WorkBoat March 2020

Diesel Engines • Tug Report • Fire Suppression ®

IN BUSINESS ON THE COASTAL AND INLAND WATERS

MARCH 2020

Cold Front

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Alaska ferries face budget cuts and political backlash.

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ON THE COVER

®

Four Alaska ferries are laid up in Ketchikan’s Ward Cove.

MARCH 2020 • VOLUME 77, NO. 3

Photo by Charley Starr, Shooting Starr Studio

FEATURES 16 Vessel Report: Power Play For tugs, handling bigger ships requires more power.

30 Cover Story: Icy Reception The Alaska Marine Highway System must change gears.

BOATS & GEAR

16

20 Perpetual Motion Developing a better diesel engine is an ongoing process for manufacturers.

24 Sound the Alarm When it comes to onboard vessel fires, a quick response is needed.

26 On the Ways • Eastern Shipbuilding delivers first of two Robert Allan-designed Z-drive tugs to Bisso Offshore, launches second • Gladding-Hearn to build new class of pilot boats for the Maryland pilots • Armstrong Marine to build 49-passenger ferry for Washington state island community • Alaska tour operator to build two 87' catamarans at All American Marine • Metal Shark delivers 36' aluminum patrol boat to Puerto Rico • Damen develops 295' OSV concept vessel

AT A GLANCE 8 8 9 10 10 12 12

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On the Water: Crazy Ivan — Part I. Captain’s Table: Surviving a Coast Guard annual inspection.

Energy Level: Time for a reboot in Mexico.

WB Stock Index: WorkBoat stocks dip 5% in January.

Inland Insider: Safety leadership is critical, new AWO chief says.

Insurance Watch: Discuss any operational changes.

Legal Talk: Putting maintenance and cure at risk.

DEPARTMENTS

NEWS LOG 14 14 14 14

American Commercial Lines files for bankruptcy.

First offshore wind project in federal waters set to begin. $30 million in federal ferry grants available.

Coast Guard reminds mariners to prepare for high water season.

www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

2 6 36 43 44

Editor’s Watch Mail Bag Port of Call Advertisers Index WB Looks Back

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Editor’sWatch

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Why Because it’s the hub of the commercial maritime industry.

Read in-depth news, features and market info in WorkBoat Magazine Access the most comprehensive online resource for commercial maritime professionals at WorkBoat.com Connect, learn and power your business forward at the International WorkBoat Show in New Orleans

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Alaska, tugs and engines

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his issue highlights what we try to do each and every month in WorkBoat — report on each geographical region and workboat sector.

First, in our cover story (see page 30), Bruce Buls writes about passengers vessels (ferries) and the West Coast in his report on the Alaska Marine Highway System. As Bruce writes in his introduction, at AMHS, it’s all about the money. Alaska has pleaded poverty when it comes to its ferry system. Its budget has been cut almost in half. Thus, they need money to operate an aging fleet of 12 ferries that carry vehicles and passengers across 3,500 miles of ocean and islands, money to maintain and repair the boats, and money to pay the crews on board and on the beach. AMHS also needs funds to maintain docks and terminals in 35 remote communities, and to design and build replacement vessels.

Our second big story this issue is on the tug market (see page 16). Betsy Frawley Haggerty reports that large neo-Panamax containerships, stringent Tier 4 emissions rules and Subchapter M safety requirements have changed the tug industry in recent years, leading several companies to upgrade their fleets.

“The neo-Panamax ships are absolutely the reason we started building these powerful vessels,” Buckley McAllister, president of New Yorkbased McAllister Towing and Transportation, told WorkBoat. “We now have five of them.”

Also, several tug companies, looking for more economical and environmentally friendly operations, have turned to hybrid propulsion.

810-635-7111 • www.HOUGEN.com 2 Hou-728-WorkBoat2.indd 1

David Krapf, Editor in Chief

Senior Editor Ken Hocke writes about how diesel engine manufacturers (see page 20) continue to try to develop the “perfect” engine. But because of customer demands, new boat designs, new regulations or any combination thereof, this quest usually falls short.

But engine companies keep trying. This includes Volvo-Penta, MTU, MAN, Caterpillar and Mitsubishi.

These manufacturers are re-engineering existing engine lines, developing new engines and designs, and offering Tier 4 solutions that are designed to remove the need for an aftertreatment system.

Happy reading!

dkrapf@divcom.com

WORKBOAT® (ISSN 0043-8014) is published monthly by Diversified Business Communications and Diversified Publications, 121 Free St., P.O. Box 7438, Portland, ME 04112-7438. Editorial Office: P.O. Box 1348, Mandeville, LA 70470.

Annual Subscription Rates: U.S. $39; Canada $55; International $103. When available, extra copies of current issue are $4, all other issues and special issues are $5. For subscription customer service call (978) 671-0444. The publisher reserves the right to sell subscriptions to those who have purchasing power in the industry this publication serves. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, ME, and additional mailing offices. Circulation Office: 121 Free St., P.O. Box 7438, Portland, ME 04112-7438. From time to time, we make your name and address available to other companies whose products and services may interest you. If you prefer not to receive such mailings, please send a copy of your mailing label to: WorkBoat’s Mailing Preference Service, P.O. Box 7438, Portland, ME 04112. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to WORKBOAT, P.O. Box 1792, Lowell, MA 01853. Copyright 20 18

by Diversified Business Communications.

Printed in U.S.A.

www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat 11/6/18 11:29 AM

Sometimes, even the rescuers need to be rescued.

www.workboat.com

EDITOR IN CHIEF

David Krapf dkrapf@divcom.com

SENIOR EDITOR

Ken Hocke khocke@divcom.com

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Kirk Moore kmoore@divcom.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

ART DIRECTOR

Because they watch over us. Because they give so much.

Sometimes, even the rescuers Give to theneed

PUBLISHING OFFICES

• Capt. Alan Bernstein • Bruce Buls • Michael Crowley • Dale K. DuPont • Pamela Glass • Betsy Frawley Haggerty • Capt. Max Hardberger • Joel Milton • Jim Redden • Kathy Bergren Smith

Doug Stewart dstewart@divcom.com

Main Office: 121 Free St., P.O. Box 7438 • Portland, ME 04112-7438 • (207) 842-5608 • Fax: (207) 842-5609 Southern/Editorial Office: P.O. Box 1348 • Mandeville, LA 70470 Subscription Information: (978) 671-0444 • cs@e-circ.net General Information: (207) 842-5610

to be rescued.

Coast Guard Foundation To learn more, visit RescueTheRescuers.org

Because they watch over us. Because they give so much.

Give to the

ADVERTISING PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING PROJECT MANAGER

Wendy Jalbert 121 Free St., P.O. Box 7438 • Portland, ME 04112-7438 (207) 842-5616 • Fax: (207) 842-5611 wjalbert@divcom.com

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER

Kristin Luke (207) 842-5635 • Fax: (207) 842-5611 kluke@divcom.com

SALES REPRESENTATIVE

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Because y give so much.

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(207) 842-5508 • Fax: (207) 842-5509 Producers of The International WorkBoat Show and Pacific Marine Expo www.workboatshow.com www.pacificmarineexpo.com

Chris Dimmerling (207) 842-5666 • Fax: (207) 842-5509 cdimmerling@divcom.com Theodore Wirth Bob Callahan bcallahan@divcom.com

To learn more, visit RescueTheRescuers.org

4

www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

Lubriplate ®

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ATB BIOBASED EP-2 & ATB BIOBASED EP-2T GREASE • These versatile greases meet U.S. EPA Vessel General Permit (VGP) requirements.

• Passes U.S. EPA Static Sheen Test 1617 and U.S. EPA Acute Toxicity Test LC-50.

• ECO-Friendly and Ultimately Biodegradable (Pw1) Base Fluid – 75.2%.

• Designed for use on Articulated Tug Barge (ATB) notch interface, coupler ram and drive screws, above deck equipment, rudder shafts, wire rope, port equipment, cranes, barges and oil platforms. BIOBASED EP-2T is extra tacky.

BIO-SYNXTREME HF SERIES HYDRAULIC FLUIDS • These fluids meet U.S. EPA Vessel General Permit (VGP) requirements.

• High-performance, synthetic polyalkylene glycol (PAG)-based formula.

• Non-Sheening – Does not cause a sheen or discoloration on the surface of the water or adjoining shorelines.

• Provides long service life and operating reliability, lower maintenance costs, and reduced overall downtime.

• Excellent anti-wear performance - rated as anti-wear (AW) fluids according to ASTM D7043 testing and FZG testing.

• High flash and fire points provide safety in high temperature applications.

• All season performance – high viscosity indices and low pour points.

• ECO-Friendly and Readily biodegradable according to OECD 301F. • “Practically Non-Toxic” to fish and other aquatic wildlife according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hazard classification.

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VGP COMPLIANCE STATEMENT LUBRIPLATE ATB BIOBASED EP-2 GREASES and BIO-SYNXTREME HF SERIES HYDRAULIC FLUIDS are Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants (EAL)s according to the definitions and requirements of the US EPA 2013 Vessel General Permit, as described in VGP Section 2.2.9

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2020 NMC mariner examination updates

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he National Maritime Center (NMC) is implementing the following changes at all Regional Examination Centers (RECs). The changes take effect on April 6, 2020: • Walk-in services for examinations will no longer be offered. All examinations must be scheduled at least two business days in advance.

After receiving a letter from the NMC indicating you are approved to test, schedule an examination appointment by using the Schedule Exam/REC Appointment link on the Examinations page of the NMC Website, call the NMC Contact Center at 1-888-IASKNMC (427-5662), or contact the NMC Contact Center by chat.

• All RECs will have two examination periods daily, a 3 ½-hour a.m. (morning) session and a 3 ½-hour p.m.

(afternoon) session with a minimum half-hour break between sessions. See the REC webpage for specific hours.

• Mariners who finish a module early may take additional modules during an examination period but will not be given additional time to complete the extra modules. Requests for additional modules during a specific examination period are coordinated with the REC staff at the time of examination.

• There will be no changes to the First Class Pilot examination process.

• Appointments are highly recommended for all other services. See the REC webpage for facility access requirements.

Should you have any questions or concerns visit the Examinations or Frequently Asked Questions webpages, or contact the NMC Customer Service Center by e-mailing IASKNMC@uscg.mil, by using the

NMC online chat system, or by calling 1-888-IASKNMC (427-5662).

Kirsten R. Martin Commanding Officer National Maritime Center Martinsburg, W. Va.

WorkBoat encourages readers to write us about anything that appears in the magazine, on WorkBoat.com or pertains to the marine industry.

To be published, letters must include the writer’s address and a daytime phone number.

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All other trademarks cited are the property of their respective owners.

www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

simple isn't always easy...

But furuno radars are a simple choice

Your objective is simple…Deliver your vessel and its contents safely and on time.

While it might sound simple, we know it’s not easy!

Whether you’re navigating the open ocean, busy harbors, or through congested inland waterways, being aware of your surroundings is paramount. Your number one line of defense is a Radar you can rely on, from a company you can depend on.

Furuno’s award winning Radar technology is built to perform and withstand the harshest environments, keeping you, your crew and your precious cargo safe. With unique application features like ACE (Automatic Clutter Elimination), Target Analyzer, and Fast Target Tracking, Furuno Radars will help make that simple objective easier to achieve.

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On the Water The Crazy Ivan — Part I

P

By Joel Milton

Joel Milton works on towing vessels.

He can be reached at joelmilton@ yahoo.com.

resent and future tugboating continues to change with technological advances. That’s why it’s important that hard earned knowledge and skills that still have some relevance not be allowed to fade into oblivion. Once lost these skills and knowledge can’t be easily recovered.

This information includes some of our colorful descriptive terminology. In this case, there’s a term that describes the maneuver of a conventional tug, towing astern, coming back to its tow to transition to towing alongside.

Back in 1984, with the Cold War still simmering, novelist Tom Clancy wrote his first bestseller, The Hunt For Red October, a brilliant nuclear submarine thriller.

At one point in the story the reader is introduced to a dangerous tactical maneuver that requires great nerve and skill. It was pioneered by Soviet missile submarine skippers who wanted to find out if they were being quietly tailed by a U.S. submarine. It was a high-stakes stalking game

Captain’s Table

How to survive a Coast Guard annual inspection

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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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ach year, the Coast Guard and passenger vessel operators all over the country go through annual inspections prior to seasonal start-ups.

This can be a very stressful time for operators that have pending charters and are under pressure to get vessels back up and running and generating revenue. In many cases these inspections go smoothly with just minor changes that the inspector and operator agree to. This is the way things should go. But often I hear stories about overzealous inspectors who write CG-835s (Notice of Merchant Marine Inspection Requirements) that contain long lists of seemingly minor corrections that sometimes result in “no-sails.”

Sometimes the 835s are the result of confusion between old and new regulations or sometimes Coast Guard inspectors misinterpret regulations due to inexperience. Regulations are often difficult and your inspector may not always correctly interpret the rules. So, what is your recourse when an inspector asks for corrections for items that had

at depths where simple mistakes can quickly become fatal.

Directly behind a cruising sub would be an exploitable acoustic blind spot. The sonar operators, listening intently but making sure to avoid giving away their own boat’s location, might hear the faint noises emanating from another sub behind them, or they might not. How could they know if they were being followed? They couldn’t. But if they suspected strongly enough that they had a tail, there was a possibility that the skipper would pull a surprise maneuver called a “Crazy Ivan,” or C-I for short. Crazy because of the sheer riskiness of a submarine collision at depth, and Ivan as military slang for the Russians (it’s the Russian equivalent of “John”).

There are numerous accepted standard terms for the maneuver, and they all pre-date the use of C-I by tugboaters. You could say “turn on a barge.” Flop, flip or fall-around are also used.

“Rounding up” is my go to amongst the old standards.

But the fact is that none of these terms sound nearly as exotic or exciting as doing the Crazy Ivan.

been approved by inspectors for many years? Often, it is an understanding or agreement between the operator and the inspector based on regulation.

Do your research and ask for help whenever you have a question. I ask other operators for advice and seek guidance from the Passenger Vessel Association, who has experienced staff to help out.

Communication is also important. Be sure that you know your Coast Guard chief of inspection, OCMI (Officer in Charge of Marine Inspection) and sector commander. If you are not successful solving your problem with the inspector, don’t hesitate to call the Coast Guard office to request an immediate meeting with the inspector and his or her commanders to discuss the issue. Offer a defense, give your position and know the facts.

If you are unsuccessful at the local level, don’t be afraid to appeal the decision up the Coast Guard’s chain of command. This is how the system is designed to work. But you have to be willing to do your homework and defend yourself.

An informed and prepared operator will command respect, and it will result in smoother inspections in the future.

Editor’s note: This column first appeared in the August 2015 issue of WorkBoat. www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

WORKBOAT GOM INDICATORS

Energy Level

Time to reboot in Mexico

.

NOV. '19 DEC.'19 WTI Crude Oil 58.07 61.66 Baker Hughes Rig Count 22 23 IHS OSV Utilization WTI Price28.9% U.S. Prod 1000s29.6% bopd U.S. Oil Production (millions bpd) 12.9 12.9* Sources: Baker-Hughes; IHS Markit; U.S. EIA

*Estimated

GOM RIG COUNT

GOM Rig Count

By Jim Redden, Correspondent

M

exico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador may have to revisit his nationalistic strategy for developing the nation’s promising Gulf of Mexico assets.

Analysts cited the subpar performance from the bidding round for the drilling of 20 priority fields, largely held to prop up homegrown service companies. Many of the low bids came from local companies that lack both the expertise and access to needed equipment to do the work, analysts said.

Thus, state-owned Pemex reportedly will rebid some of the work this year, which will likely attract more international companies, unlike the earlier round last May. Pemex is expected to rebid for at least nine rigs, UK offshore drilling contractor Borr Drilling Ltd., told Bloomberg on Jan. 2. Despite Obrador’s protective measures, Borr has expanded in Mexico and reported four contract awards in 2019.

“They were supposing that they could bring these fields online quicker, but they haven’t,” Jorge Sierra, a senior analyst at Wood Mackenzie Ltd., told Bloomberg. “The contractors that won the packages for drilling the priority fields haven’t had the experience of managing integrated service contracts, like the big international ones such as Schlumberger and Halliburton.”

After assuming the presidency in December 2018, Obrador weakened the 2014 energy reforms meant to draw international players into Mexico’s once closed oil and gas sector, which was the centerpiece legislation of his predecessor. Future competitive lease bidding rounds involving international oil companies (IOC) remain suspended with Pemex prohibited from soliciting new field development partners.

Obrador also has emphasized the development of smaller shallow water fields, at the expense of significantly larger deepwater prospects, which he

JAN. '20 JAN. '19 53.09 52.94 21 19 30.9% 31.4% GOM Rig Count Util. Rate % 13.0* 11.9

30 25 20 15

1/19

1/20

10 5 0

1

2

3

4

5

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has derided as too expensive. As part of former President Enrique Peña Nieto’s energy reforms, Mexico completed its first deepwater lease auction in 2016, drawing winning bids from leading in-

www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

Jan-19 19-Feb 19-Mar Apr-19 19-May Jun-19 Jul-19 19-Aug Sep-19 Oct-19 Nov-19 Dec-19 Jan-20

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ternational operators, including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Total and Norway’s Equinor. Subsequent drilling results have increased hope that Obrador will reverse his stance on deepwater.

19 22 23 21 23 26 25 26 22 21 22 23 21

FROM THE DECK UP CAPSTANS

• Electric • Hi-Cap • Custom

WHAT WE SAY, WE DO. nabrico-marine.com | 615-442-1300

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WorkBoat Composite Index WorkBoat stocks lose 5% in January

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he WorkBoat Composite Index started the new year off on a down note, losing over 100 points in January, or about 5%.

For the month, losers topped winners by a 4-1 ratio.

Kirby Corp. was down 18% in January. The Houston-based tank barge operator announced in late January that its net earnings for the fourth quarter STOCK CHART

ended Dec. 31, 2019 was $2.8 million or five cents a share, compared with a net loss of $24.4 million or 41 cents a share for the 2018 fourth quarter. Kirby also announced that it will purchase the inland tank barge fleet of Savage Inland Marine for approximately $278 million.

“The purchase of Savage’s inland tank barge and towboat fleet repreSource: FinancialContent Inc. www.financialcontent.com

INDEX NET COMPARISONS 12/31/19 1/31/20 CHANGE Operators 337.59 326.92 -10.67 Suppliers 3607.85 3302.19 -305.66 Shipyards 3074.23 3304.10 229.87 WorkBoat Composite 2183.99 2078.30 -105.69 PHLX Oil Service Index 78.29 62.66 -15.63 Dow Jones Industrials 28538.44 28256.03 -282.41 Standard & Poors 500 3230.78 3225.52 -5.26 For the complete up-to-date WorkBoat Stock Index, go to: workboat.com/resources/tools/workboat-composite-index/

Inland Insider

New AWO chief wants to see more communication

J

By Ken Hocke, Senior Editor

Ken Hocke has been the senior editor of WorkBoat since 1999. He can be reached at khocke@divcom. com

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ennifer Carpenter took the reins as president and CEO of the American Waterways Operators (AWO) on Jan. 1 and led her first big meeting as head of the organization in late January at AWO’s Annual Safety Committees’ Meeting in New Orleans.

“You’re here to learn from each other,” she told AWO members. “My vision for AWO is we are your indispensable organization critical to help your companies and our industry survive, adapt and thrive in this constantly changing business and public policy environment. Safety leadership is critical to our adapting, surviving and thriving,” For just under eight minutes, without the aid of prepared remarks, Carpenter spoke passionately about the organization she’s been a part of for 30 years.

“Safety issues are going to be central to the evolution of AWO,” she said. “How can AWO lead and support your companies and our industry in continuously improving in safety, security and

PERCENT CHANGE -3.16% -8.47% 7.48% -4.84% -19.96% -0.99% -0.16%

sents an excellent strategic addition to Kirby’s inland marine fleet with young, well-maintained vessels,” David Grzebinski, Kirby’s president and CEO said in a statement.

Commenting on the 2020 full year outlook and guidance, Grzebinski said, “Our earnings guidance range for the year is $2.60 to $3.40 per share, reflecting continued growth in inland, flat to modest growth in coastal, and a modest earnings contribution from Savage which takes into consideration integration costs, the time needed to integrate the fleet, inherited contracts, and interest expense.”

Grzebinski said that “2019 was an exciting, but challenging year at Kirby.

In marine, I’m pleased with the hard work and performance of our teams which delivered significant year-onyear financial improvement in both inland and coastal, successfully integrated Cenac, and safely navigated and overcame historic high-water conditions.” — David Krapf

environmental stewardship? How does that look different in a post Subchapter M environment?”

Carpenter said it’s important for AWO to change with the times. “What are we doing now that made a lot of sense at one point? But we’re in a different place now and we need to look at it differently.”

And her final question to members: “How do we use the safety leadership of this industry to enhance our reputation as an advocacy fighting force?”

I’ve talked to Jennifer a number of times over the past 20 years and watching her lead AWO through its first day of safety meetings with knowledge, confidence and understanding didn’t surprise me.

It appears AWO has the right person in the right place at the right time.

At the meeting, one session after another emphasized the importance of communication.

In one of them, “Human Factors, Incidents and Culture Change,” Kenya Nixon, regional director of loss control/safety, Cooper Consolidated, said implementing culture changes breaks down this way — about 20% want to change, 60% are on the fence, and 20% don’t ever want to change. “It’s about communication,” she said. “Don’t just tell them what to do, tell them why.” www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

Building Momentum

See us at booth 607 May 18-20, 2020

Nelson Street Facility 2200 Nelson Street Panama City, FL 32401 Allanton Facility 13300 Allanton Road Panama City, FL 32404 sberthold@easternshipbuilding.com 850-763-1900 ext 3216

www.easternshipbuilding.com

Insurance Watch Changes to your operation

I

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

t is always better to let your agent know of any changes to your operation or vessel, because after a claim occurs it is too late for that conversation. Your agent should always have time to speak with you and should welcome the opportunity.

Operational changes on board can vary but below are a few examples that may indicate it is time to have a conversation with your insurance agent.

• Changes in operation. Is your passenger vessel now transporting cargo as well? There is a warranty stating what type of operations your vessel is insured for. If you are engaged in something different than what is written in your policy and you have a claim, it may not be covered. If you have new equipment or gear on board, this could increase the value of your hull coverage.

• Changes in navigation. When we say navigation, we are not only talking about territorial boundaries but also the time of year. Have you expanded your footprint and are you now work-

Legal Talk

Don’t put maintenance and cure at risk

T

By Daniel J. Hoerner

Daniel J. Hoerner is a maritime attorney with Mouledoux, Bland, Legrand & Brackett LLC. He can be reached at 504-595-3000 or dhoerner@mblb. com.

12

he hiring of personnel typically begins the same way: an interested applicant prepares a job application for review by a prospective employer.

The job application is a critical tool in finding the right person for a specific job. A person’s medical history and physical condition can be relevant factors in the placement process particularly to those hired to work on vessels. For this reason, job applications often include a section that asks about prior injuries, surgeries and other medical history.

For the benefit of both the applicant and employer, the medical history section of any employment related form should always be reviewed carefully and filled out completely and honestly.

A seaman who has falsified medical background information on a job application runs the risk of forfeiting maintenance and cure benefits in the event of an on-the-job accident or injury.

Often referred to as the “McCorpen defense,” an employer can be absolved of its maintenance and

ing in new waters? Are you operating longer and with a shorter layup? Your policy will state your navigational limits as well as any layup period.

If you have a claim outside of either of these two limits, there will be no coverage.

• Survey recommendations. Every five years or so, your insurance company will ask for a new survey. If recommendations are attached to the new survey, you will be asked to sign off that they have been complied with. Should you have a claim and the adjustor determines that it was caused or associated with a survey recommendation which was not complied with, the claim will be denied.

• Extra crew. Your policy has coverage for a stated number of crew. If you take on more crew for a longer trip or just to have more hands on board, your policy needs to be modified to reflect this.

Insurance is one of the larger expenses associated with vessels and their operation. You need to do all you can before a claim occurs to ensure that you get paid in the event of an accident.

Be sure to keep your agent up to date with any changes to your operation.

cure obligations, an otherwise near absolute duty to pay medical and living expenses to a seaman who is injured or becomes ill, regardless of fault.

This defense can be triggered when a seaman has knowingly or fraudulently concealed a preexisting medical condition, injury or illness when applying for work. Prevailing on the McCorpen defense is not automatic. It is dependent on the employer meeting the burden of proof that the seaman intentionally misrepresented or concealed medical facts when applying for work, the nondisclosed facts were material to the employer’s decision to hire the seaman, and there was a causal link between withheld information and the injury.

Under this standard, the employer must present evidence that it would not have hired the seaman had it known his or her true medical background.

Moreover, the non-disclosed prior medical condition must relate to the injury or illness that occurs during employment and gives rise to a maintenance and cure claim.

The McCorpen defense can result in harsh consequences for a seaman. Therefore, to avoid the risk of losing the right to receive maintenance and cure in the event of an on-the-job injury or illness, full attention and honesty should always be exercised when preparing a job application. www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

Atlantic Detroit Diesel Lodi, NJ (201) 489-5800 Servicing: VT, CT, NY, NJ Cullen Diesel Power, Ltd. Surrey, BC (604) 888-1211 Servicing: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territory, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory

PROVEN SUCCESS Made to get your job done

Florida Detroit Diesel Allison Fort Lauderdale, FL (954) 327-4440 Servicing: Al, FL, MS, Bahamas Helmut’s Marine San Rafael, CA (415) 453-1001 Servicing: AZ, CA, HI, NV, UT, Guam Interstate Power Systems Minneapolis, MN 1-800-222-6060 Servicing: IL, WI, MN, IA, MI (Upper) Johnson & Towers, Inc. Egg Harbor Township, NJ (609) 272-1415 Servicing: DE, MD, NJ, Eastern PA, Bermuda Pacific Power Group Kent, WA (253) 854-0505 Servicing: AK, ID, OR, WA Power Products Wakefield, MA (781) 246-1811 Servicing: MA, ME, NH, RI Star Marine San Carlos, SO (800) 999-0356 Servicing: Mexico Stewart & Stevenson Houston, TX (713) 751-2700 Servicing: TX, LA Superior Diesel, Inc. North Charleston, SC (843) 553-8331 Servicing: GA, KY (Eastern), SC, TN (Eastern) Wajax Ste. Foy, QC (418) 651-5371 Servicing: Labrador, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, St. Pierre et Miquelon Western Branch Diesel Portsmouth, VA (757) 673-7000 Servicing: NC, OH, PA (Western), VA, WV

Volvo Penta Power Centers Contact one of our Power Centers for applications guidance and engine quotes.

When running 10 to 100 runs on the mighty Mississippi, quick response and maneuverability of powerful engines is well needed. That’s why Belle Chase Marine Transport turned to Volvo Penta’s twin D13 400s. Their captains are thrilled with Volvo Penta’s performance and fuel savings. “We get more horsepower at lower RPMs, with less fuel consumption,” says port engineer Dillon Entrekin, “The savings will pay for the engines in a couple of years.” With 25 years of operating against the Mississippi’s strong currents, he ought to know.

Learn More: www.volvopenta.us/marinecommercial

MARCH 2020

NEWS LOG

NEWS BITTS

American Commercial Lines files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy merican Commercial Lines Inc. announced in February that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

ACL has entered into a restructuring agreement with lenders on a prepackaged plan to recapitalize the business and significantly reduce the company’s debt.

Under the terms of the plan, Jeffersonville, Ind.-based ACL will receive $200 million in new capital to support liquidity and investments in the business.

In addition, the plan provides for a reduction of funded debt by approximately $1 billion. ACL expects its operations to continue as normal throughout the court-supervised process.

In connection with the agreement and Chapter 11 filing, ACL has received a commitment for debtor-inpossession financing consisting of a $640 million asset-based loan and a $50 million term loan from its existing lenders.

Upon court approval, the new financing and cash generated from the company’s ongoing operations will be used to pay off its existing debt and to support the business during the court process.

The company intends to pay suppliers in full under normal terms for goods and services provided on or after the filing date. Under terms of the pre-packaged plan, which is subject to court approval, general unsecured pre-petition claims will also be paid in full.

First offshore wind project in federal waters set to begin

T

he first U.S. offshore wind energy project on a federal lease is on

14

David Krapf

A

ACL has entered into a restructuring agreement to reduce its debt.

track to begin construction in May, and its Virginia backers are moving to position the state as a central base for building more off the East Coast.

At the end of January, the Port of Virginia announced a lease agreement with wind developer Ørsted to provide 40 acres for staging wind turbine components, material and vessels for offshore construction.

The company already has arrangements with the Tradepoint Atlantic terminals near Baltimore to support its Skipjack wind project off the Maryland coast.

The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, or CVOW project, will be two 6-megawatt Siemens Gamesa turbines on a 2,135-acre tract leased from the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management by the state Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy 27 miles east of Virginia Beach. The turbines will be built by Ørsted for power provider Dominion Energy.

“These are truly test turbines,” said Jennifer Palestrant, chief deputy of the state energy agency, and former director of the Southeast Maritime and Transportation Center at Tidewater Community College in Norfolk.

$30 MILLION IN FERRY GRANTS MADE AVAILABLE BY FTA

T

he Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced in February the availability of $30 million in Urbanized Area Formula Program funds to assist financing capital projects to support existing passenger ferry service, establish new ferry service, and to repair and modernize ferry boats, terminals, and related facilities and equipment.

Synopses and the full announcement are posted on the Grants.gov site as opportunity FTA-2020-008-Ferry. Proposals must be submitted electronically through the Grants.gov website.

HIGH-WATER SEASON COMING, COAST GUARD REMINDS MARINERS

A

s the high-water season begins on the Mississippi River and the Western Rivers, the Coast Guard urges mariners to prepare for the risks associated with high water levels and strong currents. High water and strong river currents can quickly create a dangerous situation for a vessel and its crew. It is important to take actions that reduce the risks associated with high water.

One towing vessel crew recently proved that simple preventative measures can make a major difference.

Go to workboat.com/news for the latest commercial marine industry news.

Dominion, Ørsted and the state agency will work with researchers at Old Dominion University on studies for future commercial-scale developments — including Dominion’s plans for more than 2,600 MW of turbine power on its adjacent federal lease.

With 220 machines, it would be the largest in U.S. waters when operations start in 2026 and capable of powering up to 650,000 homes.

— Kirk Moore

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Tugs

Power Play

By Betsy Frawley Haggerty, Correspondent

U

ltra large neo-Panamax containerships, stringent Tier 4 emissions rules and Subchapter M safety requirements have been game changers for the tug industry in recent years, leading several companies to upgrade their fleets.

“The neo-Panamax ships are absolutely the reason we started building these powerful vessels,” said Buckley McAllister, president of New York-based McAllister Towing and Transportation. “We now have five of them.”

The five tugs are the Capt. Brian A. McAllister, Rosemary McAllister, Ava McAllister, Capt. Jim McAllister and Eileen McAllister. The first four are nearly identical 100'×40', 6,700-hp, Tier 4 escort Z-drives designed by Jensen Maritime Consultants, Seattle, and built at Horizon Shipbuilding (now Metal Shark), Bayou La Batre, Ala., and Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Panama City, Fla. The tugs went into service between August

2017 and August 2019, with the Brian and Ava working in New York, the Rosemary in Norfolk, Va., and Capt. Jim in Charleston, S.C. The fifth, the 93'×38', 6,700-hp, Eileen McAllister, was launched in late January at Washburn & Doughty Associates Inc., East Boothbay, Maine. “It has a slightly smaller hull, but the same power,” McAllister said. When complete, it will work out of Port Everglades, Fla. The 2016 widening of the Panama Canal and the raising of the Bayonne Bridge clearance from 150' to 215' in 2017 changed ship traffic in New York Harbor and elsewhere. “Before that, bridge height limited ships to about 5,000 TEUs. Now 14,000-TEU vessels have become a regular part of our business,” McAllister said. “New York Harbor sees 15 or 16 neo-Panamax containerships every week, and Norfolk and Charleston also see regular calls from these vessels.”

The Capt. Brian A. McAllister assists the 971' ACL ro-ro/containership (ConRo) Atlantic Sun near the Bayonne Bridge in Staten Island, N.Y. 16

www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

McAllister Towing/Randall Farhy

Tug companies continue to add more horsepower.

LOWER MISS TUGS Shipdocking companies on the Lower Mississippi River have also added more powerful tugs to handle the larger oceangoing ships that they must dock with five-plus mph of current running in the river. “Our customers wanted more power,” said Jonathan Davis, senior captain and vice president of training at Bisso Towboat Co., Luling, La. New regulations came into play as well.

In October, the company took delivery of the 100'×38', 6,008-hp Andrew S., the first Tier 4, ASD tractor tug

Eastern Shipbuilding Group

Asked about new regulations, McAllister said that Subchapter M has raised the bar for the company. “We will be retiring some of our older equipment where the upgrades don’t make economic sense and building new tugs.

No question, the tugboat industry is becoming much more capital intensive.”

The second Robert Allan-designed RApport 2400 Z-drive shiphandling tug for Bisso Offshore, the A. Thomas Higgins, was launched at Eastern Shipbuilding on Jan. 31.

built for use on the Mississippi River.

Main Iron Works, Houma, La., which has built several tractor tugs for the company, worked closely with Bisso to modify a proven design to add the SCR Tier 4 emissions system, additional bollard pull and Subchapter M safety features. “We had to follow a whole different set of guidelines that added to the cost of the tug, probably in the neighborhood of 20%,” Davis said.

In January, Bisso Offshore LLC, a division of E.N. Bisso & Son, New Orleans, La., added to its fleet with an

C&C

MARINE AND REPAIR

80'×38', 5,100-hp Tier 4 Subchapter M tug, the C.D. White. Designed by Robert Allan Ltd., Vancouver, Canada, the RAL RApport 2400 Z-drive shiphandling tug was built at Eastern Shipbuilding. The second RAL Z-drive for Bisso Offshore, the A. Thomas Higgins, was launched at Eastern on Jan. 31.

E.N. Bisso has taken delivery of five previous Z-drive ship assist tugs from Eastern starting in 2007.

HYBRID POWER A trio of tug companies, looking for

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17

Tugs more economical and environmentally friendly operations, have turned to hybrid propulsion.

At the International WorkBoat Show in New Orleans in December, John Buchanan, president of Harbor Docking & Towing Co. LLC in Lake Charles, La., said hybrids are a viable option for the tug industry because they are more economical to run.

Last year HDT began operating the 93'×38' Ralph and the Capt. Robb. A pair of Tier 4 2,550-hp Caterpillar 3512E main engines plus two ABB electric thruster motors, rated at 800-hp each, power the tugs. Completing the hybrid package are two 565-kW Caterpillar generators and a single 200-kW Cat C7.1 genset to provide power to the Cat MTA 628 Z-drives. Batteries are not required for power storage.

The boats, built at Washburn & Doughty, are the first two tugs in the U.S. with Caterpillar hybrid propul-

sion systems. Buchanan said they chose hybrid power because they were looking for a technology that matched their needs in the 35-mile long Calcasieu Ship Channel. “We wanted high horsepower — at least 80 metric tons of bollard pull — for moving ships, but we only need that a small percentage of the time, and this system allows us to scale up and scale down,” Buchanan said, explaining that the benefits of a hybrid system are quick throttle response from the thruster motors, better escort maneuverability in tight channels, and fewer running hours on the main engines. This means reduced maintenance, minimum fuel burn in transit and increased redundancy.

Great Lakes Towing Co., Cleveland, which operates 30 tugs in 12 ports from Duluth, Minn., to Buffalo, N.Y., has been modernizing its fleet with a series of five Damen Stan Tug 1907 ICE design harbor tugs being

built at the company’s shipyard. The tug Michigan, launched last year and stationed in Cleveland, is the third in the series. It is the company’s first fully hybrid tug. It’s powered by two 1,000hp MTU 8V4000 Tier 3 diesel engines.

Its propulsion system includes a Logan FlexaDrive Hybrid power system, which allows the tug to operate on electric power while at idle, underway at low speeds, or under low loads, without the need to utilize the main engines.

The next two tugs in the series, the Pennsylvania and the Wisconsin, will be identical. They are slated for launching in the spring and summer.

The 100'×40', 5,300-hp Delta Teresa, the latest tractor tug for San Francisco’s Baydelta Maritime, is the company’s first with hybrid power.

Designed by Jensen and built at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, Freeland, Wash., the tug can operate in different power modes — direct-diesel, diesel-

Leading by design

for

18

www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

Harbor Docking & Towing Co. LLC

electric or fully electric. This provides fuel savings and reduced emissions.

The flexible drive system allows the tug to make transits and loiter at speeds up to 7 or 8 knots in its electric-only mode. In combined diesel-electric mode, the additional electric power input lends an additional nine short tons of bollard pull for a total 90 tons.

Nichols Brothers is also building four 100'×40', 8,000-hp Tier 4 ASD tractor tugs for Foss Maritime, Seattle. The tugs will have ship assist, escort and towing capabilities. Designed by Jensen Maritime, the vessels are based on Jensen’s Valor-class design, with high-efficiency catalytic aftertreatment technology to meet Tier 4 standards.

Delivery of the first tug is scheduled for the winter of 2020.

Reinauer Transportation Companies, Staten Island, N.Y., is taking a new approach to environmental issues.

The company has 24 tugs including 21

Last year Harbor Docking & Towing began operating a pair of hybrid tugs, the 93'x38' Ralph and Capt. Robb.

for articulated tug-barge units (ATBs), with three tugs added since 2018 — the 124'×40', 7,200-hp Bert Reinauer; 106'×33', 4,400-hp Josephine; and the 107'×33', 4,200-hp Kristy Ann. All were built at the company’s Rhode Island shipyard, Senesco Marine.

A fourth 4,200-hp tug is under construction. All are powered by GE Tier 4-certified marine engines. But those may be the last tugs Reinauer builds for some time.

“The petroleum industry in America

is pretty stagnant right now, and it is not increasing,” said Josh Diedrich, former shipyard manager and current director of business development for Reinauer’s new company, Windserve Marine. Reinauer wanted to diversify, and alternative energy seemed the best route. “This is why we are building our first purpose-built wind vessel at Senesco. This is the end of our newbuild program for oil transportation and the beginning of our newbuild program for offshore wind.”

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19

Diesel Engines PTA70 test boat at Volvo Penta’s test facility in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Perpetual Motion

Marine diesel engine development is an ongoing process.

M

arine diesel engine manufacturers never sit on their laurels. Because of customer demands, new boat designs, new regulations or any combination thereof, the quest for the perfect motor seems just out of reach. But that doesn’t mean they don’t keep trying.

“Gentlemen, we will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it,” legendary football coach Vince Lombardi once said. “But along the way, we shall catch excellence.”

VOLVO PENTA Over the past year, Volvo Penta has re-engineered its line of D4 and D6 marine propulsion systems from helm-to-prop with redesigned engines, new stern drive, an updated IPS drive, and a new electronic vessel control (EVC) system.

The new D4 and D6 are designed to deliver higher horsepower ratings, better fuel efficiency and lower maintenance costs, and more torque across the full range of rpms.

Last summer, a group of media types were flown to Volvo’s Krossholmen Test Center in Gothenburg, Sweden, for the unveiling of the company’s

20

Volvo Penta photos

By Ken Hocke, Senior Editor

Volvo officials said improvements to the IPS drive have resulted in reduced service costs.

new and updated line of products, including the next generation D4 and D6 propulsion packages, upgraded IPS (inboard performance system) and the new DPI Aquamatic sterndrive.

“How do we build something that is robust and sustainable for our customer?” Johan Inden, president, Region Europe, asked rhetorically. “It is not a goal that can be reached today without keeping an eye on the future. It is a continuous quest to get better, to offer customers the best products Volvo www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

MTU MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH and the Canadian naval architect and marine engineering company Robert Allan Ltd. (RAL) are developing the required infrastructure to make natural gas more readily available to power marine vessels.

RAL’s new pushboat design was modified to suit a complete LNG propulsion system with two 746-kW MTU Tier 3 gas safe main engines.

RAL and MTU are developing the first natural gas-fueled shallow draft pushboat design — the 92'×34.4'×10'6" RApide 2800-G pushboat.

The project is a preliminary design which utilized the shallow draft RApide 2800-Z2 pushboat that currently operates on the Amazon River system. The vessel design was modified to suit a complete LNG (liquified natural gas) propulsion system with two 746-kW MTU 8V4000M55R-N Tier 3 gas safe main engines.

In addition to the engines, MTU also acts as the system integrator, which means that MTU will also provide the complete LNG package — LNG tank system and an integrated ship monitoring, LNG control and safety systems, RAL said.

While keeping the existing hull shape, the design was reconfigured to allow the installation of the LNG tank while still providing adequate space for other machinery and a comfortable work environment for the crew.

The lower crew cabins, mess, and galley moved up a deck, and the deckhouse was enlarged. The project complies with the rules for the gas system hazardous zones of a compact 92' tug. To ensure redundancy there are two independent tank connection spaces attached to the LNG tank, one for each engine.

www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

MAN MAN Engines & Components Inc., Pompano Beach, Fla., is expanding its range of engines for light-duty workboats in North America. The company introduced its new 800-hp, inline-six engine at the Pacific Marine Expo in November.

The D2676 LE426 will be available beginning in the second quarter.

It satisfies EPA emissions standards and offers 70-hp greater output than the 730-hp D2676 model. For the first time, the 800-hp version of the D2676 will also offer keel cooling capability as a factory-fitted feature.

“This means we can offer our customers the added value of keel cooling without compromising the 800 hp of power and performance,” said Ricardo Barbosa, president of MAN Engines & Components.

MAN Engines and Components

Robert Allan Ltd.

can produce — then go on from there.

Volvo wants to be automated, connected and electrified.”

Volvo Penta’s engineering team in Sweden put in more than 300,000 engineering man-hours, plus over 40,000 hours of testing for durability, reliability and performance. The result is 10% more power across the range, with maximum ratings of 320 hp for the D4 and 480 hp for the D6.

Upgrades included a new engine management system, new fuel injection system, new turbocharger and supercharger, new cylinder heads, pistons and valves, plus a stronger crankshaft to handle higher loads.

The cylinder head, piston and crankshaft are all stronger by design and new materials have been introduced such as a diamond like carbon (DLC) coating on the piston pin to reduce friction and increase durability. The common rail fuel injection system now features higher pressure — 2,000 bar.

Controlled by a new engine management system, this is designed to enable more precise calibration of parameters controlling the injection, so the engines run even smoother and are more fuel efficient.

Improvements have also been made to the IPS drive resulting in reduced service costs.

The DPI sterndrive has undergone a major transformation with a hydraulic clutch for smooth, silent shifting at slow engine speeds. Steer-by-wire functionality has been made standard for improved joystick docking, and the dynamic positioning system (DPS) provides automatic stationkeeping.

Also, in 2019, Volvo Penta unveiled its new D8 engine and SCR aftertreatment concept that meets IMO Tier III standards.

The MAN D2676 LE426 will be available in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. It meets the latest EPA Tier 3 emissions regulations and comes with keel cooling.

The D2676 diesel engine comes with a displacement of 12.4 liters (757 cu. inches) and has proven itself many hundreds of thousands of times in both on-road and off-road applications since 2007. It was first introduced for workboats in 2015. In developing its engines, MAN draws on the expertise gained from mass production of engines for heavy duty trucks and buses.

These elements are then modified for each specific application. As a result, MAN can offer a selection of engines for commercial vessel applications 21

Diesel Engines ranging from 440 hp to 1,650 hp (324 kW to 1,213 kW), which satisfy the latest EPA emissions standards.

CATERPILLAR In late 2019, Bisso Towboat Co., Inc., Luling, La., took delivery of the 100'×38'×17'2" azimuth stern drive tractor tug Andrew S. At 6,008 hp, the Andrew S is the most powerful Tier 4 tug on the Mississippi River. Caterpillar Marine powered the tug with two Cat 3516E Tier 4 main engines, each generating 3,004 hp at 1,800 rpm and a selective catalyst reduction (SCR) system.

fluid that is mixed with the engine’s exhaust, causing a chemical reaction that significantly reduces NOx in the exhaust. “At the same time, the new Cat 3500E series engines maximize performance while increasing fuel efficiency.

When the Bisso team saw how the engine performs, they were impressed,” said Smith.

To become both EPA Tier 4 and Subchapter M compliant, and meet the increased power requirements, Bisso worked with several companies. Caterpillar sales manager Charlson Smith, collaborated with Bisso to select the engine package for the new tug.

“Our 3500 series engine is compact and reliable. Five of Bisso’s tractor tugs have 3516s in them already,” Smith said following the tug’s delivery. Built at Main Iron Works, the Andrew S has an estimated bollard pull of 84 tons.

Smith said Cat’s SCR system utilizes diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), a urea-based

MITSUBISHI Current EPA Tier 4 regulations (above 804 hp) require aftertreatment on the engine which will increase customer costs and maintenance. Mitsubishi has developed three Tier 4 solutions that are designed to remove the need for an aftertreatment system.

POWER FACTS

Mitsubishi

650 - 925 hp Up to 800* hp @ 2,300 rpm with 2,000 hr/yr Up to 700* hp @ 2,100 rpm with unlimited hr/yr EPA Tier 3*

Mitsubishi’s S6R2-Y3MPTA-2 engine.

MARINE POWER SOLUTIONS

POWER UP The power-to-weight ratio of the all-new Scania 13-liter engine is class leading. The reliability of the engine, as well as impressive torque build-up, and immediate response, is just what is needed for demanding applications like patrol, sea rescue, pilot, and fishing vessels. Thanks to the well-proven Scania XPI system, all this is achieved with exceptional fuel efficiency and minimum noise levels.

Visit www.scaniausa.com to find your closest distributor.

22

• Triple Screw Solution: This solution offers a triple screw design utilizing Mitsubishi’s S6R2-Y3MPTA-2 engine rated at 803 hp at 1,400 rpm. The triple screw design provides 2,400-hp capability with simple mechanical controls and no aftertreatment.

• Quad Solution: This alternative, also utilizing Mitsubishi’s S6R2-Y3MPTA-2, offers 3,200 hp through two dual input, one single output gearboxes. The option is an economical way to deliver twin screw propulsion above 1,600 hp without the use of EPA Tier 4 aftertreatment like the SCR technology.

• Hybrid Solution: This utilizes the same S6R2-Y3MPTA-2 engine — a sixcylinder design, four-cycle, water-cooled mechanical diesel engine, combined with a 100-kW-to-630 kW electrical motor. Total output covers 699 kW (937 hp) to 1,229 kW (1,648 hp). www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

Fire Suppression

Sound the Alarm Methods of responding quickly to onboard fires.

Y

ou are in the wheelhouse pushing empty barges on the Mississippi River when suddenly there’s a flash of light behind you.

You whip around and see flames coming out of the port exhaust stack and sound the alarm, but by then it’s too late.

That was the situation for the 138' towboat George King on Jan. 24, 2018, as described in the National Transportation Safety Board’s Safer Seas Digest 2018. Time had run out for the crew of the George King due to the fire’s intensity, which prevented a fire team from entering the fire area to

spray water, and the fixed firefighting system on the port side couldn’t be activated because flames prevented anyone from reaching the activation station.

If the captain was aware of the fire as soon as it started, not when flames shot out of the port stack, it’s possible the blaze could have been contained and the 6,140-hp towboat, operated by Marquette Transportation Co. LLC, Paducah, Ky., would not have been consumed by flames.

A heat-sensing device matched up with an alarm system would be a good place to start.

This machine space has a pair of red Phannenberg alarms.

PFANNENBERG Pfannenberg’s alarm systems have attained the highest standards available in Europe and are now working to gain a foothold in the U.S. market.

The Hamburg, Germany-based company’s visual and audible alarms carry the EU Marine Equipment Directive (MED) mark of conformity, which means it’s approved for use on European vessels and complies with U.S. standards.

Pfannenberg is not a one alarm fits all situations product. Alarm frequency choices are available from 105 dB to 120 dB, depending on the noises in the area to be protected and how far the warning sound needs to travel. In addition, the alarm can “support up to 80 different tones in one device, and can be set for up to four different events,” said Jon

Phannenberg Sales America

By Michael Crowley, Correspondent

24

www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

U.S. Coast Guard courtesy photo

The towing vessel George King after it experienced an engine fire on the Mississippi River near Vicksburg, Miss., in 2018. The fire consumed the towboat.

SEA-FIRE MARINE A fire suppression system introduced at the 2019 International WorkBoat Show in New Orleans and granted Coast Guard approval in August is SeaFire Marine’s MN Series. It’s a Novec 1230 engineered system available at 360 psi and 725 psi. (Novec 1230 fire protection fluid, manufactured by 3M, is a waterless fire suppressing clean agent that’s discharged as a gas.)

The MN series target market is “workboats and larger vessels,” said Steve Ellis Jr., marketing director for Sea-Fire Marine, Baltimore.

Speaking of the 725-psi option, Ellis said, “not many systems can do Novec

Flame Guard USA LLC

Sea-Fire Marine

LaPorta, vice president of marketing for Pfannenberg Sales America LLC, Lancaster, N.Y. Besides warning of an engine-room fire, the alarm could be set up to alert boat crews of incidents such as low engine-oil pressure, open engine-room doors (having engine room doors closed eliminates a source of oxygen for the fire) or water entering the hull. In most cases, however, vessel owners go with just two or three choices. The events and their severity are differentiated by a Pfannenberg alarm’s tones, with the fire alarm having its own very distinct tone.

To increase the awareness of a potential problem, match the audible alarm up with a strobe light or a flashing light in a single alarm. Visual alarms most notably come as LED lights and Xenon flashing lights. “These alarms when paired with proper training and signage offer the best option for making your boat the safest,” said Jacob Vernon, Pfannenberg’s product specialist.

The key to a Pfannenberg product is the shape of the cone, also called the horn, which is at the center of the alarm. The “shape determines how far 100 decibels travels,” said LaPorta. “It provides for optimized acoustic emission.” As a result, LaPorta added, “our sound carries farther” than competing alarms.

After being alerted to an engine room fire by the alarm system, the quicker the fire is put out the better.

Sea-Fire’s MN Series cylinders can be activated electrically, pneumatically, with a remote cable or automatically.

The new fire suppression tool X-Tinguish X-Treme is lighter and safer than the X-Tinguish FST.

1230 at the higher pressure.” The advantage to the boat owner is the higher pressure gives “a lot more flexibility in how the system is designed.” Piping runs can be longer and the fire cylinders can be located away from spaces that need to be protected and still provide multizone applications. “It’s a more robust system that can handle larger vessels that require a more intricate piping run.”

The number of cylinders — either 10" or 16" in diameter — varies depending on the engine room size. “If 2,000-cubic feet it would be one or two cylinders, six or seven cylinders if it was 30,000-cubic feet,” said Ellis.

MN Series cylinders can be activated electrically, pneumatically or with a remote pull cable. Automatic activation is also available for the pneumatic release.

In this case a rapid rise in temperature triggers a control head that activates the fire suppression system. When that occurs, it shows up on a remote display that’s usually mounted in the wheelhouse.

When Novec 1230 is discharged “it cools the heat energy, so there’s no chance of combustion,” said Ellis. It’s a clean agent so there’s no powder-like residue and clean up isn’t required. It won’t damage electrical equipment and is safe for humans.

system, the X-Tinguish X-Treme would be a handy firefighting tool to have onboard. A new product from Flame Guard USA LLC, it’s replacing the X-Tinguish FST and will be available in February.

The new fire suppression tool looks like X-Tinguish FST but “is different on the inside, is made lighter and safer, and the formulation of condensed aerosol has been tweaked so it’s more responsive,” said Joe Kuesis, a partner at Flame Guard USA, Vernon Hills, Ill. Like the FST, the X-Tinguish XTreme has two pins — an ignition pin and an R pin that looks like a large cotter pin and goes through the center of the handle. It’s a fail-safe device that has to be pulled first or the ignition pin can’t be pulled. There’s an eight-second delay from the time the pin is pulled until the device is activated.

“It’s enough time from when you decide where to throw it, pull the pin, throw it and then shut the bulkhead,” said Kuesis, adding it can be thrown 15' to 20' without damage. In tests, the XTinguish X-Treme was hurled six times off a fire escape onto cement 20' away then the pin was pulled “and it worked perfectly.”

When the pin is pulled a thermal reaction creates the aerosol that will remain buoyant for up to an hour. “The hot aerosol mixes with the flame,” Kuesis said, “and will take away the oxygen’s ability to act with the fire so the fire loses energy.” It takes 800º to 1,000º out of a space in about 60 seconds.

FLAME GUARD USA If a fire starts in an engine room that doesn’t have a fire suppression system or starts in a compartment not covered by a built-in fire suppression

www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

25

CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT WORKBOAT YARDS

On TheWays

ON THE WAYS

Eastern Shipbuilding Group

Eastern delivers first of two Z-drives for E.N. Bisso

80' Z-drive tugs sport Tier 4 engines.

E

astern Shipbuilding Group Inc. recently delivered the first of two 80'×38'×13'2", 5,100-hp Z-drive tugs, the C.D. White, and launched a second, A. Thomas Higgins, for New Orleans-based Bisso Offshore LLC, a division of E.N. Bisso & Son Inc. C.D. White completed its bollard pull testing at the Panama City, Fla., shipyard, witnessed by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), and received its Subchapter M Certificate of Inspection (COI).

Both tugs are Robert Allan Ltd. RAL RApport 2400 Zdrive shiphandling tug designs.

In October 2018, Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm, struck the Florida panhandle, devastating much of the area, including Eastern Shipbuilding’s two shipyards.

“I think it is of particular note that these two vessels have been built at a period in time when you all have come through that bad storm, Michael, and have been impacted by it,” Colin Macpherson, E.N. Bisso’s executive vice president, said during the launching ceremony for the A. Thomas Higgins at Eastern’s Allanton, Fla., shipyard. “We are very well aware of that. We want to thank each and every one of you for the travails you have endured while remaining dedicated to the project on hand. We really, really appreciate that.”

26

Main propulsion comes from two Caterpillar 3512E Tier 4 diesel engines, producing 2,549 hp at 1,800 rpm each, connected to twin Kongsberg/Rolls-Royce US205 P20 Z-drives. During testing, bollard pull was measured at 67.5 short tons (stern pull) and 65.2 short tons (bow pull).

Ship’s service power is supplied by two John Deere 4045AFM85 marine generator drive engines from Kennedy Engine Co. Inc., each sparking 99 kW of electrical power at 1,800 rpm.

On deck are a Markey Machinery DEPCF-42 HS single drum, 40-hp render/recovery, line tension display, electric escort hawser winch, a Markey CEPB-40 5-hp tow bitt capstan, and a Washington Chain & Supply 90-ton SWL electric-air remote control, manual or remote release tow hook.

E.N. Bisso is one of Eastern’s long term customers.

The tug operator has taken delivery of four previous modern Z-drive ship assist tugs from Eastern starting in 2007 (Josephine Anne, Beverly B, Elizabeth B, and the Archie T. Higgins).

The two new RAL RApport 2400 tugs have been customized by the designer, builder, and owner to provide specific operational features including a high bollard pull forward www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

Gladding-Hearn to build new class of pilot boats for Maryland pilots

G

ladding-Hearn Shipbuilding’s newest line of pilot boats is the Baltimore class for the Association of Maryland Pilots. The name comes from the port of Baltimore, the pilots’ base

Gladding-Hearn

and aft, enhanced maneuverability and escort performance, better fuel economy, crew comfort, safety under the new Subchapter M requirements, and reduced emissions that meet EPA Tier 4 emissions standards.

Capacities include 28,000 gals. of fuel oil; 8,750 gals. potable water; and two 850-gal. urea tanks. There is also a Counterfire ES-125-400, 1,500-gpm at 100 psi, diesel engine driven firefighting system, including a 4" Stang remote controlled fire monitor. — Ken Hocke

The first 48'6" Baltimore-class pilot boat is scheduled for an April 2021 delivery.

of operations.

The first 48'6"×15.6'×4' pilot boat is scheduled for an April 2021 delivery. The Somerset, Mass., boatyard is scheduled to start cutting metal for the boat by the end of February.

The Maryland Pilots currently have three 53' Chesapeake-class pilot boats from Gladding-Hearn and a fourth one is under construction. These are offshore boats based out of the pilots’ Virginia Beach station. The new 48' boat is for “up the Chesapeake Bay between the mid-bay station and Baltimore Harbor,” said Peter Duclos, president of

Gladding-Hearn.

The 48-footer could be based in Baltimore Harbor or at the mid-bay station where it would swap out pilots at the end of their allowed 12-hour work schedule while making a run as long as 130 miles from when the pilot first boards to the harbor. The mid-bay station is about halfway up Chesapeake Bay. That takes a much smaller boat than the offshore pilot boats. It’s “the reason for the new class,” said Duclos. “It can be smaller, faster and burn less fuel.”

Duclos added that the design is based

BOATBUILDING BITTS

A

All American Marine

ll American Marine Inc. (AAM) has been awarded a contract to build two sister vessels for Major Marine Tours, Seward, Alaska. The 87'×32' Teknicraft Design aluminum catamarans will be USCG Subchapter T certified for 150 passengers. The quad-jet vessels will expand Major Marine’s fleet of wildlife and glacier cruise vessels that visit Kenai Fjords National Park. The semi-displacement catamarans were developed by Nic de Waal of Teknicraft, Auckland, New Zealand. The design integrates Teknicraft’s symmetrical and asymmetrical combined hull shape. The advanced hull design is complemented by Teknicraft’s integration of a wave piercer positioned between the catamaran sponsons to break up wave action and ensure reduced drag while enhancing passenger comfort. The propulsion package includes quad waterjets, powered by Scania DI16 082 engines, each rated at 788 hp at 2,100 rpm. The new vessels will feature a cov-

150-passenger ferry for Alaska under construction. www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

ered, open-air top deck in addition to a large stadium standing bow area. Interior amenities include Beurteaux seats, maximizing passenger comfort. The entire main deck is wheelchair accessible allowing guests to travel from the bow to the stern. AAM also announced recently that it has been named the West Coast shipyard by Birdon America Inc. for phase one of a contract to perform a Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) on a number of the Coast Guard’s fleet of motor lifeboats (MLB). AAM is currently working on two MLBs at its shop, with a plan to ramp up to eight MLB vessels each year during phase two. Birdon was awarded the prime contract to perform SLEP work on all MLBs in the Coast Guard’s fleet. The current in-service MLBs were designed by the USCG and built from 1997 to 2003. The 47' MLB is the Coast Guard's primary search-and-rescue platform operating in surf and heavy weather conditions. It has self-righting capability and the ability to operate in winds up to 50 knots, seas up to 30', and surf up to 20'.

Metal Shark has delivered a new 36' welded-aluminum patrol boat to the Policia Municipal de San Juan (San Juan Police Department), its latest customer in Puerto Rico.

The new patrol boat is a 36 Fearless stepped-bottom center console vessel built at Metal Shark’s Jeanerette, La., production facility and custom-configured to meet the requirements of the San Juan Police Department. The high-performance craft has been equipped with triple 300-hp Suzuki outboard engines and reaches a top speed in excess of 50 knots. Other 27

On TheWays on hundreds of others from C. Raymond Hunt, though there are a couple of different features.

“For operating inshore, a little less draft than usual was needed, so the 5-bladed Bruntons nibral props will be housed in propeller tunnels,” he said.

“And because it will be doing bow landings against anchored ships, as well as up against bulkheads and docks, the bow is flattened off for such landings.”

The 48-footer “is going to go,” said Duclos. He expects 28 knots, though “close to 30 if we nail the weights.”

Power to produce those numbers will come from a pair of 600-hp VolvoPenta D13 main engines matched up to ZF 400A gearboxes. A 6-kW Northern Lights genset will provide auxiliary power.

The wheelhouse will have a centerline helm station and five NorSap shock-mitigating reclining seats, a bag rack, refrigerator and a 16,000-BTU re-

verse-cycle HVAC unit. The side decks and handrails around the wheelhouse will be heated, and the stern will have a control station and a hinged basket for recovering a pilot. There will also be a Harken safety rail. — Michael Crowley

Armstrong building 49-passenger ferry for small Washington private island

A

rmstrong Marine USA, Port Angeles, Wash., will build a custom 45'×18'4" 49-passenger semidisplacement catamaran ferry for Hat Island, Wash.

Hat Island is a small, private island community in Snohomish County, Wash. The island is nestled in Possession Sound between Everett, Whidbey, and Camano islands and operates a weekly ferry schedule to and from the Port of Everett. Its residents’ requirements are reflected in the ferry design

which received widespread community approval.

“We’ve been working with them for seven years on this boat,” Capt. Charles Crane, Armstrong’s sales and marketing director, said at February’s Passenger Vessel Association convention in Tampa, Fla. “This boat has the Cummins engines and the semi-displacement hull.

They are going to save so much money in fuel with this boat.”

The engines are Cummins QSL9s, producing 450 hp each.

Other features of the boat include a SeaStar EPS electronic steering, ZF CruiseCommand system designed to provide additional vessel control from the raised pilothouse or second station forward, twin bowthrusters and aluminum push knees with rubber fendering.

The 45' ferry will also have a Northern Lights 9-kW generator, Garmin/ NMEA electronics package, galley, head and PA system.

Damen

Metal Shark

BOATBUILDING BITTS

36 Fearless stepped-bottom center console vessel built at Metal Shark for Puerto Rico.

mission-enhancing features include a custom 36" dive door and dive ladder, underwater lighting, 12 dive tank holders, Garmin radar, and FLIR camera. Metal Shark has delivered five new patrol boats in the past three years to Puerto Rico, where another law enforcement agency, the Puerto Rico Police Department, also operates a fleet of Metal Shark vessels.

Damen has developed a new concept vessel — the 90m×20m×8m (295.3'×65.6'×26.2') offshore support vessel (OSV) 9020. The design calls for a draft of about 15'. The boat features a stable platform with plentiful accommodations, stationkeeping capability, low carbon emissions, and the flexibility to add mission-specific tools. The vessel has been designed to perform a variety of offshore tasks both at surface level and subsea. The OSV 9020 provides living space for up to 120 in 49 cabins. The interior design ensures 28

New OSV concept vessel from Damen.

that those on board will quickly feel at home, with several options to personalize their stay on board. The vessel is primarily designed to operate in DP mode. The hull features equally good ahead and astern performance. The vessel profile ensures low wind catch. The four identical azimuthing thrusters will be arranged symmetrically — two on the stern and two on the bow — ensuring maximum stationkeeping performance while avoiding high noise levels in the accommodations. Design speed is 13 knots. In addition, the new layout is designed to result in lower maintenance costs, lower fuel consumption and less total installed power. Although the main benefits of the design are seen during stationkeeping, the transit performance of the vessel will also be very efficient, Damen said. The design calls for tankage of 900 cu. meters of fuel oil, 300 cu. meters of potable water, and 150 cu. meters for roll reduction. www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

Armstrong Marine

Two passenger gates at the bow plus a side door aft expedite the boarding process. Additional exterior customizations include 12 deck tie-down points and an aluminum davit (500-lb. SWL) for cargo transport.

Inside the full width main cabin will be cushioned bench seating. Multiple lockers and overhead bins will store luggage. Delivery is slated for the fall.

Armstrong Marine is also building a 37'×13' RIB to be delivered this spring to Bay Voyager, San Francisco.

Designed by Naiad and currently under construction, the new monohull will feature a semi-open cabin design with full width aft canopy and heavy-duty fendering system.

Twin Yamaha 300-hp outboards and a 265-gal. fuel capacity will bring several points of interest within easy reach.

“This new boat will provide an expanded route with views of Alcatraz,

45' passenger ferry for Hat Island, Wash.

wildlife, and the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges,” Capt. Charles Jennings of Bay Voyager said in a prepared statement announcing the contract. “It will be one of the most comprehensive and unique tours departing from the waterfront. We’re excited to be working with Armstrong Marine to offer this one-of-a-kind experience on a one-ofa-kind vessel.”

With a Certificate of Inspection for 28 passengers and two crewmembers, the RIB more than doubles Bay Voyager’s current passenger capacity. The

new boat’s seating arrangement will provide unobstructed views throughout.

For passenger comfort and convenience, a head compartment will be incorporated beneath the console.

Additional customizations will include a Raymarine navigation/electronics package and LED courtesy lights in the gunwales.

Bay Voyager’s San Francisco Bay boat tours include up-close sightseeing, twilight cruises, and tours exploring the Bay’s maritime history. — K. Hocke

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Engine Room Fire • Combustible Gas Leak • Bilge Pump Failure • General Safety Alarms • Trouble in the Cargo Hold • Traffic Safety • Harbor Crane Warning pfannenbergusa.com www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

29

Icy Reception

Alaska’s ferry system needs a strategic long-term plan.

Photo by Charley Starr, Shooting Starr Studio

By Bruce Buls, Correspondent

F

or the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS), it’s all about the money. Money to operate an aging fleet of 12 ferries that carry vehicles and passengers across 3,500 miles of ocean and islands along the rim of the North Pacific from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, to Bellingham, Wash. Money necessary to maintain and repair the hard-working boats. Money to pay

the crews on board and on the beach. Money to maintain docks and terminals in 35 remote communities. Money for the design and construction of replacement vessels.

Money for consultants. Such as the $250,000 paid to Northern Economics in Anchorage for a recently released report called the “Alaska Marine Highway System Economic Reshaping Re-

The AMHS ferries Columbia and Lituya in Ketchikan, Alaska.

30

www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

The Fairweather is in long-term lay-up at Ward Cove near Ketchikan.

port.” The report was commissioned last year by the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities. Its task was to identify “potential reductions of the state’s financial obligation and liability as it pertains to AMHS.” Meaning: where and how can the state spend even less money on its marine highway system.

As state revenues from the north slope oil patch have diminished over the last half-dozen years, so has state spending on the marine highway system. AMHS budgets declined about 30% during that time. Then, in 2019, the new governor, Brian Dunleavy, proposed cutting the AMHS budget from $86 million in fiscal year 2019 to $21.8 million in fiscal 2020. The 75% cut would have effectively shut down the state ferry system for nine months starting last October.

People in coastal communities that depend on the ferry service were outraged.

“First, he told us while campaigning for governor that he wouldn’t cut the ferries’ budget,” said Doug Ward, www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

Bruce Buls

a former executive at the shipyard in Ketchikan, “and then he cut the budget precipitously and without any plan. It was malfeasance.” (Ketchikan shipyard, formerly Alaska Ship & Drydock, was purchased by Vigor in 2012.)

Ward and 49,000 (and counting) other Alaskans have signed a petition seeking a recall election. Seventy-one thousand signatures are needed to get a special election.

SERVICE CUTS, STRIKE The legislature balked at the governor’s proposed budget cuts and set the AMHS budget last year at about $48 million, a level that leaves the system “flailing,” according to Shannon Adamson, a former deck officer for AMHS and current Alaska rep for the Masters, Mates and Pilots Union in Juneau. “At this funding level, we just can’t continue to run as we have been in the past.”

With less than $50 million, service cuts have been inevitable. One area hit particularly hard is Prince William Sound, which is without ferry service until this spring. And many other small coastal communities have had their winter service cut or discontinued as well.

Another recent service casualty is the connection to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, which is relatively close to Ketchikan and has rail and road connections that cities in Southeast Alaska don’t have. Service there has also been discontinued, but not entirely due to budget cuts. There have also been security issues with it being an international port of call and disputes about building a new terminal for the AMHS. Also disrupting ferry service in Alaska was last summer’s strike by the Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific. The first strike since 1977 shut down the entire operation for 10 days in late July and early August, at the peak of the summer tourist season. At the end of the 10-day strike, the IBU got a new contract and “an agreement that addresses many of our members’ 31

Bruce Buls

concerns,” according to a statement from the union.

The cost was significant, however, both in dollars and in perception. The state estimated that it lost about $3.2 million in revenues, money which would have been used to help provide service over the winter. The strike also forced the reimbursement of nearly 11,000 passenger and vehicle fares.

“The strike was terrible,” said Robert Venables, executive director of the Southeast Conference and chairman of the state’s Marine Transportation Advisory Board. “Devastating might be too strong, but it was certainly debilitating, and it caused a lot of problems on a lot of levels. There may have been a short-term gain in contractual relations with the IBU, but there was damage done to the economy as it disrupted the state fair in Haines, among other things. It also demonstrated to some entities in the political world that perhaps there should be private-sector

The 235'x57' LeConte was built in 1974. It has a capacity of 225-passengers and 33 20' vehicles.

solutions if the state just ceases operations.”

(The Southeast Conference was incorporated in 1958 to promote the formation of a regional transportation

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system that eventually became the Alaska Marine Highway System.)

PRIVATIZE AMHS? The concept of privatizing AMHS was one of the subjects of the Northern Economics reshaping report that was released in early January. Options included selling, leasing or giving away vessels and terminals “to a private entity to run whatever service they can justify economically.”

In the end, the report concluded that, “selling or leasing AMHS assets to private entities is not feasible if minimum levels of service are also stipulated.” The report also states that, “no business owner would accept all AMHS assets with the intent to provide service as the system currently operates, since it would not be possible to do so and earn even a modest rate of return to account for the risk.

The only buyer that might be willing to accept the assets would do so with the intent of reselling them for a profit (such as for scrap) rather than providing ferry service to AMHS communities.”

“It begs the question of what is the government’s role in providing transportation,” said John Waterhouse, a senior partner at Elliott Bay Design Group. EBDG has been working with AMHS for many years, going back

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to its predecessor company, Nickum & Spaulding Associates, which also worked with Alaska’s ferries. Seattlebased EBDG has an office in Ketchikan.

EBDG designed the two newest AMHS boats, the Alaska-class Hubbard and the Tazlina. The marine engineering firm is also actively involved with the fleet’s maintenance and repair. “So, we’ve got a good understanding of the challenges that

they’re facing, especially with some aging vessels” said Waterhouse. “They really need some sort of plan for what the next 10 years is going to look like.”

Venables agreed that planning is key to the survival and success of the ferry system. “At the end of the day we still don’t have a plan,” he said, referring to the reshaping plan, and despite the need to establish continuity and predictability for both the operators and users of the system, “there is not a

long-range plan.”

The Southeast Conference is also proposing a change in the way the marine highway system is managed.

“Our number-one priority is a focus on the governance structure,” said Venables. “The powers-that-be will establish a budget, but to have a maritime enterprise we really need to have maritime business people at the helm.

We’ve recommended that a sevenmember board would be appropriately

WILD RIDE FOR A NEW FERRY CLASS he new Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) Alaska-class ferries Hubbard and Tazlina are good examples of government involvement, if not interference.

In 2006, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities issued a “statement of services” for a new day-boat ferry that would have roll-on/roll-off capacity with both bow and stern and side doors, with a length of 255' to 305'. Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) was selected to begin the design. As the design developed, the bow door was eliminated and the vessel length grew to 350'. In 2010, the legislature appropriated $60 million of state general funds towards construction of the first Alaska-class ferry.

The money was used to match $68 million in Federal Highway Administration funds.

Later that year, Gov. Sean Parnell “de-federalized” the Alaskaclass ferries project, which gave the state flexibility about where the vessel would be built. Both the governor and the legislature wanted the vessel to be built in Alaska. In 2011 the state legislature appropriated another $60 million for the project.

By the fall of 2012 the conceptual design had reached a point where the total cost was as much as $167 million, which was 39% higher than the $120 million originally appropriated and more than five times the original 2006 estimate.

In December 2012, Gov. Parnell announced that the design would be reverted back to a smaller ro-ro vessel with bow and stern doors.

The vessels would cost less to build and operate.

EBDG went back to work on plans for a smaller vessel. The final design was 280' long and would carry 300 passengers and 53 cars.

Keels for two Alaska-class ferries were laid at Vigor’s shipyard in Ketchikan in late 2014. Both vessels, day boats without overnight accommodations for either passengers or crew, were completed in 2019.

For Robert Venables, executive director of the Southeast Conference and chairman of the state’s Marine Transportation Advisory Board, the history of the Alaska class clearly demonstrates the need for better planning and management. “Every ferry contract that has been signed in the last two or three decades has shown the flaws of a political system designing maritime infrastructure,” he said. “The Alaska-class vessel took it to an entirely new height of dysfunctionality. And our current governor is now the fifth governor to touch the 34

Kirk Moore

T

The 280’, 300-passenger AMHS Alaska-class ferry Tazlina. evolutionary process we call designing a boat.”

The Alaska-class design is still controversial. As a day boat, the vessels are restricted to operating only 12 hours a day. With the time required for loading and unloading, some runs up Lynn Canal from Juneau to Haines and Skagway can take longer than 12 hours. And the crews have to be housed on shore overnight. Given this limitation, some people are suggesting that crew quarters be added. With these, the boats would be able to operate 24/7 and be available to provide backup service on longer runs to more remote communities.

By early February 2020, only the Tazlina had been in service, but was back in the Vigor Ketchikan shipyard for warranty work. The vessel is scheduled to return to Lynn Canal in March. The Hubbard is also in the shipyard having a forward, starboard side vehicle door added. It should also be available in March.

Two other AMHS day boats, the Fairweather and Chenega, are in long-term lay-up at Ward Cove near Ketchikan. Both are highspeed, vehicle-carrying catamarans. Operating costs have been higher than originally anticipated due, in part, to International Code of Safety for High-Speed Craft (HSC Code) requirements, as well as fuel costs. The boats are also unable to operate year-round because of weather and are now for sale. — B. Buls www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

Bruce Buls

Accommodating seasonal tourists is an important source of income for the Alaska Marine Highway System.

sized to include those involved with the maritime industry professionally.

Business finance will have a seat and so would labor.”

The state legislature this winter is expected to release a proposed budget for the next fiscal year that retains the status quo. At the same time, the

OUR GREEN IS

YELLOW

governor has announced the formation of a working group to consider the future of the Alaska Marine Highway System.

Meanwhile, AMHS management is working with a seriously reduced budget and an unhappy public. “I think the management team at the marine highway system is trying their absolute best to keep the boats running with the instructions that they are given from the (state) department of transportation,” said Waterhouse.

“They’re trying to be good souls and deliver the mission within the constraints that they’re given. They’re juggling as best they can.”

“There’s now a general awareness of the need for better long-range planning and the administration has committed to working towards that goal,” said Venables. “But you need to understand the basic needs of the communities and the basic levels of service that is necessary.”

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www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

37

PortofCall

Your Source For Employment, Equipment & Services LEGAL

EMPLOYMENT 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.

JPAAD RESOURCES STAFFING Email resumes to: j.padd206@yahoo.com

MARINE GEAR

MARINE GEAR

38

www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

For Port of Call advertising, email wjalbert@divcom.com or call 207-842-5496

MARINE GEAR

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

BARGE PUMPS

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

IMO ROTARY SCREW ASPHALT PUMPS BYRON JACKSON TURBINE PUMPS BLACKMER ROTARY GEAR PUMPS OUR 110TH YEAR

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

www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

39

PortofCall

Your Source For Employment, Equipment & Services MARINE GEAR & SUPPLIES

Marine Rubber Seals & Weatherstripping!

THE MOST POWERFUL TOOL

marine.steelerubber.com

for removing coatings and rust

R

ORE

BEF

ER

AFT

Multiple extrusion A variety of choices for hatches Rub Rail Insert Kits! and cabinWe doors! are a Custom Manufacturer

Now Manufacturing and Installing Fire Retardant Bunk Curtains

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

of Wheelhouse Tinted Shades & Crew Quarter Blackout Shades

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

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.

Seals of all

Windshield Mounting We offer measurement and installation services in Southern Louisiana, shapes andWe sizes.

Screw Track CoverDownload our order form to Mississippi and Alabama. carry $5,000,000 workers’& compensation, purchase your shades today. and liability insurance policies with U.S.L.&H. and the Jones Act.

Visit Us! - Marine Equipment Tent, Booth 486

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

Marine Rubber Seals & Weatherstripping

BY THE FOOT - ORDER TODAY! ORE

BEF

ER

AFT

R

Hatch & Door Seals

Livewell Seals

Windshield Mounting Rubber

Screw Track Insert Seals

marine.steelerubber.com 40

Rub Rail Insert Kits

800-563-9810 www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

For Port of Call advertising, email wjalbert@divcom.com or call 207-842-5496

MARINE GEAR & SUPPLIES

Subchapter M Medical Kits

Keel Coolers Trouble free marine engine cooling since 1927!

1-800-40-PILOT Sales@PilothouseCharts.com www.PilothouseCharts.com

THE WALTER MACHINE CO, INC Tel: 201-656-5654 • Fax: 201-656-0318 www.waltergear.com

SERVICES

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

www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

41

PortofCall

Your Source For Employment, Equipment & Services SERVICES

We Build the Ship First.

Production Lofting Detail Design 3D Modeling St. John’s, NL | Vancouver, BC | New Orleans, LA 709.368.0669 | 504.287.4310 | www.genoadesign.com

Become a member of the Council of American Master Mariners and join us in supporting the U.S. Merchant Marine, the Jones Act and the Seaman’s working rights.

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

Go to:

www.mastermariner.org 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

42

www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

For Port of Call advertising, email wjalbert@divcom.com or call 207-842-5496

ADVERTISERS INDEX Ahead Sanitation Systems Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Pfannenberg Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Browns Point Marine Service, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Robert Allan Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

C & C Marine and Repair LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

R W Fernstrum & Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Duramax Marine LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CV3

Scania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Eastern Shipbuilding Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Tandemloc, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,15

Furuno USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Twin Disc Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CV2

Hougen Mfg ., Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Volvo Penta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Karl Senner, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CV4

Washburn & Doughty Associates Inc . . . . . . . . . . 32

Laborde Products Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Washington Chain & Supply Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Louisiana Cat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Coast Guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Lubriplate Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Yank Marine Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

McDermott Light & Signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Nabrico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

43

LOOKS BACK MARCH 1960

• A small West Coast yard in Long Beach, Calif., has converted an LSM (landing ship medium) into a sturdy, seagoing tug that has been operating successfully on the Hyperion project off Long Beach, an installation which has been called the world’s most publicized sewer. The tug Ant, which was used on the project to maneuver the large 192' sewer

pipes into position under the belly of the world’s largest offshore construction island, the George F. Ferris, was originally an LSM. It was given one of the most complete conversions ever attempted. The conversion work was done at Jones Tug and Barge Co., Long Beach, from designs by George W. Sutton, Costa Mesa, Calif.

All equipment except tanks was removed from the MARCH 1970 original • The keel of the S.S. Turkiye has been laid at Avondale Shipyards, New Orleans. The Turkiye is the second of 11 LASH ships being built at Avondale. Five of the ships are for New York-based Prudential Lines Inc., and the remaining six are for Pacific Far East Lines Lines, San Francisco. The ships, designed by Friede & Goldman Inc., New Orleans, are the new LASH concept, construction MARCH 1980 of which is

• Interested in going to a school where both brains and brawn are prerequisites? Where you can learn a job that will put you into rain storms, cold and heat while working 12 hours a day, seven days a week? There’s a school near Houma, La., that offers all that and more — and there is a waiting list of prospective students. The school takes 44

hull. A false cutwater bow was added and the hull was heavily flushed-decked, with a raised pilothouse added amidships. The main engines were also moved amidships. granted under licensing arrangements with LASH Systems Inc. The Prudential LASH vessels will transport 54 lighters, also built at Avondale, and 204 over-the-road containers.

greenhorns and teaches them the basics on how to survive and get the job done on offshore oil rigs. Established and run by Atlantic-Pacific Marine Corp., Houston, the school graduated 154 workers in 1979. The graduates were placed in entry-level positions with drilling companies and most graduates chose to work offshore. www.workboat.com • MARCH 2020 • WorkBoat

Delivering WorlD-class ProDuct solutions For over 100 Years

the Water-lubricated Bearing that Has nothing More to Prove. it’s proven itself for years at sea. no other water-lubricated bearing is used in more vessels worldwide than a Johnson cutless® rubber Bearing. it has set industry standards for decades in the harshest working environments, earning the trust of more marine professionals than any other bearing. 90% of the u.s. navy surface ships and submarines run with the same water-lubricated bearing technology. each cutless® Bearing is manufactured, individually inspected and tested to meet the highest quality standards in the industry. Meets Mil-B-17901 (sH) class ii type bearing specifications.

Johnson cutless® is the original, true cutless Bearing, and it’s available only from Duramax Marine® – the world leader in water-lubricated bearing technology.

Johnson cutless® is Designed for unmatched Performance and long life.

Permanent Hydrodynamic Lubrication Pocket

Designed with straight longitudinal grooves the length of shell.

- assures maximum water lubrication - Flushes abrasives away, preventing scoring of shaft

Specially formulated molded nitrile rubber lining.

- Permanently bonded to a precisionmachined naval brass outer shell - resists oil, grease and chemicals

Deflection property of the rubber lining allows a slight compression set to form a permanent hydrodynamic pocket after break-in.

- shaft and bearing are separated by a film of water - Friction and wear are virtually eliminated - vibration and noise are reduced - the longer a cutless® runs the better it gets

17990 Great Lakes Parkway Hiram, Ohio 44234 U.S.A.

info@DuramaxMarine.com | www.DuramaxMarine.com

PHONE 440.834.5400 FAX 800.497.9283 USA & Canada or 440.834.4950

ELECTOMECHANICAL HYBRID

DIESEL ELECTRIC

Between REINTJES, STEERPROP, and EPD, Karl Senner, LLC can offer Hybrid solutions in conjunction with nearly any type of propulsion system (e.g. shafted FPP, shafted CPP, Waterjet, Azimuth, etc.)

STEERPROP’s LM unit utilizes a PM (permanent magnet) motor vertically integrated on the L-drive. This unit is optimized for diesel-electric and fully electric systems, providing a plug-and-play installation without any shaft or motor alignment necessary.

EPD’s EOS Module is a prefabricated room that houses the generator control and switch gear. This plug-and-play room is pre-wired and pretested for delivery to the shipyard. The EOS transfers time, cost, and liability away from the shipyard and puts those responsibilities on the electrical integrator.

504-469-4000

|

KARLSENNER.COM