’s growing fleet delivers LNG to cruise ships, container vessels, bulk carriers, car carriers, and tankers.

Polaris New Energy is the marine bunkering subsidiary of Seaside LNG Holdings, a subsidiary of Northstar Holdco Energy, focused on the production and delivery of LNG as a clean transportation fuel.

The new 5,500-m3 ATB will be fitted with four 1,375 CBM IMO Type C tanks and utilize a cargo handling

system designed and developed

by Wärtsilä.

“LNG is recognized as a clean, dependable and competitively priced fuel for the shipping industry,” Tim Casey, senior vice president – LNG for Northstar, said in a statement.

“The completion of this sister vessel to the Clean Canaveral further distinguishes Northstar’s capabilities to manage the last-mile logistics of LNG safely and effectively across the U.S. coastline.”

McAllister Towing LNG Services LLC will operate the ATB Polaris/ Clean Canaveral for Polaris New Energy. The 4,000-hp tug Polaris is fitted with a JAK-400 coupling system and is being built at Master Boat Builders Inc. Senesco Marine delivered the EPA Tier 4 compliant ATB tug, Janice Ann Reinauer, to Staten Island, N.Y.-based tug-and-barge operator Reinauer Transportation in 2021.

The 4,200-hp tug was designed

by Ocean Tug & Barge in cooperation with Reinauer. It is the 13th tug Senesco has built for Reinauer. The tug is designed to operate as part of an ATB unit with an Intercon coupling system.

The Janice Ann Reinauer is ABS classed, A1, Towing Vessel, AMS, certified to USCG Subchapter M requirements and is fully SOLAS and ISM compliant.

Main propulsion comes from two GE 6L250, Tier 4 diesel engines connected to Nautican integrated propulsion units including high-efficiency nozzles, triple rudders, pre-swirl stators and propellers through Lufkin reduction gears.

The electrical power plant consists of John Deere-powered ship’s service generators including an emergency backup generator.

The Janice Ann Reinauer has been outfitted with spacious accommodations, galley, mess and working areas. Upon delivery, the tug went directly to work transporting product on the U.S East and Gulf coasts.

www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

SAVE the DATE! Don’t forget to mark your calendar for the 2022 edition of the largest commercial marine tradeshow in North America.

NOVEMBER 30 DECEMBER 2, 2022 NEW ORLEANS Morial Convention Center, Halls B, C, D, E & F

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ON THE WAYS CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT WORKBOAT YARDS

Seastreak video image via Facebook

Midship Marine delivers high-capacity catamaran ferry to Seastreak

N

ew York Harbor commuter ferry operator Seastreak upped its game in December with the arrival of the Courageous, a 720-passenger aluminum catamaran vessel built by Midship Marine, Harvey, La. The new vessel stretches by 7' the fleet’s last 150'×40' acquisition, the Commodore, delivered in 2018.

The Courageous now ranks as the largest capacity high-speed ferry in the U.S., company officials said.

“It’s basically a sistership, but it’s a couple of frames larger,” said Seastreak president Jim Barker. The other difference is upgrades in passenger amenities and comfort, he added: “It’s a couple of notches above any ferry boat I’ve ever seen.”

With steady increases in passenger volume and company growth, Seastreak officials made the decision to go even bigger in 2019, stepping up from the 600-passenger capacity of the Commodore. As the Covid-19 22

pandemic struck in spring 2020, the company saw ridership plunge.

But Seastreak persevered with the newbuild plan. The new vessel’s name was conceived that summer as a tribute to medical workers who continued to travel by ferry to treat Covid patients, said James D. Barker, Seastreak’s director of business development and marketing.

After making the transit from New Orleans to New Jersey, the Courageous started service in mid-December, running peak departures including 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. out of the Seastreak terminal at Highlands, N.J. An important design difference with Courageous is a modified bow radius that allows more versatility with bow loading at different landings, said Brian Achille, Seastreak’s director of engineering. That includes matching the bow to The Steamship Authority’s docks at Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., a big summer destination for

Seastreak says its new 720-passenger catamaran now ranks as the largest capacity high-speed ferry in the U.S.

Seastreak customers that the company hopes will surge back in summer 2022.

The Steamship Authority is the largest ferry service to the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket from Cape Cod. Main propulsion for the Courageous comes from four MTU 12V4000 M64 main engines producing 1,398-kW (1,873 hp) at 1,800 rpm each. The mains are connected to four KaMeWa 5654 waterjets.

Ship’s service power is the responsibility of twin John Deere 6068 SFM85 gensets and the new ferry is USCG certified Subchapter K. The company had its best season ever in 2019, and with the easing of restrictions during 2021 saw commuter ridership return to almost 60% of 2019’s numbers. The arrival of the Covid Omicron variant and new pre-

www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

ON THE WAYS Achille. The Seastreak Highlands ferry is in line for repower next winter if ferry ridership continues to recover.

Operated since 1989 by the Hinojosa family, Midship builds a range of vessels, including the Incat Crowtherdesigned Ultra Jet I and II catamaran

ferries recently delivered for work in the Yucatan tourist industry.

“They’ve got orders, and they’re full,” said Jim Barker. “These boats are built with a handshake. It’s a very high level of trust.”

Seastreak’s volume in December was

American Patriot Holdings

BOATBUILDING BITTS

1,864-TEU, 595'x106' container vessel.

A

merican Patriot Holdings LLC (APH) issued a request for proposal (RFP) in December to seven U.S. shipyards for construction of four inland river container “hybrid” design vessels. The RFP also includes options for up to four additional 1,864TEU, 595’x106’ vessels. Shipyard responses to the RFP for firm pricing and delivery schedules are due

by Feb. 11. Final construction award

by Miramar Beach, Fla.-based APH will be on or about April 1.

Bollinger Shipyards LLC has delivered the 154'x25' Clarence Sutphin to the Coast Guard in Key West, Fla. It is the 47th fast response

Bollinger Shipyards Inc.

cautions in New York City — delayed office reopenings, Broadway shows temporarily halted and other setbacks — dropped ridership back to around 25% of 2019’s ridership in late December, Jim Barker estimated.

“Hopefully this will be temporary and short-lived,” said Achille. Commuters have been saying they planned on returning to city offices in January, so operators are hoping for that once the latest Covid surge subsides.

With a wheelhouse electronics suite

by Furuno USA, the Courageous has a distinctive LED lighting system on outdoor areas of the vessel with a red, white and blue color scheme.

Another major upgrade is the latesttechnology insulated glass in the cabin windows, that both solar load on the passenger space and fog-free views — “a huge problem” on older boats during the frigid harbor winters, said Barker.

“Boasting the highest level of interior finish of any high-speed ferry ever built, passengers will commute with ease,” and enjoy “360-degree open-air views, two fully stocked bars, and specially designed engine and jet room noise insulation ensures riders a comfortable and quiet commute,” the company said in announcing the delivery.

“We put in a lot more insulation for sound deadening,” including the vessel’s waterjet room, said Achille. Other noise reduction was added to generators and the engine exhaust system.

The Courageous has been appraised at $18 million, “and I don’t think you could build it for less than” $20 million, said Jim Barker.

He credits the success to Seastreak’s relationship to Midship Marine. The shipyard kept the project moving forward despite three Covid-related closings and Hurricane Ida, and it proceeded without any penalty for delay, said Jim Barker.

“They did a great job,” he said. “We built this without a change order.”

“We started our relationship with Midship back in 2011” with the first of several repowering projects, said

The new patrol boat is the last of six FRCs to be homeported in Manama, Bahrain.

www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program. The new patrol boat is the last of six FRCs to be homeported in Manama, Bahrain, which will replace the aging 110’ Islandclass patrol boats built by Bollinger 30 years ago, to support the Patrol Forces Southwest Asia, the Coast Guard’s largest overseas presence outside the U.S. For the FRC, which has a draft of 9’6”, Bollinger is using a proven, in-service parent craft design based on the Damen Stan Patrol Boat 4708. Main propulsion comes from twin MTU 20V4000 M93L diesel engines, producing 2,900 hp each.

In other Bollinger news, the shipyard announced in January that it will construct a new pontoon launcher for General Dynamics Electric Boat (Electric Boat) to support the construction and launching of the U.S.’s Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines. New subs will replace the aging Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines and is a top strategic defense priority for the U.S. The concept and contract design for the

23

ON THE WAYS

Austal USA

Acceptance trials for LCS 30 were completed in early November 2021.

24

Main Iron delivers another ASD tractor tug to Bisso Towboat

Ingram Marine Group

496’x95’ pontoon launcher was from Bristol Harbor Group in Rhode Island.

The detail design engineering will be performed at Bollinger in Lockport, La. The launcher is scheduled to be delivered to Electric Boat’s Groton, Conn., shipyard in 2024.

The Navy took delivery of the future USS Canberra (LCS 30) at Austal USA on Dec. 21. The 421'6"x103.7' aluminum trimaran vessel is the second Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) Austal delivered to the Navy in 2021. Acceptance trials for LCS 30 were completed in early November demonstrating to the Navy the successful operation of the ship’s major systems and equipment.

Main propulsion for LCS 30 comes from twin GE LM2500 turbines and two MTU 20V 8000 marine engines connected to four Wärtsilä steerable waterjets. Running speed is 40 knots.

Austal USA also announced that immediately after finalizing a deal on a new repair facility in the Port of San Diego, the shipyard placed an order for a floating drydock. The new floating drydock, optimized to efficiently dock small surface combatants and similar sized ships, will be the centerpiece of the new repair facility. The 531'x154' drydock will have a 9,000-light-ton lifting capacity and a maximum draft of 36’ (11 meters).

Construction on the drydock began in December and it is scheduled to be fully operational in Austal’s new San Diego repair facility by August 2023.

Ingram Marine Group announced in

about 2,400 one-way trips per day on Tuesdays through Thursdays and fewer trips on Mondays and Fridays. After the late 2021 plateau in ridership, the company was looking forward to more commuters returning. — Kirk Moore

John Roberts

January that David O’Loughlin will retire as CEO of the company effective Feb. 1. John Roberts, the company’s current chief operating officer will take the helm as the new president and CEO at that time. O’Loughlin will stay with the company as vice chair for the remainder of 2022 to assist with the transition.

Fincantieri Marine Repair, a division of Fincantieri Marine Systems North America, welcomed its first commercial customer to Commodores Point in downtown Jacksonville, Fla., in January, marking the start of operations in northeast Florida. Fincantieri announced in December that it would provide repair and maintenance services to military, commercial, and large private vessels on the East Coast beginning in 2022.

A 700-metric-ton Marine Travelift boat hoist has made its debut at Bridgeport Boatworks in Bridgeport, Conn. The addition augments the 75- and 200-ton lifts already in operation. Bridgeport Boatworks specializes in servicing recreational yachts as well as commercial vessels of most shapes and sizes.

The Shearer Group Inc. (TSGI) has promoted Joshua S. Sebastian and Harrison C. Brann. Sebastian, a 13year veteran of the firm, has been promoted to vice president — operations.

He will be responsible for all business aspects of TSGI. Brann, a senior naval architect and seven-year veteran of the firm, has been promoted to engineering manager.

M

ain Iron Works, Houma, La., has delivered the 100'×38'×13.5' Capt. Joseph Bisso to Bisso Towboat Co. Inc., New Orleans.

The 6,008-hp Capt. Joseph Bisso is the fifth ASD tractor tug the shipyard has built in the past seven years for Bisso.

The Capt. Joseph Bisso brings the total number of tugs in the Bisso fleet to 12, all of which were built by Main Iron Works. Bisso continues its technology leadership in the Mississippi River ship-assist trade with the largest fleet of ASD tractor tugs on the Lower Miss with nine, and the youngest fleet of tugs, with an average age of 13 years across the fleet, according to Scott Slatten, Bisso Towboat’s president.

Slatten indicated that with the pandemic and Hurricane Ida, Bisso is probably going to take a break for a few months before starting construction on another new tug.

With the uncertainty of the work force in the U.S. over the past 18 months, it would have been tough to hire a crew of four needed for the new tug. But not to worry. “She is replacing an older tug we sold,” said Slatten.

“We have a lot of long-term crewmembers with an average tenure for our captains of about 30 years and have little turnover.”

Main propulsion for the Capt. Joseph Bisso comes from twin Caterpillar 3516E Tier 4F main engines, generating 3,004 hp each at 1,800 rpm, which drive two Schottel SRP 460 FP Z-drives. The Z-drives feature 2,500 MM diameter 4-bladed stainless-steel propellers in stainless steel nozzles.

www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

Bisso Towboat

ON THE WAYS

The new tug carries an ABS International Loadline in addition to being built to Subchapter M certification and receiving a USCG COI.

to Weeks Marine, Houma, La. The James K was designed by the shipyard, the owner, and MINO Marine, New Orleans.

With a 10'6" draft and ½" steel bottom and side shell plate, the new triple-screw tug is powered by three Cummins QSK-19 MRCS diesels, producing 800 hp at 2,400 rpm. The engines are connected to Kahlensburg 4-bladed 66"×54" props through Twin Disc MGX-5222 DC marine gears with 6.10:1 reduction ratios. The propulsion package gives the James K a running speed of 9.5 knots.

The James K was built to “sup-

Rodriguez Shipbuilding delivers 78' lugger tug to Weeks Marine

I

n January, Coden, Ala.-based Rodriguez Shipbuilding delivered a new 78'×30'×11'6" modified lugger tug

Weeks Marine

Estimated bollard pull is 75 tons.

Ship’s service power is provided by two 118-kW Caterpillar generators powered by two Caterpillar C4.4 engines. The tug is equipped with a JonRie Series 240 escort winch featuring 500' of 3"-dia. Saturn 12 line with 749,000 lbs. of breaking strength.

Other features include USCGapproved engine room monitoring and fire and smoke alarm systems, fixed CO2 fire extinguishing system, Simrad navigation/electronics, soundproof insulation throughout the engine room/ crew quarters, stainless steel bitts and bow staple and four bunk rooms with seven berths.

Tankage includes capacities for 30,162 gals. diesel fuel, 11,000 gals. potable water, 1,825 gals. each of lube and hydraulic oil and 2,000 gals. of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF).

The new tug carries an ABS International Loadline in addition to being built to Subchapter M certification and receiving a Coast Guard COI. — Ken Hocke

port Weeks Marine’s dredging and construction projects both on site and making tows throughout the East Coast and Gulf regions,” said David Tuck, Weeks’ chief engineer and projects manager.

Ship’s service power comes from twin Cummins QSB-7 DM gensets, sparking 65 kW of electricity each.

The tug has a bollard pull of 24 LT, controls by ZF Electronic, and a Jastram electric-over-hydraulic steering system.

There are accommodations for a crew of eight and four passengers.

The electronics package includes Furuno SC-130 Sat compass, FA-170 AIS, Navpilot-711C auto pilot, twin GP-33 GPSes, FCV-628 depth sounder, BR-500PA bridge alarm, two 1945 radar 1 (6 kW), twin FR-8125 radar (12 kW), FMD-1945 radar repeater, LH5000 loudhailer, two Rose Point nemo gateway, Rodriguez general alarm, Astron N2412-24 24VDC/12VDC, 10 Standard Horizon VHF radio, two ACR RCL-95 LED spot lights, Perko 16" spot light, Xenon 16" spot light, Airmar 220 WX wind gage, and an Alpine CDE-172BT Sirius radio.

The James K is USCG certified, Subchapter M and carries a 24VDC/240AHr battery backup system for all Coast Guard required equipment and lighting.

— K. Hocke

The James K is the larger version of the Jack K and William O.

www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

25

COVER STORY

Sick Days After a dismal 2020, business picked up last year for many passenger vessel operators.

By Dale K. DuPont, Correspondent

V

UnCruise Adventures suffered through a rough 2020 but started the 2021 season in May from Juneau, Alaska, with six of their seven Alaska boats, and enjoyed a 77% capacity level.

26

UnCruise Adventures photo

irus variants, threatened mandates, mask and sanitation protocols, supply chain woes and higher costs for everything including workers have tested the resilience of passenger vessel operators.

So far, they’re still afloat, but it hasn’t been easy. They’ve adapted in many ways, such as going cashless, postponing engine repowerings and other work, finding substitute products and burning through reserves.

What’s more, two existing challenges have gotten tougher: The widespread legalization of recreational marijuana has aggravated a

www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

COVER STORY overnight line.

ACL launched two new riverboats and expects to launch two more this year as part of their modern riverboat series. The outlook is “better than ever, and we anticipate a great 2022 season beginning in March,” he said.

American Cruise Lines

BOOKINGS START TO REBOUND

American Cruise Lines was the first cruise line in the U.S. to resume cruising in 2021, the company said.

number of 2020 passengers having rescheduled. “We feel pretty good,” knowing Covid and its variants like Omicron are still a threat. “If it’s not anything worse than the Delta variant, we can handle it.”

American Cruise Lines (ACL) also is optimistic. ACL “was the first cruise line in the U.S. to resume cruising in 2021 and operated a successful year with its full fleet of 13 ships running. We were able to operate every itinerary, visiting more than 30 states,” said Charles B. Robertson, president and CEO of the Guilford, Conn.-based

Classic Harbor Line

worker shortage, especially when drug tests can show use but not impairment; and illegal charters have proliferated, filling the void left when governments shut down licensed vessel operators and land-based nightclubs.

“A slowly rebounding economy, coupled with consumer desire to travel, helped PVA vessel operators in many industry segments with increasing business during the second half of 2021,” said John Groundwater, Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) executive director. “If Covid variants do not force new business shutdowns in 2022, PVA anticipates that U.S. passenger vessel operators will make slow progress in rebuilding their businesses.”

For overnight operator UnCruise Adventures, Seattle, last year “was the start of a recovery,” said owner and CEO Capt. Dan Blanchard.

They started the season in May from Juneau, Alaska, with six of their seven Alaska boats, which were kept “comfortably full” – about 77% capacity.

Over Thanksgiving, UnCruise began operations in Hawaii on the 36-passenger 127'×36'×12' Safari Explorer – the only small ship company operating interisland overnight cruises.

Bookings “are running very solid” for this year, Blanchard said, with a

At Wendella Sightseeing Boats, Chicago, “It was a pretty successful season for us,” said Andrew Sargis, chief of operations. “You can’t expect the business market and labor market to roar back immediately, but that doesn’t mean we’re not successful. We just need to see progress.”

Capacity restrictions loosened once the weather warmed up and people could go outside.

“We had a great season,” said Capt.

Sarah Pennington, director, Classic Harbor Line, New York. The company operated the six boats in its fleet and is looking forward to 2022.

“Fortunately, we have a lot of local tourists.”

The private sector really came alive in the second and third quarters, and they had a lot more personal celebrations than usual. Pennington’s also thankful for the smaller passenger capacity of her fleet. Certification on

Classic Harbor Lines’ Manhattan II and the five other vessels in its fleet enjoyed strong bookings in 2021.

www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

27

COVER STORY

RECRUITMENT, RETENTION Meanwhile, hiring and retention problems persist. And Wendella’s Sargis sees the marijuana issue as one of the reasons.

28

T

GROWING LIKE A WEED

en years ago, Colorado and Washington state became the first states to legalize recreational marijuana. Today recreational use is legal in 18 states and the District of Columbia, and medical marijuana is allowed in 36 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (www.ncsl.org).

The spread presents another hiring challenge. Because federal law still considers marijuana an illegal drug, weed is off limits for those in safetysensitive jobs under the Coast Guard’s and Department of Transportation’s watch.

THC — the ingredient that produces the high — can remain in a body for 30 days or more after use, and there’s no test for impairment as there is for alcohol.

Prospective employees walk away because they don’t want to abstain or fail a drug test that will hurt future job prospects.

“It truly is a major impediment to hiring. It’s really going to become a pretty big labor relations issue,” Sargis said. “We have to figure out a way to test for impairment, not use. As prohibition ends, this does become a pretty serious issue.”

Mark Meeker, assistant general counsel at American Maritime Safety Inc., a White Plains, N.Y.-based consortium that administers drug and alcohol testing compliance programs for maritime operators, said maritime employers tell him it’s increasingly difficult to find people.

What’s more, “you’ve got a lot of mariners who are under the mistaken impression that this wonderful new CBD product has no THC,” and they won’t fail a drug test, he said. CBD is allowed to have trace elements of THC. Smoking marijuana leaves inactive THC, which is detected in commonly used urine tests. Blood tests can detect active THC. Marijuana drug testing positivity surged in states with legal recreational use 118.2% from 2012-2020 – from 2.2% to 4.8%, according to Quest Diagnostics 2021 drug testing index.

Charleston Harbor Tours

the vessels ranges from 40 to 130 passengers.

“We’re not quite back to 2019 levels, but we’re within target,” said Capt.

Dave Whanger, vice president of operations, Charleston Harbor Tours, and 2022 looks promising. “We’ve already got some solid early bookings.”

In 2020 they ran two of their four boats. In 2021 they ran all at about 90% capacity. As others noted, a lot of outdoor space was a big plus. Charter bookings which were basically nonexistent during the worst of Covid are returning.

The pandemic prompted them to go cashless and eliminate both a labor-intensive part of the business and touch points between passengers and staff.

“We didn’t miss a beat. Nobody batted an eye,” Whanger said. “It worked really well for us this season.”

From a lender’s perspective, “The mood is positive, the trend is positive,” said Michael C. Sammartino, executive vice president, Thomas USAF Group, Atlanta, which offers government-guaranteed loans. He has had quite a few refinancing requests and no defaults. In 2020 operators were receiving deferments from existing loan payments, “but that’s probably not going to continue.”

Sammartino credits the current and previous administrations for federal aid packages. “All those financing opportunities helped.”

Last year, PVA members received nearly $360 million in Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services Program (CERTS) emergency funding, Groundwater said.

Because of Covid’s lingering effects, PVA is pushing for more CERTS funding for 2022 and for replenishing the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) which helped PVA members before funds ran out.

The Charleston Princess is operated by Charleston Harbor Tours, which reported 90% capacity last year for its fleet of four boats.

www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

Positivity rates were lower in states with only medical marijuana or no legalized marijuana statutes.

Credentialed mariners or other safety sensitive workers onboard who are subject to Coast Guard drug tests can’t use THC, a Coast Guard safety advisory says. “Claimed use of hemp products or CBD products is not an acceptable defense for a THC-positive drug test result.”

Breathalyzers may help if and when federal law changes. Some breathalyzers are under development.

Hound Labs Inc., Oakland, Calif., for example, recently received a $20 million investment to help produce its patented Hound Marijuana Breathalyzer. Production of the device, which has been in development since 2014, is expected to start this year, a spokesman said.

After an employee breathes into the breathalyzer’s mouthpiece, the cartridge is put into a processor which signals a positive or negative result for THC in breath. The device measures cannabis use within a few hours of the test, the spokesman said.

“It does not measure whether, or how much, a person is impaired,” the company said in the investment announcement. “It should not be used … for any federal drug testing programs.”

Changes in federal law will require legislation. Last summer, three senators, including majority leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., proposed legislation to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. In November, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., introduced a similar proposal.

ILLEGAL CHARTERS

Another issue that requires federal help is illegal charters, which flourished while licensed operators were idled. And while it’s a nationwide problem, South Florida is at the heart of the action.

Miami accounts for 75% of all illegal charter cases in the U.S., said Jesús R. Porrata, chief of the investigations division of the Coast Guard’s Miami

U.S. Coast Guard

COVER STORY

A Coast Guard Station Fort Lauderdale 33-foot Special Purpose Craft-Law Enforcement team conducts a boarding of a 20-foot pontoon vessel in Fort Lauderdale in 2020. Aboard the illegal charter were seven paying passengers as well as the owner, who was acting as captain.

sector.

Two years ago, the agency formed the Illegal Charters Task Force, which includes local police department marine units, to crack down on illegal boat and jet ski rentals. Porrata called

T

UNLICENSED CHARTERS

he illegal charter business has boomed during Covid as legitimate vessel operators and landside clubs were closed by government order. The Coast Guard was especially busy in the Miami area, which in normal times is a hot spot for illegal activity.

Total illegal charters cited:

2019 - 17 2020 - 33 2021 - 96

Source: U.S. Coast Guard, Miami

www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

it a “force multiplier,” with more eyes and ears on the water to stop unlicensed and uninspected boats. Customers often believe they’re dealing with legitimate, licensed mariners.

“It’s extremely complex to even enforce these laws” when the people onboard won’t cooperate with investigators, Porrata said.

Under federal law, a boat must be inspected if it carries more than six people and at least one paying passenger. Operators must be licensed to legally carry up to six paying riders.

Commercial operators with six or more onboard — with at least one paying — must have a master’s license and a Certificate of Inspection (COI).

Bareboat charters may carry a maximum of 12 without a COI and neither the owner or agent can be involved in operating the charter – and that includes hiring and paying the crew.

Illegal operators can face penalties of $60,000 or more, and charters that violate a Captain of the Port Order can face penalties over $97,000 for violations that include no COI and failure to enroll in a drug and alcohol program.

Sometimes the fines are just a cost of doing business. But, Porrata said, “The Coast Guard is not going to let up on its mission.”

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BOATS & GEAR Safety Training

Safe and Sound A strong safety culture will prevent most vessel accidents.

ABS

The MITAGS wheelhouse simulator in Baltimore.

MITAGS

The MITAGS wheelhouse simulator in Baltimore.

By Michael Crowley, Correspondent

M

ost workboat accidents are preventable. Not willing to replace old equipment, an unwillingness to acknowledge that, yes, boats deteriorate and its crew might not always be paying attention to what’s happening around them or know what to do when an incident takes place, all contribute to accidents that should not have happened. These needless accidents can be financially costly and result in injuries or death.

A wise option for operators is to invest time and money on safety measures that should be built into a boat before it leaves the dock and crew training that promotes a strong safety culture.

A good source for what can happen when the safety angle plays a secondary role is the National Transportation

30

Safety Board’s Safer Seas Digest that examines significant marine accidents and then makes safety recommendations in the hopes of reducing future accidents.

Take the case of the Andrew Cargill MacMillan that was featured in the Safer Seas Digest 2019. The 176'×54’ towing vessel was pushing a tow of 42 loaded barges southbound on the Lower Mississippi River on Oct. 23, 2018. The pilot relied solely on visual references while traveling at about 9.5 mph near mile 445, then lost sight of a buoy, oversteered and quickly lost control of the tow, causing the lead barges to contact the Farmers Grain Terminal conveyor.

The probable cause of the tow collision with the conveyor and breasting dolphins was the pilot’s overreliance on looking for floating aids to navigation, even though equipment was available that would have aided in crosswww.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

checking the tow’s position. Damages were an estimated $8 million to the conveyor and dolphins and $74,000 to the barge.

Improving a pilot’s understanding of how oncoming challenges — be it other vessels, course changes or a bend in the river — will affect his vessel is something that the Maritime Institute of Technology & Graduate Studies (MITAGS), a maritime safety training company with locations in Seattle and Linthicum Heights, Md., is focusing on. “We are developing a lot of programs for navigational assessment,” said Capt. Jon Kjaerulff, director of business development at MITAGS. One training program simulates a wheelhouse environment that puts a person in challenging situations to “see how the boat and people perform.” The whole idea of the simulation is to make “them feel like it’s real and to understand what it takes to make a good decision and experience the stress,” said Kjaerulff.

The individual at the wheel might have a tug or two tugs assisting him, but suddenly a tug could lose power or the current becomes stronger than anticipated or visibility decreases — “then here’s how you respond,” said Kjaerulff, and there’s no real consequences if it doesn’t turn out well.

“Anytime you can create a dangerous situation with a simulator it’s a lot better than having to do it in the real world.”

FIRE-RELATED ACCIDENTS

MITAGS

Safety Training

Fire is always a concern for operators and mariners.

owner, Truth Aquatics Inc., failed “to provide effective oversight of its vessel and crewmember operations, including requirements to ensure that a roving patrol was maintained,” according to the Safer Seas Digest 2020. Not doing so allowed a fire to grow undetected.

Constant monitoring is critical for preventing and detecting fires, said Kjaerulff. MITAGS basic and advanced firefighting courses combine classroom instruction and field training. “The main thing we say is you don’t want it to get started. Teach your crew where fire hazards are, what to look for and what they should report.”

MITAGS safety training courses stress that when a fire does break out, a crewman’s initial reaction should be to keep it from getting worse, “as well as notifying everybody. The last thing you want to do is be the guy that

Something that Kjaerulff said is “always high on anybody’s worry list is a fire.” The Safer Seas Digest 2019 focused on five fire-related accidents: two towing vessels, one ATB, an offshore supply vessel, and a towboat and cutter suction dredge. The 2020 Safer Seas Digest examined three firerelated incidents — two barges and the dive boat Conception.

The Conception dive boat accident in 2019 was a particularly horrific incident. Thirty-four people burned to death mostly because the boat’s www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

discovers a fire, tries to put it out, and nobody knows about it.”

Kjaerulff allows that some mariners in the firefighting class have said, “We are not going to fight a fire on this boat. We are going to abandon ship.”

The instructor’s reaction is generally “let’s show you what abandoning ship looks like.”

That means putting mariners that advocate the abandon ship position in a survival suit and then in a life raft to show them that “this is what happens if you can’t put the fire out, and it’s not a given that getting off the boat will get you home safe. Just because you can see land that’s no guarantee you are going to survive.”

Kjaerulff said that is the real value of hands-on training. “It’s getting people to recognize that this really can happen to you.”

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After going through a safety training course, the next step that is critically important for mariners — maybe they work on a harbor tug, ocean tug or ferry — “is to take the knowledge we’ve given you and say, ‘how do we apply that to our onboard drills?’ What we are doing is really just to help you run better drills on your boat. Take it personally and make it fit your operation.”

Developing a safety program matched up with a particular boat’s layout is a lot easier when a MITAGS safety instructor is on board. “Some companies have us come out to their crew,” said Kjaerulff, “and imagine scenarios where if there was a fire how would you deal with it.” What equipment does that boat have and what’s the best way to use it?

That could also be a good time to discuss what to do in a flooding or abandon ship situation. He adds that a

Ventura County Fire Department

BOATS & GEAR Safety Training

The Conception dive boat accident in 2019 resulted in 34 deaths.

lot of companies don’t have the time and don’t want to spend the money if it’s not required by the Coast Guard or other outside entity.

At the same time, Kjaerulff said that one of the biggest changes is a

growing recognition by many companies of the value of safety training.

“It’s not just about checking a box.

They are seeing the value in putting people in a situation where they get a chance to refresh their skills.”

Take us with you on the go!

Our team has been hard at work creating some new features to add to the WorkBoat brand family.

Download our new mobile apps to see what we have been up to!

Workboat News • Browse news and read the latest from voices in the industry • Download full issues of WorkBoat Magazine for offline reading • Read the latest from our brand partners, and so much more

Search WorkBoat in your App Store or use your mobile device camera to scan this QR code!

The International WorkBoat Show • Browse the full interactive exhibitor list and show map • Favorite exhibitors and create a “must see” list • Take notes for back in the office • Create a custom schedule • Check out exclusive show-only specials & so much more!

Search WorkBoat Show in your App Store or use your mobile device camera to scan this QR code!

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when wOrk matTers.

Your only full line supplier of commercial marine flotation products

www.kentsafetyproducts.com • orders@absoluteoutdoor.com • 320-252-2056 x115

PORT OF CALL Employment, Equipment & Services

EMPLOYMENT FOR IMMEDIATE HIRE!

Marine & Industrial Account Managers

Marine Chief Engineer •

•

•

•

Hiring for Pacific Northwest & greater Northeast region

Knowledge of United States Coast Guard regulations governing ferry operations.

Knowledge and ability to operated and monitor main engines and auxillary machinery on ferry vessels

5+ marine sales experience

Hold a minimum of MMC-endorsed as “Chief Engineer” motor vessels of at least 3000 H.P.

Shipbuilding knowledge/industry contacts

Familiarity and experience with vessels of at least 200 feet/800 tons.

Competitive salary, bonus, benefits + company vehicle

Send resumes to: Curtis.hardison@usfacilities.com

Click on “Careers” at:

www.stimarine.com

SEEKING!

WE ARE SEEKING TO FILL OUR OPEN POSTIONS! • • • •

Director of Business Development Lead Customer Support Customer Support Administrator Supervisor

1600 Sparrows Point Blvd., Baltimore, MD Equal Opportunity Employer

www.tradepointatlantic.com Send resumes to:

hr@tradepointatlantic.com

Offshore Dragging Captain Point Judith based fleet has need for an experienced Offshore Dragging Captain.

Experience fishing squid, scup, whiting and fluke desired.

NMFS Operators Permit Required.

Full-Time Job. Please send resumes to:

mroderick@towndock.com

OFFSHORE POSITIONS WANTED Experienced Utilities, Preps, Bakers & Cooks for offshore. Must have T.W.I.C. Minimum 2 years offshore experience. Must pass drug test.

JPADD RESOURCES STAFFING Email resumes to: j.padd@yahoo.com

Email your resume and credentials to:

jobs@tradewindtowing.com www.tradewindstowing.com (No phone calls please)

34

The Boat Company, operating 2 small overnight expedition vessels in SE Alaska, is now hiring for all positions for the 2022 season.

Equal Opportunity Employer

To apply go to:

Accepting applications

Captains, Engineers & ABs

All POSITIONS OPEN!

www.theboatcompany.org/ about-us/employment

Place your ad! Contact: Wendy Jalbert wjalbert@divcom.com

SEEKING EXPERIENCED OFFSHORE PERSONNEL Utility Hand/ Housekeeping wanted for offshore work. Rotating hitches of 14 hours per day then 14 days off. Must have the following:

RIG PASS/SAFEGULF—HUET—BOSIET—MMC—TWIC Three years offshore utility experience

Applicants will also be required to pass a USCG Merchant Mariner Physical and a USCG DOT Drug Test

https://cardinal.bamboohr.com/jobs www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

PORT OF CALL

EMPLOYMENT Marine Dredge Captain

Tugboat Captain and AB Needed!

SHORE OFFSHORE SERVICES

 Four years experience as an operator, mate,









or engineer in the operations of a dredge plus the possession of a USCG license as a Master of Towing Vessel.

Four years experience as an operator, mate, or engineer in the operations of a dredge plus the possession of a USCG Engineer’s license.

TWIC card required Supervise the operations of a large cutterhead dredge and associated support equipment Competitive Benefits

Equal Opportunity Employer Click on Apply link and complete application at:

http://agency.governmentjobs.com/ louisiana/default.cfm

Has Immediate Openings!

Mobro Marine has openings for Captains and Able Bodied Seaman. Experience required for inland and offshore East Coast US, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.

We offer excellent benefits and competitive wages to qualified applicants.

Equal Opportunity Employer Located Green Cove Springs, Florida

Contact Mike Rodriguez (904) 305-2502 mrodriguez@mobromarine.com

Now accepting applications for Marine Superintendent

Now Hiring

ALL VESSEL POSITIONS!  100T

Captains  500/1600T Captains  Chief Engineer  QMED/AB Engineer  Unlicensed Engineer  AB/Able Seafarer Deck  Ordinary Seaman  Deckhand

• 10 years of experience in vessel operations and logistics • US citizenship required, as is eligibility for a TWIC card • Successful candidate should have a thorough working knowledge of oceanographic research vessels, marine operations and USCG regulations • Oversees a shore-based team consisting of Port Captain and Port Engineer, marine technicians and ship’s crew

For complete job description go to:

www.bios.edu/about/careers/ Please submit applications, including cover letter and resume to:

HR@bios.edu

Please email resumes to:

hrdept@odysseamarine.com

www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

                   

Derrick Barge Deck Foreman Leadermen Rigger Derrick Crane Operator Deck Crane Operator Tower Operator Welding Foreman Welder (6 GR Certified) Clerk Chief Engineer Chief Electrician Mechanic Oiler Electrician Steward Night Cook Galley Hand Tug Boat Captain Able Body Seamen QMED/OILER

VANUATU FLAGGED TUG CREWS:  Able seafarer deck–II/4 or II/5  Chief engineer—III/3  Able seafarer engine—III/4 or III/5 All deck officers must hold valid Vanuatu GMDSS– General Operator’s Certificate (GOC) (IV/2)

Minimum 2 years offshore experience onboard a derrick barge required.

Applicants must have a valid TWIC card.

Email resume to:

jobs@shoreoffshore.com

35

PORT OF CALL Employment, Equipment & Services

EMPLOYMENT Dann Ocean Towing

NOW HIRING! As our fleet continues to grow, we are looking for experienced wire boat:

- Captain - Mates

- Engineers - AB Deckhands

We Offer:  A company committed to safety  Competitive Day Rates  Equal Time Opportunities  Paid Travel

Apply online: www.dannoceantowing.com Email: hiring@dannoceantowing.com Phone: (813) 251-5100

NOW HIRING!!!

Need To Fill All positions aboard DP2-Construction Support Vessel • MASTER—STCW II/2 Master 3000 Tons and Unlimited DP Certificate • CHIEF MATE—STCW II/2 Chief Mate 3000 Tons and Unlimited DP Certificate • MATE—STCW/OICNW II/1 and Unlimited DP Certificate • CHIEF ENGINEER—STCW IIl/2 CE 3000KW/ 4000HP • ASSISTANT ENGINEER—STCW lll / 1 OlCEW • DECK FOREMAN —3+ Yrs experience in deck supervisory role • BOSUN—STCW II/4, II/5, VI/2, VI/6 AB Unlimited • ABLE SEAFARER DECK—STCW II/5, STCW II/4 AB Unlimited • ABLE SEAFARER ENGINE—STCW ll/5 , STCW II/4 Oiler/Motorman • CRANE OPERATOR—API Operator License Knuckle Boom • Wiper - OS License • OS/RIGGER—Qualified Rigger API RP2D or Equivalent • COOK—Food Safety Certificate • GALLEY HAND —Food Safety Certificate • ELECTRICIAN—Minimum 5 Yrs Mechanical/ Electrical Experience on all Vessel Types (DP2 & Conventional) • CONSTRUCTION SUPERINTENDENT– 5 + Yrs Industry Experience– Current Offshore Certifications • ROV SUPERVISOR—5+Yrs Industry Experience with 360+ Days In Senior Pilot Tech Role and Current Certifications • ROV PILOT TECH—150-hurs Piloting Experience/180+ Days Offshore as Pilot with Current Certifications

Must have DP-2 DSV experience, current mariners’ credentials, certifications & physical.

Send resumes & copies of credentials to:

SSR2-JOBS@HYDRAOC.COM

36

Place your ad! Contact: Wendy Jalbert wjalbert@divcom.com

Vessel Construction Manager 1 / 2 In this position you will be the design and construction engineer for medium and large vessel refurbishment, upgrade, and new build projects.

The VCM 1/2 will coordinate with all interested parties to prepare the bid documents and to administer service and construction contracts.

This position acts as the AMHS onsite Resident Engineer during construction projects to in-state and out-of-state shipyards and supports the AMHS Project Manager.

For a full job description, minimum qualifications and benefits check out the full job listing at Workplace Alaska:

www.governmentjobs.com/careers/alaska

www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

PORT OF CALL

EMPLOYMENT

Now Hiring—All Trades North Kingstown, RI

⬧ www.jgoodison.com

Laborers

Welders

Painters

Pipefitters

Crane Operators

Shipfitters

Inside Machinists

Carpenters

Outside Machinists

UHP Blasters

Riggers

Shipyard Maintenance Mechanics

Please apply online or send resume to: Karhina@jgoodison.com

Place your ad! Contact: Wendy Jalbert wjalbert@divcom.com | www.workboat.com/resources/jobs/

LEGAL

WE HAVE OPEN POSITIONS!!

• Quality Assurance InspectorNorfolk, VA

• Project Superintendent-

Bremerton, WA Los Angeles, CA

• Project ManagerBremerton, WA

• Environmental Health and Safety Supervisor Bremerton, WA

Equal Opportunity Employer For job descriptions click on Join Our Team at:

www.ampunited.com

Please send resume and salary requirements to:

pdanles@ampunited.com

www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

37

PORT OF CALL Employment, Equipment & Services

MARINE GEAR & SUPPLIES BARGE PUMPS

BOLLARD™ MARINE GENERATORS

IMO ROTARY SCREW ASPHALT PUMPS

Designed & Built for the Harsh Marine Environment

9kW - 550kW Gensets

BYRON JACKSON TURBINE PUMPS

LOWEST COST OF OWNERSHIP MORE COPPER = LOWER OPERATING TEMPS & LESS FUEL CONSUMPTION

ured by

ct Manufa

t

uipmen

MER Eq

BLACKMER ROTARY GEAR PUMPS

CUSTOM SPECS AVAILABLE

OUR 110TH YEAR

800.777.0714

Locate a dealer www.merequipment.com

DUVIC’S PUMPS “Greater Downtown” HARVEY, LA 70059 Box 1237 • 504-341-1654 PH/FX

SIMPLE. RUGGED. RELIABLE. KIENE Cylinder Pressure Indicators for measuring diesel engine firing pressures...

Easy to use—simple and reliable.

Reduce maintenance costs.

Improve engine availability.

Use to balance cylinders.

Pinpoint engine problems.

Optimize fuel consumption.

Fits any standard indicator valve.

Recommended and used by major engine builders.

• Minimal investment to monitor engine condition..

• • • • • • • •

Call or e-mail for info!

1-800-264-5950 info@kienediesel.com www.kienediesel.com

38

www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

PORT OF CALL

MARINE GEAR & SUPPLIES

MARINE MACHINING & MANUFACTURING Your One-Stop Shop for Your Marine Drive Needs Sales and Service

Sales and Service

• A17, A19, A22 and A22HS • Propeller Shafting Bar Stock lengths up to 36’ • C.N.C. Machined Propeller Shafting • Precision Propeller Shaft straightening & repair

• Custom Machined Shaft Couplings up to 30” diameter • Michigan Wheel Propellers • Propeller Repair

W O R L D L E A D E R I N B O AT S H A F T I N G World's Largest Stocking Distributor of AQUAMET PH. 586-791-8800

33475 Giftos Dr., Clinton Township, MI 48035 ◼

www.marinemachining.com - www.aquamet.com

Become a Certified and Accredited Marine Surveyor

Fishing Vessel Qualified. Complete course and examination for all vessel types and uses.

1-800-245-4425 or navsurvey.com

THE MOST POWERFUL TOOL

for removing coatings and rust

220 Ton Mobile Boat Hoist • Marine Travelift brand; model 200 CII • upsized from standard 32’x30’ model to 34’ inside clear • height x 34’ inside clear width, max 30’ vessel width • Bought new in 2009, in excellent operating condition • Master Marine, Bayou La Batre, Alabama • $595,000 USD As is where is • Buyer arrange and pay for relocation.

For purchase inquiries: s.roppoli@mastermarineinc.com www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

Rustibus® is designed to de-scale and power brush ship decks, hatch covers, tank tops, etc. free from paint and rust!

USA OFFICE Ph: 832-203-7170 houston@rustibus.com

39

PORT OF CALL Employment, Equipment & Services

MARINE GEAR & SUPPLIES REPELLER GRATE

Keel Coolers Trouble free marine engine cooling since 1927!

THE WALTER MACHINE CO, INC •

The Repeller Grate is a rugged & reliable, stainless steel intake grate designed to enhance the performance of jet drive watercraft.

•

Both models (Hydraulic & Stationary) are designed to inhibit the accumulation of weeds and debris on the intake grate.

•

Both models are scalable and can be designed to fit any watercraft.

Tel: 201-656-5654 • Fax: 201-656-0318 www.waltergear.com

750 Ton Floating Steel Drydock  Type: Sectional 6 Pontoon  Overall 152’ x 58’ (46‘ inside)  6’ Pontoon Depth  24 Vertical lift gate valves; 24 centrifugal 4”

DJC Marine Technologies, LLC (207) 784-3177

pumps

www.repellergrate.com

36-inch Diameter Modular Plastic Pontoons

 Built 2011, Excellent operating condition  Buyer responsible for relocation costs  Master Marine, Bayou La Batre, Alabama  US $850,000

For purchasing inquires:

s.roppoli@mastermarineinc.com

The Best Idea Since the Indian Canoe Now Manufacturing and Installing Fire Retardant Bunk Curtains Uses: Pontoon boats, house boats,

workboats—replace old steel or aluminum pontoons Heavy Duty: Molded from sturdy, medium density polyethylene (MDPF) and filled with polyurethane foam for increased stability Modular: Each bow, middle and stern modules are 10 ft. in length Displacement at full submersion:

Bow module supports gross weight of 3,100 lbs. and middle/stern each supports 4,200 lbs.

We are a Custom Manufacturer of Wheelhouse Tinted Shades & Crew Quarter Blackout Shades

We custom build every shade to fit each window in our facility.

They are Incredibly durable, driven by over-sized clutches and operated by a stainless steel pull chain.

We offer measurement and installation services in Southern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. We carry $5,000,000 workers’ compensation, and liability insurance policies with U.S.L.&H. and the Jones Act.

Download our order form to purchase your shades today.

Contact: Edward Kass III | 504-615-5833 | ekass@solarboatshades.com | www.solarboatshades.com

5602 Sea Grapes Way The Village, FL 32163 Phone: 419-675-0002 info@wilsonpontoons.com

Toll Free: 877-456-2531

www.plasticpontoon.com 40

www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

PORT OF CALL

MARINE GEAR & SUPPLIES

The Alutech and OP Series Chairs & Deck Rails

Greater Quality. Greatest Value.

Alu Design offers a standard product line in addition to the option for customization to suit specific needs.

Sleek modern design and maximum utility and comfort are emphasized.

No matter whether you call it a pilot chair, helm chair, navigator chair or operator seat, we have the chair for your application.

www.alu-design.no

In-Mar Solutions offers a complete line of Alu Design & Services chairs and deck rails.

www.inmarsolutions.com 

info@inmarsolutions.com

(225) 644-7063

Place your ad! Contact: Wendy Jalbert wjalbert@divcom.com | workboat.com/resources/jobs-marketplace

MB Brokerage Co. HOSS Winch Division

NEW & REFURBISHED WINCHES Call or email for a quote or custom winch requirement!

cgonsoul@gmail.com

850-255-5266 www.HossWinch.com www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

41

PORT OF CALL Employment, Equipment & Services

SERVICES

MB Brokerage Co. | MB Barge Co. | BG Fleeting

Barges | Boats | Cranes Vessel Chartering Services Chris Gonsoulin, Owner (850) 255-5266

cgonsoul@gmail.com

www.mbbrokerage.net Coast Guard & State Pilotage License Insurance Available Coverages; Legal Defense for CG, NTSB and State Pilot Hearings; Federal and State Civil Actions Reimbursement for Loss of Wages Group Coverage Also Available R.J. Mellusi & Co., 29 Broadway, Suite 2311 New York, N.Y. 10006 Tel. 1(800)280-1590, Fax. 1(212)385-0920, rjmellusi@sealawyers.com www.marinelicenseinsurance.com

Place your ad! Contact: Wendy Jalbert wjalbert@divcom.com | workboat.com/resources/jobs-marketplace

ADVERTISERS INDEX Ahead Sanitation Systems Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Airmar Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 All American Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 BMT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Browns Point Marine Service, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 C & C Marine and Repair LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Coast Guard Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Duramax Marine LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CV3 Eastern Shipbuilding Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Furuno USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 International WorkBoat Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,21 Karl Senner, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CV4 Kent Safety Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Marine Jet Power AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 MTU - A Rolls-Royce solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CV2 R M Young Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 R W Fernstrum & Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 42

www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

LOOKS BACK FEBRUARY 1962

• Freeport Sulphur Co. recently announced that it plans to add a second production platform at its Grand Isle, La., offshore sulphur mine, the first in the world, the company said. The 1,500' extension will bring the overall length of the structure to 4,076', or almost four times the length of the Queen Elizabeth.

• A new 80', twin-screw, all-steel tug,

the Alamo II, was placed into offshore service in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast recently by Louisiana Tugs Inc., Harvey, La. Built by Bollinger Machine Shop and Shipyard, when its fuel load is lightened, the tug can work in 6.5' of water.

• Designed for service on the upper Ohio River, a new twin-screw towboat, the W.H. Shaver, Jr., was built

recently by Barbour Metal Boat Works, St. Louis, and delivered to Tri-State Materials Corp.

FEBRUARY 1972

• Kelso Marine Inc., Galveston, Texas, a subsidiary of C. Brewer and Co. Ltd. of Hawaii, has delivered the Ponciana, a pressure tank barge that incorporates a tug-barge pushing system, making the barge and its propelling vessel an integrated ship.

• Port Ship Services Inc., New Orleans, has added the 56' Mary W., a twin-screw ship service launch for its harbor operations. The new vessel, designed and built by Halter Marine Services Inc., is Coast Guard approved

for 49 passengers.

• Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding Corp., Somerset, Mass., has delivered the 46' launch Carey to Wilmington Launch Service, Wilmington, Del. The vessel is powered by a Detroit Diesel V-12 engine, crewboat rated, driving a 40/32 Federal propeller on a 3" 17-4 PH Armco shaft through 3:1 Twin Disc reverse reduction gear. The entire deckhouse is built of 5086-H-116 marine aluminum.

FEBRUARY 1982 • Jeffboat Inc., Jeffersonville, Ind., has been awarded a construction contract to build four towboats — three 7,200-hp and one 4,600-hp — for Florida Barge Lines Corp., New Orleans.

According to the construction schedule, the first towboat will be delivered later this year, the second in 1983, and the final two towboats should be completed in 1984.

• The U.S. Maritime Administra44

tion will transfer its Eastern Region Collision Avoidance Radar Navigation School to the Seamen’s Church Institute of New York and New Jersey.

Under the terms of the agreement, Marad will conditionally transfer the school’s equipment and responsibility for its maintenance and operation to the Seamen’s Church and will provide $40,000 to assist in meeting expenses for the first year. www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat

Tobias Kohl Director Application Engineering Marine Mountain biker

HOW CAN REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS BE FULFILLED OVER THE LONG TERM? Our future-proof drive solutions continually meet and even exceed IMO III and EPA 4 emissions standards.

Providing ever cleaner, safer and more competitive solutions is always on our mind – even when we‘re not at work.

Talk to Tobias about mtu Series 4000 propulsion packages.

www.mtu-solutions.com

“With more than 65 sets of Reintjes gears in service today, our business has continued to operate safely and efficiently with reliable and dependable service from Karl Senner, LLC. With Reintjes and Karl Senner, LLC. as our partners, we are confident that we will have many more years of operating success along America’s Inland waterways.”

Karl Senner, LLC is proud to supply REINTJES Gearboxes onboard three new vessels for Staten Island Ferry.

- Clark Todd, President, Blessey Marine Services Inc.

Onboard each ferry, Karl Senner, LLC supplied two REINTJES DUG 3000 P Combining Gearboxes.

Each gearbox combines inputs from two Karl Senner, LLC is proud supply 2,495hp EMD 12 E23B tier 4to diesel two REINTJES WAF output 563 Gearboxes engines into a single driving a onboard the M/V Danielon Wisner.

Voith Schneider propeller each end of the ferry.

Generic Product Image

Owner: Blessey Services, Inc. of Transportation Owner/Operator: New YorkMarine City Department Shipyard: Eastern Shipbuilding Group Shipyard: Verret Shipyard Naval Architect: Elliott Bay Design Group

504-469-4000

|

KARLSENNER.COM