WorkBoat June 2022 by WorkBoat

Barge Report • Mariners and Mental Health • Lighting ®

IN BUSINESS ON THE COASTAL AND INLAND WATERS

JUNE 2022

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Content

JUNE 2022 VOLUME 79, NO. 6

FEATURES 22 Focus: Well-Being

The pandemic has been tough on the mental health of U.S. mariners, study finds.

24 Vessel Report: Special Delivery

There are several unconventional barges being built.

30 Cover Story: Yearbook

• Many shipyards are expanding their facilities • Inland barge operators are getting back to normal • More innovative tug designs • Passenger vessel operators anticipate a strong season • Offshore energy finally sees a rebound in demand and commodity prices

BOATS & GEAR 26 On the Ways

• WTIV for Empire Wind offshore project • Master Boat delivers 5,100-hp harbor tug to Seabulk • Eastern awarded contract for fourth Coast Guard OPC • Conrad to build two Corps ice-class tugs

40 Got a Light?

LED lighting technology continues to advance.

AT A GLANCE 10 On the Water: Towing — Part I. 10 Captain’s Table: The Jones Act is still relevant. 11 Energy Level: The stiff competition for energy workers. 12 WB Stock Index: Index loses 4.6% in April. 12 Inland Insider: Building costs keep barge rates high. 13 Insurance Watch: Consider a liquor liability policy. 14 Legal Talk: Who has jurisdiction over maritime cases?. 16 Nor’easter: Wind supporters buoyant at New Jersey forum.

NEWS LOG 20 Offshore wind advocates stay optimistic. 20 NTSB opens public docket on the Seacor Power liftboat . 20 Tidewater completes Swire Pacific acquisition. 20 Subchapter M fees for TSMS inspection suspended. www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

DEPARTMENTS 2 Editor’s Watch 6 Mail Bag 43 Port of Call 51 Advertisers Index 52 WB Looks Back

ON THE COVER

The Navy yard tug (YT) 809. Photo by Brent Morrison

EDITOR'S WATCH

A shot in the arm

try to be as positive as possible. I usually try to convey this in my post-International WorkBoat Show assessments each year. I search for signs of hope no matter how dire the circumstances. But for almost two years, with the pandemic disrupting almost everything, this has been tough to do. At last I’m happy to report that we are finally beginning to see signs of hope. That was the sense I got as I read our annual Yearbook report (see page 30). For the first time in several years, there was good news from each of the sectors we cover. Over the past year, shipyard owners have been busy. Many boatbuilders are expanding their facilities, moving to new digs, or opening additional locations — trying to land that next big contract and the one after that. And work has been steady. For example, Austal USA has been putting its 700,000-sq.-ft. aluminum module manufacturing facility to work, building two different Navy vessels. After two difficult years, operations on the inland waterways are almost back to normal. Cargo shipments have rebounded, Covid protocols have been integrated more smoothly into daily operations, and major infusions of federal funds for lock and dam improvements coupled with new opportunities in the offshore wind sector have given tug and barge operators hope for the future. For passenger vessels, operators are seeing pent-up demand and anticipate a strong summer season. Offshore also looks promising for the first time in years. Production is flowing from the first of three significant ai16389015345_editwatch_BPA_2021.pdf Gulf of Mexico deepwater develop-

David Krapf, Editor in Chief

dkrapf@divcom.com

ments slated to come on line this year as producers look to cash in on $100/ bbl oil. The OSV market continues to look strong and analysts expect it to keep rising. But there are a few caution signs — mainly labor. Finding crew “is probably the most perplexing scenario our entire industry is facing,” Hunter McIntosh of The Boat Company Ltd. said. Finding qualified crew and other employees is challenging, but workboat operators say that the improved business climate outweighs it all.

12/7/21

1:25 PM

WORKBOAT® (ISSN 0043-8014) is published monthly by Diversified Communications, 121 Free St., P.O. Box 7438, Portland, ME 04112-7438. Editorial Office: P.O. Box 1348, Mandeville, LA 70470. Annual Subscription Rates: U.S. $39; Canada $55; International $103. When available, extra copies of current issue are $4, all other issues and special issues are $5. For subscription customer service call (978) 671-0444. The publisher reserves the right to sell subscriptions to those who have purchasing power in the industry this publication serves. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, ME, and additional mailing offices. Circulation Office: 121 Free St., P.O. Box 7438, Portland, ME 04112-7438. From time to time, we make your name and address available to other companies whose products and services may interest you. If you prefer not to receive such mailings, please send a copy of your mailing label to: WorkBoat’s Mailing Preference Service, P.O. Box 7438, Portland, ME 04112. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to WORKBOAT, P.O. Box 1792, Lowell, MA 01853. Copyright 20 22 by Diversified Communications. Printed in U.S.A.

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

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IN BUSINESS ON THE COASTAL AND INLAND WATERS

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 Capt. Alan Bernstein • Bruce Buls • Michael Crowley • Dale K. DuPont • Jerry Fraser • Pamela Glass • Betsy Frawley Haggerty • Max Hardberger • Joel Milton • Jim Redden • Kathy Bergren Smith ART DIRECTOR Doug Stewart / dstewart@divcom.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Jeremiah Karpowicz / jkarpowicz@divcom.com ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Because they watch over us. Because they give so much. Give to the

Coast Guard Foundation

Kim Burnham 207-842-5540 / kburnham@divcom.com Mike Cohen 207-842-5438 / mcohen@divcom.com Kristin Luke 207-842-5635 / kluke@divcom.com Krista Randall 207-842-5657 / krandall@divcom.com Danielle Walters 207-842-5634 / dwalters@divcom.com ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Wendy Jalbert 207-842-5616 / wjalbert@divcom.com

To learn more, visit RescueTheRescuers.org

Producers of The International WorkBoat Show and Pacific Marine Expo www.workboatshow.com • www.pacificmarineexpo.com EXPOSITION SALES DIRECTOR Christine Salmon 207-842-5530 / csalmon@divcom.com PRESIDENT & CEO Theodore Wirth / twirth@divcom.com GROUP VICE PRESIDENT Bob Callahan / bcallahan@divcom.com PUBLISHING OFFICES Main Office 121 Free St., P.O. Box 7438çPortland, ME 04112-7438 207-842-5608 • Fax: 207-842-5609 MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION cs@e-circ.net • 978-671-0444 (Monday-Friday, 10 AM – 4 PM ET)

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MAIL BAG Be aware of LED radio interference to maritime VHF radio and AIS

he Coast Guard Inspections and Compliance Directorate has published Marine Safety Information Bulletin 03-22 to inform mariners of a newly published technical standard addressing LED radio interference to maritime VHF radio and AIS. Coast Guard Marine Safety Alert 13-18 advised mariners of poor reception on VHF frequencies used for radiotelephone and automatic identification systems (AIS) when in the vicinity of light emitting diode (LED) lighting onboard ships (including navigation lights and deck lights). Consequentially, the Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services (RTCM), a 501(c)(3) international non-profit scientific, professional and educational

organization established to address problems such as this, was asked to investigate this problem and develop a solution. Consequently, RTCM, in cooperation with the Coast Guard, researched numerous electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) standards and performed exhaustive EMC tests of various LED navigation and other above deck lighting. On April 13, 2022, RTCM adopted RTCM Standard 13700.0 Electromagnetic Compatibility Requirements for Light Emitting Diode (LED) Devices and other Electrical and Electronic Equipment in the Vicinity of Shipboard Antennas for the Protection of On-Board Receivers. RTCM Standard 13700.0 is designed to protect GMDSS MF/HF and mobile satellite receivers, maritime VHF, AIS and GNSS receivers from deck-mounted electrical equipment, especially equipment installed near antennas. The Coast Guard

is confident that LED lighting or other equipment meeting this standard will not cause interference to these systems. The Coast Guard urges manufacturers, installers and users of LED navigation lights, deck lights and other above-deck lighting, as well as other electrical equipment installed in the vicinity of shipboard antennas, to consider using this standard. Questions concerning this notice may be forwarded to the Coast Guard Spectrum Management and Communications Policy Division (CG-672) at HQS-SMB-CG-672@USCG.MIL or to the Coast Guard Navigation Center’s “Contact Us” page by selecting ”Maritime Telecommunications” as subject. U.S. Coast Guard Inspections and Compliance Directorate Washington, D.C.

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www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

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W W W. D AV I D C L A R K . C O M

An Employee Owned American Company

2022 International WorkBoat Show Exhibitors 10X Engineered Materials LLC

Bosch Rexroth Corporation

Datrex Inc

Garibaldi Glass Industries Inc

1st Choice Restaurant Equipment & Supply, LLC

Bostrom, H.O. Co Inc

David Clark Company Inc Deansteel Manufacturing Co

Garmin USA

360 Coverage Pros

GE Power Conversion

ABB Inc

Breaux Petroleum Products Inc

Delaware Elevator, Inc.

Geislinger Corp

ABS

Bristol Harbor Group Inc

Dellner Bubenzer

GEMECO Marine Accessories

AccuTRANS, LLC

Jotun Paints Inc

Delta Marine Technik

ADR Power Systems, Inc.

BRIX Marine

Denke Laboratories d/b/a Hascall-Denke

Advance Marine, LLC/ Melcal S. p. A.

Bronswerk Marine

Derecktor Shipyards

Bruce S. Rosenblatt & Assoc., LLC

Desco Mfg. Co.

Bureau Veritas Marine Inc

Detyens Shipyards Inc

Advance Products and Systems Advanced Copper Alloys

Burger Boat Company

Advanced Mechanical Enterprises

Business Network for Offshore Wind

Advantec Global Innovations

Butler Heavy Structures

AEP Sales AER Supply Ltd Ahead Sanitation Systems Inc All American Marine Allied Marine Crane Allsalt Maritime / SHOXS Seats Altra Industrial Motion Corp American Battery Solutions

At The International WorkBoat Show, you’ll find thousands of solutions, strategies, technologies, and ideas to give your business an edge in 2022 and beyond.

American VULKAN Corp Ample Marine Analytic Systems Apex Engineering/ RYDLYME Marine

Carboline Company Cardinal Valley Industrial Supply Standard Horizon Performance Diesel Inc Carlisle & Finch Company (The) Caterpillar Inc Center Lift Inc.

Donovan Marine Inc Downey Engineering Corporation Dr Shrink Inc Driveline Service of Portland Inc Drury Hotels Dufour Laskay & Strouse Inc Duramax Marine LLC Dynamax Inc. East Park Radiator, Inc. Eastern Shipbuilding Group

Chevron Lubricants

ElectriCities of N.C., Inc

Christie & Grey Inc

Archway Marine Lighting

Cimolai Technology SPA

Electro Plastics Inc / Step Marine

Arcosa Marine

Cincinnati Gearing Systems

Auros Knowledge Systems

Marine Interior Systems LLC C-Job Naval Architects Clear-Com ClearSpan Fabric Structures

General Work Products, Inc Generon, IGS Genoa Design International Ltd. Gibbs & Cox Inc. Gilbert Associates Inc Gilkes Inc. Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding Glamox Aqua Signal Corporation Glendinning Marine Products Global Data Systems Global Marine Engineering Global Tool and Technology GlobalTech Motor & Controls Glomex Marine Antennas USA Glosten GMA Garnet (USA) Corp. GORDHEAD BMT GPLink, LLC Great Lakes Maritime Academy Green Instruments USA, Inc. Green Marine Inc

Electronic Marine Systems Inc

Greenbrier Marine

Elevating Boats LLC

Gulf Engine & Equipment Inc

Elgin Separation Solutions/Norris Screen

Gulf Copper

Gulf Marine Repair Corp

Elliott Bay Design Group

Gutteling Americas

e-motion Hybrid Propulsion Systems

Haley Marine Gears Inc Hamilton Jet

Cleveland Vibrator

Endura Paint

Auto-Maskin LLC

Coastal Marine Equipment Inc

Enfasco Inc.

Hargrove Engineers + Constructors

engines, inc

AV-DEC

Harrington Marine

COBHAM

ERL Commercial Marine

Ayres Composite Panels USA LLC

Hatenboer-Water

Cojali USA

ERMA FIRST ESK ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS S.A.

Hatteland Technology

Austal USA

BAE Systems

Colonna’s Shipyard Inc

Bansbach Easylift

Columbia Industrial Products

BAR Technologies

ComAp

Bay Ship and Yacht Co Bayonne Dry Dock & Repair Corp. Bayou Metal Supply

ComNav Marine Ltd Conrad Shipyard, LLC Continental Battery Continental Western Corporation

Etiflex Corp. EWI ExxonMobil F & M Mafco Fairlead Integrated Farmer’s Copper Ltd Farrell and Norton Naval Architects

Bekina Boots

Controlled Water Systems

Bell Power Systems/John Deere

Core Group Resources

FAUN Trackway USA Inc

Cortland Company

FEDPRO

Berard Transportation Inc

Cospolich

Fincantieri Marine Group

Bergan Marine Systems

Creative Systems Inc

Beurteaux North America

Crestwood Technology Group, LLC

Fire and Safety Specialists, Inc.

BFG Marine Inc BGH Specialty Steel Big Top Manufacturing Birdzoff BlastOne Blount Boats Inc Blucher, a WATTS Company BMT Group Boat Lift s.r.l. Boats & Harbors Boening USA, Inc. Bohamet Boksa Marine Design Boll Filter Corporation Bollinger Shipyards LLC

Presented by

Calumet Specialty Lubricants

Dometic Marine

Aquakob Systems Inc.

Beier Radio

Produced by

William F Miller & Associates

DNV GL USA, Inc.

Appleton Marine Inc

Beacon Finland Ltd Oy

Morial Convention Center, Halls B, C, D, E & F

CAIG Laboratories

Diversified Business Communicatio

EEG Marine

Atlantic Rigging Supply

NOV. 30 - DEC. 2, 2022 NEW ORLEANS

Cadmatic

Distribution International

Chapel Steel

AST Americas

Christine Salmon Sales Director 207.842.5530 csalmon@divcom.com

CAB Products

Digital Twin Marine

Chafe-Pro

Applegate Industrial Materials Inc

Askew Industrial Corporation

Contact:

Byrne Rice & Turner Inc

DESMI Inc

E-Crane International USA

Armach Robotics

Interested in Exhibiting?

Brass Works Inc (The)

Bomar-Pompanette

Crowley Maritime Cummins Marine Plainville Electrical Products, Co. (PEPCO) Cupix Custom Abrasives, LLC Custom Marine Inc Customers Commercial Finance, LLC D&W Marine Systems Management

Fast Flow Pump Company

Fire Protection Service Inc

Hawboldt Industries Hawken Components Headhunter Inc Helidex Offshore Helm Operations Henderson Auctions Hiller Companies (The) Hilliard Corporation (The) Hilliard Enterprises, Inc Hilti Inc Holloway Houston Honeywell Hermetic Hose Master LLC Hose-McCann Communications HOTSTART

Fireboy-Xintex

Hug Engineering

Fischer Crane & Machine International

Richard’s Supply Inc

Fish Expo WorkBoat Atlantic

Hydrasearch Company, LLC

FL Centek Industries Inc Flender Corporation Flexco Freedman Seating Company Freudenberg Battery

Humphree USA Inc

Hydro Dynamics Solutions Hyspan Precision Products HYTORC Corp iba America LLC

Daichang Co Ltd *Non-Exhibiting Suppliers Fee - $150 Power Systems, LLCPreshow and Onsite*

IBIX North America, Daihatsu Diesel Fuel Ox Surface Technologies, (America),Inc. The International WorkBoat Show is open to trade professionals only. LLC Right Global, Due to Welding liability & restrictions, Fuel no one under theLLC age of 15, includw ing infants and Dale’s ICC Cable Fabricators Fundiciones Rice, S.A.

toddlers, will be allowed at the conference and on the show floor at any time. C.V. ICOM America Inc There be NO exceptions.deAll purchases are non-refundable. Damenwill Shipyards Gorinchem B.V.

Furuno USA

Iguana Pro USA

Ims Inc Imtra Corp Incat Crowther Industrial Packing & Seals Industrial Service Solutions Infra-Metals Co

Louisiana Economic Development Lubrication Engineering Pty Ltd Lubriplate Lubricants Lufkin Gears LLC Luftex Gears Manufacturing & Services

Nauticomp Inc

Phoenix Labor Group

Rhotheta International

Navtek Naval Technologies

Phoenix Lighting

RIBCRAFT USA

Pilot Marine Products

Rigidized Metals Corporation

NCP Coatings Inc NEWMAR Nichols Brothers Boat Builders

Plascore Platypus Marine Point Eight Power Inc Pole Star Maritime

RINA Riviera Maritime Media LTD

Lynden

NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

MacGregor USA, Inc.

Cox Powertrain Limited

Mackay Communications, Inc (dba Mackay Marine)

NobelClad

Intellian Technologies

MAN Engines & Components Inc

Northern Lights

Powertherm Maxim Silencers, Inc.

Intercon

Mareleng Maretron

PPG Protective & Marine Coatings

Ryerson Inc

International Boatlift Exchange Inc

Northern Safety & Industrial

Precision Tension Solutions LLC

SAFE Boats International

Ingersoll-Rand In-Mar Solutions Inmarsat Global Ltd. Innomar Ocean Technology

International Castings & Fabrication LLC

MARIN - Maritime Research Institute Netherlands

International Paint LLC

MarinaStep

International Ship Repair

Marine Group Boat Works

Intsel Steel Distributors

Marine Jet Power AB

Inventech Marine Solutions

Marine Log

North River Boats

Norwegian Maritime Exporters NRE Power Systems Inc NVI LLC Occupational Health Center Ocean Craft Marine Triman Industries

Porta Products Corporation Power Dynamics Innovations LLC

Premium Plate Prime Mover Controls Inc ProCurve Glass Technology LLC PropGlide USA Corp Propspeed - Oceanmax International

RIX Industries Robert Allan Ltd Rose Point Navigation Systems Roxtec Rustibus Worldwide Sabine Surveyors LTD Safeguard Technology, Inc Sample Brothers Inc Samson Rope Technologies

Separator Spares & Equipment LLC Service Trucks International & Tiger Cranes Shell Marine Ship Architects Inc Ship Interior Systems, LLC Ship-2-Shore ShipConstructor USA Inc Fairbanks Morse Engine Ships Machinery International Inc ShipServ America Inc Shockwave Seats Siemens Industry Inc Silent Running/Current Inc Siltec USA, Inc. Silver Ships Inc Simrad - Navico

Satphonestore

Sinex Solutions

Sauer Compressors USA

Si-Tex Marine Electronics

Scania

SKF

ioCurrents

Marine Specialised Technology Group

ROC Carbon Company

Marine Systems Inc

Irwin Car and Equipment

Sonetics

Marine Technologies LLC

IsoFlex Technologies

Sound Propeller Services

Marine Travelift Inc

J A Moody Company J D Neuhaus Corp J H Menge & Company Inc J.H. Fletcher & Co. Jamestown Metal Marine Sales Inc Jastram Jetstream of Houston JMP Corporation Phoenix Metals Company JMS Naval Architects JonRie InterTech LLC JOWA USA Inc JRC Americas, Inc.

Maritime Compliance International LLC Maritime Executive (The) Maritime Partners LLC Maritime Reporter and Engineering News MarWear Mascoat Corn Island Shipyard Inc Massachusetts Maritime Academy Master Boat Builders, Inc

Kahlenberg Industries Inc Kappler

McDermott Light & Signal

Karl Senner, LLC

McLean Contracting Company

Kaya Ropes

JW Automarine

Keenan Filters / KTI SYstems

MCT Brattberg Inc

KEMEL USA Inc

Metal Shark

Kent Safety Products

Metalcraft Marine Inc

C & C Panasia

Metalmec SA de CV

Kidde Fire Systems

Metals USA - Plates & Shapes

King Valve Companies KING-GAGE, A NOSHOK Company Kluber Lubrication North America LP Kobelt Manufacturing Co Ltd Kohler Power Systems Kold-Ban International, Ltd Kongsberg Maritime AS Konrad Marine Kropf Industrial Inc La Marche Manufacturing Co Laborde Products Inc Lake Assault Boats LeBlanc & Associates LLC Lewis Marine Supply Liferaft Systems Australia Light Structures AS Lignum-Vitae Bearings Lincoln Electric Co Linde Gas & Equipment Inc

MechPro Inc

Michelli Weighing & Measurement Michigan Wheel Marine Military Sealift Command Miller Electric Mfg Co Miller-Leaman Inc Milwaukee Tool

Logan Clutch Corp Lonseal Flooring Lopolight Louisiana Association for the Blind Louisiana Cat

Padgett Swann Machinery/Marflex StyleCraft Boats Panel Components & Systems Panolin America Inc Patterson Company

National Energy Equipment

Paul Automobiles

National Oilwell Varco Scully’s Aluminum Boats

Pearlson Shiplift Corporation

Nautical Marketing/ FuelTrax

Pemamek Oy Perko Inc

Nautican Research & Development Ltd

Philadelphia Gear, A Timken Brand

PCS Construction Group

United States Marine Inc

Vestdavit Inc Vetus Maxwell

Viega LLC

Wager Company

Subsalve USA Corp Summit Electric Supply Sun Powered Yachts Sunbelt Rentals Inc Supreme Integrated Technology Survitec Survival Products Survival Systems International TAI Engineers LLC

RelyOn Nutec

Seashore Maritime Services Limited

Rhineland Cutlery

United States General Services Administration (GSA)

Wabtec Corporation

Sealevel Construction Inc.

Seattle Marine & Fishing Supply Co

Ullman Dynamics

Straub Pipe Couplings

Reliable Industries

Reuland Electric

UES Marine

W&O

Sea-Fire Marine

Seatronx

U.S. Navy - PEO SHIPS (PMS300)

STI Marine Firestop

Precise Power Systems

Seatrax, Inc.

Twin Disc Incorporated

Volvo Penta

Thermcor, Inc.

RESOLVE Marine Group

Tug and Barge Solutions

Voith US Inc. (VTI)

Seacoast, A Division of Genuine Cable Group, LLC.

Rescue Technology

Tube-Mac Industries

Steiner Construction Company Inc

Advanced Graphic Engraving

Seaside Marine International Drug Co.

Triple Son Wholesale Timbers

Steerprop

The Timken Company

Renold Inc.

TRIM-LOK, INC.

Viasat

Steele Rubber Products

Sea3 Systems LLC

Renewable Energy Group

Trimaco

VFS Fire & Security Services

Texcel

Regal Rexnord

Trident Maritime Systems LLC

Starlight Maintenance, Inc.

Sea School-Mobile Inc

Red Sky Lighting

TriCab USA

STAR Center

Texas A&M Maritime Academy

Red Fox Environmental Services

National Association of Marine Surveyors

Standard Calibrations Inc

Sea Machines Robotics Inc.

Pacific Power Group

Lake Shore Systems Inc

St. Johns Ship Building

Tero Marine AS

Raytheon Anschütz USA

Triangle Enterprises, Inc

Vera Navis Ship Design

Teledyne FLIR

OXE Marine Inc.

Trelleborg Sealing Solutions

Vard Marine, Inc.

Sea Foam Sales CO

Raytec Systems Inc.

Travelers Insurance Inc

Spurs Marine Manufacturing Inc

Scurlock Electric LLC

R&M Lumen Electrical Inc

Outfitters International

Transport Products and Service Enterprises, Inc.

Sponge-Jet Inc

Tees White Gill Thrusters

Orttech

Transfluid LLC

Vanuatu Maritime Services Ltd

Scienco/Fast Systems

MTU - A Rolls-Royce solution

R W Fernstrum & Company

Training Resources Ltd: dba Maritime Publishing

Spinlock USA

TECO 2030 INC

OneStep Power Solutions Inc.

Tradesmen International Inc

United Titanium Inc.

Schuyler Companies Inc

Lucas Oil Products

Trac Ecological-Drew Marine

Sperry Marine

Techsol Marine

R M Young Company

TowWorks LLC

Speich S.r.l.

Schottel Inc

Quality Metal Works Inc

On Site Alignment LLC

NAI Latter & Blum

Spears Manufacturing Company

Tech Development

Omnithruster Inc

NAG Marine

Southland Reach Rods

Schoellhorn-Albrecht Machine Company

Motor-Services Hugo Stamp Inc

Nabrico

Southern Thrusters

TEAM Industries Inc.

PYI Inc

Yachtprojects International

Southern Fasteners and Supply, Inc.

Schaefer Electronics Inc.

Omnisense Systems USA

Murray and Associates Naval Architects

South Coast Welding

T-Drill Industries

MMC International Corp

Moxie Media Inc

Soundown Corp

Taylor Devices

Mitsubishi Turbocharger and Engine America, Inc

Naiad Dynamics

Llebroc Industries

Don’t miss your chance to connect with and serve this powerful audience.

MGX Equipment Services

Lippert Livorsi Marine Inc

Solar Boat Shades LLC

International WorkBoat Show attendees spend millions of dollars annually on marine equipment and services, and together represent $2.3 billion in buying power.

Marine Worldwide Corporation

Master Packing & Rubber Company

Andromeda Systems Inc.

Oil States Industries Inc

Total Control Systems

Techcrane

WAGO Corporation Walther Electric Wartsila North America, Inc. Washburn & Doughty Associates Inc Washington Chain & Supply Inc Water Weights Waterline Systems, Inc. Watermakers Inc Waterways Journal Inc (The) Weems & Plath WEG Electric Corp. Weld Mount Systems, an HBFuller Company WESCO | Anixter WESMAR - Western Marine Electronics Western Branch Metals Inc Whiting Door Manufacturing Corp Willard Marine

Thinklogical, a Belden Brand

Wing Group

Thomas USAF

Win-Tron Electronics

Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors LLC

Wooster Hydrostatics Inc

Thordon Bearings Inc Thrustmaster of Texas

Winteb USA Inc.

WPT Power Corporation Yanmar America

Timco Industries Inc

Yates Cylinders

TMS - LevelCom

ZF Marine

Tnemec Company, Inc

Zodiac of North America

Torqeedo

Zyrex Coatings

AT-A-GLANCE

On the Water Towing — Part I

3 BY JOEL MILTON Joel Milton works on towing vessels. He can be reached at joelmilton@ yahoo.com.

-2-1. It has long been a simple way to learn and remember the proper line configuration for a tug towing a barge alongside. There are valid variations, of course, but 3-2-1 remains the proper starting point. Some may say, “Everybody knows that!” But my experience has shown me that, in fact, everybody doesn’t know it. It’s one of the many things about towing that should be universally known and understood but has noticeably slipped over time. I stress the “understood” part because even if a crew has been trained to do it right they may not know exactly why it should be done that way. The “why” is just as important. When towing alongside, there are usually three lines in use. They are, from bow to stern, a head line (three-part); spring line (two part); and a stern line (single part). The spring line may be referred to as the towing spring, towing strap or

Captain’s Table Thoughts on the Jones Act

I BY CAPT. ALAN BERNSTEIN Alan Bernstein, owner of BB Riverboats in Cincinnati, is a licensed master and a former president of the Passenger Vessel Association. He can be reached at 859-292-2449 or abernstein@ bbriverboats.com.

was recently invited to participate in a conference where the pros and cons of the Jones Act was discussed. At first, I didn’t feel I was qualified to speak on the topic, but I changed my mind after doing some research and talking to some Jones Act experts. As I reviewed the long history of the Jones Act, I recalled the many attacks on the law over the years by those seeking to change it. I was also surprised to learn that 81% of the world’s shipping ports have some type of Jones Act equivalent (also known as cabotage laws) to protect against foreign intrusion in a country’s domestic industries. So, we are not alone in trying to protect commerce. The Jones Act is still relevant and important to the U.S. maritime industry and its workers. Why would we want to open the gates to foreign countries to undercut everything we have worked for? Further, we need to manufacture and produce everything we need here in the U.S. I find it disturbing that many of the items we need today are imported from outside the U.S., such as fuel,

shoulder line. The head line should typically be put out as a three-part line. It’s not tremendously complicated but it does take longer, requires more effort, and also requires more seamanship skills. It’s not unreasonable to wonder why you shouldn’t just use a two-part line. Well, because the head line is the most important of the three lines used for maintaining full directional control over the tow. Therefore, the head line is the line you can least afford to break. If you break it, you’re in immediate trouble. And sooner or later you will break a line, so you always want to deliberately make your weakest link something other than the head line. Assuming that the lines are all the same size, strength and physical condition, then a three-part head line is the strongest. Just as important, that third part adds 33% more linear feet of shockload absorber to your head line. Who cares? You might, after encountering the powerful wake of a Staten Island ferry doing 18 knots across the Upper New York Bay on a windy night.

pharmaceuticals, many manufacturing parts, steel, and even agricultural products. The Jones Act has a place and a purpose and needs to remain intact. The Jones Act also protects U.S. shipyards and its workers because the law requires vessels that work in the U.S. coastwise trade to be built in the U.S. The law also ensures our ability to build and man ships in time of war, a critical element in World War II. Can you imagine, without the Jones Act, relying on China or Russia to build or repair our fleet of vessels? National security is an important part of the discussion about the importance of the Jones Act. As a business owner, I have occasionally considered hiring foreign workers to work on our vessels — to bus tables, serve food, and provide galley support — to help address the severe employee shortages. But we all must follow the law and in the long run things will work out. Our industry needs to do everything we can to train and promote U.S. workers. We must start early in students’ lives and stress that there are good jobs in the maritime industry that can provide them with long and fruitful careers. For the aforementioned reasons I support the Jones Act and encourage everyone in our industry to do the same. www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

WorkBoat GOM Indicators FEB. '22 WTI Crude Oil 96.13 Baker Hughes Rig Count 12 IHS OSV Utilization 20.2% U.S. Oil Production (millions bpd) 11.6

Energy Level

APR. '22 105.18 13 21.1% 11.9*

APR. '21 63.50 13 19.2% 10.9

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

GOM Rig Count 4/21 - 4/22

The great crew reassessment 18

BY JIM REDDEN, CORRESPONDENT

14 12

RIGS

he oil and gas industry’s relationship with its workforce has always been complicated with each new cycle drawing its own distinctive moniker. The past few years have brought the “Great Crew Change,” with operators, contractors and service companies fretting over how to replace experienced workers that were retiring. Through it all, in what can best be described as the “Great Crew Drain,” payrolls contracted every time the industry went into one of its periodic downturns. Since early 2021, spurred on by Covid-19, nearly every U.S. business segment has been affected by the so-called “Great Resignation” during which record numbers of workers have quit their jobs. Its notorious record of widespread cyclical layoffs and reputation as a “dirty industry” puts the oil and gas sector well behind the eight-ball when it comes to attracting more socially conscious newbies and retaining existing workers. While the industry’s rapid advancements in automation and digitalization ostensibly should entice younger and more tech-savvy talent, cutting through the underlying headwinds will require a wholesale makeover from the dictatorial-like hierarchy that

MAR. '22 103.29 14 21.1% 11.7*

10 8 6 4 2 0

MONTHS

once personified wellsite operations. “It’s very easy to get excited about digital and tech, but the reality is, none of that is possible without the human connection,” said Evelyn MacLean, workforce energy task force director of UK-based International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP). “While you’re getting excited and immersed in all aspects of the science and the bits and bytes associated with that, think about the attention you’re paying to the human element. All the innovations we’ve made in drilling to automate and digitize will be constrained and curtailed if we don’t secure the workforce needed and if we don’t retain the talent we have.” MacLean spoke during an International Association of Drilling Contrac-

tors (IADC) hybrid tech forum in March in Houston that examined the “Drilling Workforce of the Future.” The IOGP task force was established in 2020 with the aim of developing a blueprint by 2025 that would lead to a “more diverse and inclusive workforce, allowing people to apply their capabilities to help accelerate the energy transition.” A recent Forbes analysis, she said, illustrates the stiff competition the industry faces, especially in attracting tech talent. “The U.S. has over four times more vacancies in artificial intelligence and machine learning jobs than India. We also have the (world’s) largest crew of data scientists, but yet we have the most vacancies. There is a lot of people fishing in the same pool for talent.”

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www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

AT-A-GLANCE

WorkBoat Composite Index Stocks dip 150 points in April

he WorkBoat Composite Index fell 152 points in April, or 4.6%. For the month, losers topped winners by a ratio of more than 7-1. One of the three companies that saw stocks rise in April was drilling contractor Nabors Industries Ltd. In late April, the company reported first quarter 2022 operating revenues of $569

STOCK CHART

million, an increase of approximately 5%, compared to operating revenues of $544 million in the fourth quarter of 2021. Adjusted EBITDA in the first quarter was $131 million. “Our operational execution remains strong, especially in our key markets. Our results reflect minor impacts from disruptions in our operations in Russia,

Source: FinancialContent Inc. www.financialcontent.com

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

3/31/22 410.79 5,012.32 4,178.17 3,333.15 79.96 34,678.35 4,530.41

4/29/22 405.29 4,699.68 4,052.29 3,180.74 74.13 32,977.21 4,131.93

NET CHANGE -5.50 -312.64 -125.88 -152.41 -5.83 -1,701.14 -398.48

PERCENT CHANGE -1.34% -6.24% -3.01% -4.57% -7.29% -4.91% -8.80%

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

Inland Insider Building costs keep barge rates high

T BY PAMELA GLASS Pamela Glass is the Washington, D.C., correspondent for WorkBoat. She reports on the congressional committees and federal agencies that affect the maritime industry, including the Coast Guard, Marad and Army Corps of Engineers.

he high cost of building new barges and the labor to crew tows have been a helpful development for the inland barge industry, keeping barge rates high and preventing an overbuilding of bottoms. After two difficult months this winter when the barge industry was hit hard by the Covid-19 omicron variant that sidelined crews and equipment, demand for barging services is picking up as the U.S. economy rebounds, David Grzebinski, CEO of Kirby Corp., the nation’s largest tank barge operator, said in releasing his company’s first quarter earnings in April. He said barge utilization at Houston-based Kirby shot back up to pre-pandemic levels in the low 90% range in mid-March, with very strong pricing in both the spot and long-term contract markets. “We’ve seen some very good dynamics. Supply and demand are very tight.” The high cost to build equipment due to steel prices has discouraged new construction. At the moment, he said a company would need to charge rates of $10,000 a day to build new barges and get

as well as ongoing challenges to the supply chain. Our global average rig count for the first quarter increased by 10 rigs. This rig count growth was mainly driven by (an) increase in our U.S. drilling activity,” Anthony G. Petrello, Nabors chairman, CEO and president, said during the company’s April 28 earnings call. Nabors quarterly average rig count increased by 12% in the first quarter. Looking forward, Petrello is optimistic. “We surveyed the largest Lower 48 clients at the end of the first quarter. This group accounts for nearly 30% of the working rig count. Our survey indicates an increase in activity of more than 15% for this group by the end of the year. Nearly every operator among these 15 clients plans to increase activity.” The pricing environment, Petrello said, remains bullish. — David Krapf

a 10% return on the investment. Although barging rates are strong, they are below what’s need to justify newbuilds. As a result, “the industry structure is about as good as we’ve seen it in a while on the inland side,” Grzebinski said. A dearth of mariners due to a national labor shortage is also contributing to the tight barge market. “Crewing is tight across the entire industry,” he said. “I think there would be more boats working if they could be crewed. We are seeing labor and wage pressure. The industry is really tight on towboats and that is driving the whole pricing dynamic. We can’t get the crews, whether it’s the ‘Great Resignation’ or whether people have decided that they don’t want to be away from their families by living on a boat, and it puts pressure on the crewing environment and that’s not bad for the price dynamic and rate dynamic for the industry.” Crewing difficulties, he said, have served as a “shock absorber so people don’t go running off to build more equipment. Building new right now just doesn’t make sense.” As the year progresses, Kirby expects a strong market driven by favorable refinery and chemical plant activity, increased barging volumes and minimal new barge construction. Spot market and term contract pricing will continue to improve. www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

AT-A-GLANCE

Insurance Watch Liquor liability

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

e work with many commercial vessels in all types of operations. Passenger vessel operators will often serve wine with a meal or even sell beer during a two-hour day excursion. Depending on your operation, you may want to look into a separate liquor liability policy to cover your business after passengers get off your boat. Standard unendorsed protection and indemnity polices do not exclude liquor claims. This is something that I have heard many times from my underwriters. They tell me the policy is to remain silent on liquor. That means it is not expressly excluded. What we do see occasionally is a sub limit on the liability. This depends on what type of cruise an operator is selling. Is it a booze cruise with all you can drink for two hours? Chances are you will see either a sub limit or an all-out liquor exclusion. Is it a seven-day cruise with wine served at dinner? Chances are your policy will not exclude it.

But what about when passengers step off your boat? You may have limited coverage while they are on the gangway or dock. You can add an extension to the P&I policy to include coverage for this area. You may have coverage while they are walking through a coastal village exploring the town. Insurers can add to extend liability to shore trips included in the normal activities of their cruise. But what about when passengers leave your boat and get into their vehicle and drive off? P&I coverage just ended. A liquor liability policy will fill this potential coverage gap. The scenario is all too familiar. A person consumes too much on a trip, drives off and commits vehicular manslaughter. If you are dragged into the claim, your liquor liability policy will provide coverage for not only any liability placed upon you but also the defense costs. When underwriting vessels where alcohol is served, insurers want to know what type of training crewmembers have in terms of alcohol awareness. Getting crews certified in TIPS alcohol training (Training for Intervention Procedures) is a good start and may help prevent a costly claim.

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www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

AT-A-GLANCE

Legal Talk States, U.S. share jurisdiction

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.

.S. admiralty law is unique in that it provides federal courts with exclusive jurisdiction over many maritime cases. This begs the question: Why are so many maritime claims litigated in state court if the federal courts are supposed to have exclusive jurisdiction? The answer stems from another important provision of statutory law: the “saving-to-suitors” clause. This preserves the right of a litigant to have his maritime suit tried beyond the boundaries of the admiralty jurisdiction of the federal court system and brought in many of the state courts of “inferior jurisdiction.” The saving-to-suitors clause is also important in that it can preserve the right to trial by jury, which is not otherwise available in claims that fall strictly within federal admiralty jurisdiction. But the federal court’s exclusive reach over admiralty claims cannot be avoided in all cases. For example, suits in rem, or against a vessel directly, can only be filed and

tried in federal court before a judge. No right to a jury trial exists in that instance and other distinctly maritime causes of action. In recognizing the importance of reserving admiralty jurisdiction to the federal courts, while at the same time balancing the interests of litigants and their state law remedies, Congress enacted certain safeguards so a party can bring their action in state or federal court. Usually a “9(h)” designation is pled when a party wants its case to be tried only in federal court. Such a designation is generally reserved for claims that involve maritime law issues only, or when a party wants to make sure his suit is decided by a federal judge, even though there might be some basis for the case to proceed before a jury in state or federal court. Other legislation, such as the Jones Act, coupled with the saving-to-suitors clause, enables personal injury plaintiffs to pursue their claims in state or federal court. Seamen have the right to a trial by jury in a Jones Act claim, but they also can limit their cases to a bench trial in federal court by pleading at the outset that the claim is brought “in admiralty” pursuant to rule 9(h).

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

AT-A-GLANCE

Nor’easter Wind advocates buoyant at New Jersey forum

he Biden administration’s headlong dive into developing offshore wind was called a “once in a generation opportunity” by Liz Burdock, president and CEO of the Business Network for Offshore Wind. The $4.37 billion that wind developers paid to obtain leases during the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s New York Bight auction in late February “demonstrates incredible demand and enthusiasm for offshore wind,” BOEM director

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Amanda Lefton said at the network’s April 26-29 International Partnering Forum in Atlantic City, N.J. Meeting that demand will mean working with BY KIRK MOORE, the U.S. DepartCONTRIBUTING ment of Energy EDITOR on permitting and Contributing planning transmisEditor Kirk Moore sion pathways to was a reporter for “put new lease the Asbury Park Press for over areas on the table,” 30 years before said Lefton. joining WorkBoat The sale prices in 2015. He has also been an editor show companies for WorkBoat’s are willing to comsister publication, mit capital to the National Fisherman, for over 25 years. wind enterprise because of the anticipated financial opportunities, “not because there are some pretty colors on a (leasing) map,” quipped Sam Eaton, executive vice president of offshore development in the Americas with RWE Renewables. Eaton’s company, with its venture partner National Grid, paid $1.1 billion to secure one tract southeast of Barnegat Light, N.J. The companies, operating as Bight Wind LLC, beat out five competitors for the tract in 64 hours of frenetic bidding over three days, shattering U.S. records for leasing in federal waters. That sudden escalation in leasing costs has raised some concern in the wind industry. The growing expense of leases will be “non-trivial to (electric) ratepayers,” said Clint Plummer, CEO of Rise Light and Power. Rising costs will create more incentive to make the most out of those expensive lease areas, he said. Inflation, and ramped-up material costs for the next generation of 13- to 15-megawatt turbines that developers want for maximizing efficiency, is a growing concern. Plummer’s company works to convert old fossil fuel energy sites on land to fit into a renewable energy grid. He www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

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AT-A-GLANCE says that’s one way to gain efficiencies that save ratepayers money and help restore local environments. In places like his hometown New York City, “there’s no other way to build largescale renewables in that area.” Three decades of European experience with offshore wind gradually raised efficiency and lowered costs, which presents itself as a roadmap for

U.S. development. But that process required billions of euros invested in key northern European ports since the 1990s, pointed out Joshua Weinstein, vice president and head of offshore development at Invenergy. The U.S. does not yet have the wind power equivalent of the Gulf of Mexico oil and gas hub at Port Fourchon, La.

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But there is progress on that front, said Jane Cohen, who directs New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s Office for Climate Action. The New Jersey Wind Port in Salem County near the head of Delaware Bay is under construction, and Murphy announced in late April that it will be the base for building Ørsted’s Ocean Wind project off Atlantic City. Up the Delaware River at Paulsboro, N.J., steel fabricator EEW is building the turbine tower components. The first monopile arrived in early May. Building the industry has key challenges ahead, panelists said. The U.S. supply chain is being complicated by growing inflation, along with vessel requirements and the “need for more seabed access” with continued BOEM leasing, said David Hardy, president of Ørsted Offshore North America. Hardy and other speakers stressed that the industry’s success will depend on having supply chain work distributed across the U.S., deep into the Midwest and South. If that sounds familiar, it’s the same formula that ensured political success for ambitious national efforts like the late 20th century U.S. space program. “We need to change minds on both sides of the aisle that this isn’t just about green energy,” said Hardy. It can’t just be limited to coastal states, added Laura Beane, president of Vestas North America. Inflation and escalating material costs are on the minds of wind developers and suppliers, and the market has been rattled by reports about wind turbine manufacturers’ financial difficulties. Those companies “struggling to make returns” underscore the wind industry’s need for more cooperative approaches, said Stephen Bull, executive vice president renewables with Aker Solutions. Playing off competitors to get a better deal “cannot continue,” he said. The better approach now is regional cooperation among states, Bull said.

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

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NEWS LOG

Offshore wind advocates acknowledge uncertainty Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm.

News Bitts NTSB opens public docket on Seacor Power

Kirk Moore

o hear wind advocates tell it, prospects have never looked so good for the U.S. offshore wind industry. After its record-setting $4.37 billion sale of wind power leases in the New York Bight, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is setting its sights on offerings off the Carolinas and California. Russia’s war in Ukraine has jolted global energy markets and given new urgency to the Biden administration’s drive to develop renewable power sources. There is a push to develop domestic supply chains for U.S. offshore wind, build U.S-flag vessels to service turbine projects, and plan long term for regional power transmission lines to move their energy, Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said at the Business Network for Offshore Wind’s International Partnering Forum in late April. “We have a long way to go to match the 4,500 turbines dotting the coastline of Europe, but we’ll get there,” Granholm told an audience of hundreds at the conference plenary session in Atlantic City, N.J. “We are on a war footing.” Ending Europe’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels makes offshore wind power “a strategic imperative,” said Kadri Simson, the European Union commissioner for energy. Enlarging the European wind sector while building a supply chain for U.S. offshore will bring “business opportunities on both sides of the Atlantic,” she said. Still, there was an undercurrent of uncertainty at the conference. Inflation and escalating material costs are on the minds of wind developers and suppliers, and the market has been rattled by reports about wind turbine manufacturers’ financial difficulties. Those companies “struggling to make returns” underscore the wind industry’s need for more cooperative approaches, said Stephen Bull, executive vice president renewables with Aker Solutions. Playing off competitors to get a better deal “cannot continue,” he said. The better approach now is regional cooperation among states, Bull said, citing the West Coast and Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina efforts to jointly promote wind development. — Kirk Moore

he National Transportation Safety Board opened the public docket recently on 2021‘s fatal capsizing of the liftboat Seacor Power. In a May 2021 preliminary report, the NTSB said that after Seacor Power left Port Fourchon, La., and was transiting the open waters of the Gulf, a squall passed over the liftboat. The crew decided to lower the liftboat’s legs to the seafloor to hold the vessel in position until the storm passed. The crewmember at the helm attempted to turn the Seacor Power into the wind as the legs began to descend. But before the turn was completed, the liftboat heeled to starboard and capsized. The public docket is available online at https://data.ntsb.gov/ Docket/?NTSBNumber=DCA21MM024

Tidewater completes Swire Pacific purchase

n April, Tidewater Inc., Houston, completed its purchase of Singapore-based Swire Pacific Offshore Holdings Ltd., a subsidiary of Swire Pacific Ltd., for approximately $190 million. The completion of the sale adds 50 vessels to Tidewater’s fleet.

Sub M inspection fees suspended for TSMS

n March 15, the U.S. Coast Guard stopped charging vessel inspection user fees for towing vessels that use the Towing Safety Management System (TSMS) option for documenting Subchapter M compliance. Vessel owners who use the TSMS option and have received an invoice for a period after March 15, should not remit payment to the Coast Guard’s Financial Center (FINCEN). Go to workboat.com/news for the latest commercial marine industry news, or download our mobile app. Search WorkBoat in your app store on your mobile device.

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

FOCUS Mariner Mental Health

Well-Being Depression, anxiety and isolation increased among mariners during the pandemic. By Pamela Glass, Washington Correspondent

he pandemic has not been kind to the mental health of U.S. mariners, including those that work in the inland, coastal and harbor tug sectors. Mariners who have worked nonstop through the pandemic report feeling more depressed, isolated, fearful of becoming sick from Covid-19, worried about their families and finances, and more anxious and stressed than prior to the onset of the pandemic. This has led to poor sleep quality, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and for some, suicidal thoughts. All this on top of an already stressful job environment onboard vessels, and what they perceive as a weak system of support and understanding for their mental health concerns by employers and a lack of access to mental health

Cody Foster

Mariners who have worked nonstop through the pandemic report feeling more depressed, isolated, fearful of becoming sick from Covid-19, worried about their families and finances, and more anxious and stressed than prior to the pandemic, a recent study concluded.

services. These are some of the key findings of a recent study on mariner mental health led by Dr. Marissa Baker at the University of Washington School of Public Health in Seattle, in partnership with the U.S. Committee on the Marine Transportation System Covid-19 Working Group and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

STRESS, ANXIETY Data was collected in an online survey done between Jan. 25, 2021, through July 31, 2021, from 1,559 respondents in all maritime sectors, the majority of whom actively sailed through the pandemic. Respondents were mostly white men between the ages of 25-64, but there were also many female mariners in the group.

Of the total responses, 381 came from mariners working on inland and coastal vessels, harbor tugs and Jones Act vessels. According to the survey, 20% of all respondents had high scores for major depressive disorder, 22% for anxiety, 9% for suicidal ideation, 38% for elevated stress, and 18% for PTSD. Half of respondents had high scores for at least one of the five mental health outcomes measured, the study said, while almost half reported that their mental health got worse during the pandemic, and 26% said their sleep quality worsened. Those having depressive tendencies also have elevated feelings of isolation and anxiety. Many of these conditions are made worse when mariners are denied shore leave, restricted from getting on or off a vessel, are worried about family who were sick with Covid, or have no or limited access to the internet. These feelings are prevalent among respondents working in the inland industry. “About half of respondents in this sector reported a restricted ability to get on and off the vessel, and half reported being worried about being away from family during the pandemic,” Baker said in an interview. “Even for those workers in this sector who may go home at the end of every day, the stress of living and working during the pandemic was apparent.” Women, younger workers and those with certain credentials (cadet, unlicensed engine officer — unlimited, licensed Deck Officer — unlimited tonnage on oceans, and licensed engineer officer. — unlimited horsepower) and in certain industries in the Great Lakes, offshore energy, Military Sealift Command and NOAA, had higher rates of adverse mental health problems. Baker noted that higher rates among women and younger mariners is explained by the fact that they tend to be newer to the pressures of the profession and come from a generation that more freely expresses their feelings. “This emphasizes to me that employers should be ensuring that they are

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

Mariner Mental Health enacting programs and communications targeted to younger mariners and to female mariners,” she said. “Both of these demographics are needed to continue to grow and sustain the industry, so ensuring that everyone feels supported, both during a public health emergency and beyond, is an important consideration.” Overall, mariners said they enjoy their jobs, have enough time to rest or recharge on a vessel, and have someone to talk to if they feel sad or stressed. But despite identifying their mental health challenges, few mariners said they seek help, citing a stigma of admitting these feelings or concerns about their Coast Guard credentials.

COMPANIES SHOULD DO MORE

Capt. Randy Suttles

Many mariners have grown impatient with ongoing pandemic protocols that they must follow to prevent the spread of Covid-19 on their vessels. Some thought the measures were a burden and were not producing true

safety benefits, while others expressed frustration and disappointment in the way their companies were handling safety measures. “I work on tugs and there is no protocol for boarding other than a checklist for symptoms,” one respondent wrote in the survey. “This is like playing Russian roulette. But at least I am working.” Another wrote: “Very disappointed in my company’s unwillingness to make an effort to test our crews before we crew change. Also disappointed how much unnecessary personnel movement and exposure we experience as crews that further raise the risk of Covid-19 transmission.” The study recommends that maritime companies increase efforts to track the mental health of workers, increase and improve communications and training on mental healthcare (talk therapy and medicine), make services more accessible, increase social support for mariners aboard vessels, continue to emphasize the importance of mental health care for maintaining

Overall, mariners said they enjoy their jobs, have enough time to rest or recharge on a vessel, and have someone to talk to if they feel sad or stressed.

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

Coast Guard licenses, and improve experiences for women mariners. The study’s findings could have broad implications for the maritime industry, especially since “we know that injury rates are higher among those with mental health concerns,” Baker told members of the American Waterways Operators (AWO) during a virtual presentation of her study. She told WorkBoat that mariners want assurances from employers that their work routine will return to normal, and she encouraged companies to offer such assurances. “Mariners were concerned that even with the immediate threat of the pandemic had passed, they would still be asked to stay on the vessels and not take any shore leave, or go on longer afloat tours, or have changes to their hours and work days,” Baker said. “Given all the stresses the pandemic has brought, changes in work protocols is another source of stress, so it makes sense that some mariners would want to eliminate the protocols or be frustrated with them as they make it harder to do work aboard the vessel.” Maritime companies should also talk directly to mariners to determine exactly what they need. “Often the employees have very actionable and reasonable ideas that can make a big difference and may not cost a lot of money,” she said. “Our survey showed that in the inland sector, more than half of mariners reported they didn’t receive any information from the company they work for related to mental health. This is another place where employers can intervene, by making sure they are pushing out … guidance tailored to the mariner. Mariners indicated they wanted information on warning signs to look for in coworkers, how to access mental health help, and strategies to cope with stress. “The survey should be the start of ongoing surveillance efforts,” Baker added. “The only way to know if mental health is improving or if programs and communication are working is to survey industry more frequently and regularly.” 23

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ovid-19, worker shortages, and the price of steel curbed the number of inland barge deliveries over the past year. While these same problems effected shipyards throughout the U.S., WorkBoat’s 2020-2021 Construction Survey released in October recorded 84 barges contracted, underway or delivered, an improvement over 2019-2020’s 33. (WorkBoat’s survey does not include inland barge construction.)

SPECIALTY BARGES

Conrad Shipyard LLC, Morgan City, La., was awarded a $140 million contract in March from the Navy for the design and construction of up to eight 151'×49'×14' yard, repair, berthing and messing (YRBM) barges. A YRBM barge provides a temporary home away from home and workplace for service men and women whose vessels are in port for repairs and/or maintenance. Conrad’s YRBMs incorporate func24

tional spaces which are designed to allow the sailors to work, sleep and eat comfortably. The fixed-price contract has a potential value of over $140 million. The YRBM barge is an American Bureau of Shipping A1 accommodation barge that provides pier-side living accommodations capable of berthing 199 mixed gender personnel, messing for 300, and space for medical offices, classrooms, workspaces, laundry rooms, storerooms, and lounge areas. Conrad expects to deliver the first YRBM barge to the Navy in late 2023. If the Navy exercises options for the additional barges, peak production is expected to occur from 2023 through 2025. “We are excited to enter into this partnership with the Navy to help modernize its fleet,” Conrad Shipyard CEO Johnny Conrad said in March. “Not only will this contract provide an abundance of jobs for our workforce in the Morgan City area, but it will also help to support a multitude of small

businesses.” Late last year, Bollinger Shipyards LLC delivered the 400'×100' ocean transport barge Holland to General Dynamics-Electric Boat’s Groton Shipyard. The Holland will support the construction and maintenance of the Navy’s Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines and Virginia-class fast attack submarines. General DynamicsElectric Boat is the prime contractor on the design and construction of the Columbia-class submarine, which will replace the aging Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines and is a top strategic defense priority for the U.S. In November 2019, General Dynamics-Electric Boat selected Bollinger to build the Holland. The concept and contract design were handled by the Bristol Harbor Group, Bristol, R.I., while Bollinger performed the detail design engineering at its Lockport, La., facility, and construction at the Bollinger Marine Fabrication facility in Amelia, La. The Columbia-class is now being built at Electric Boat’s Quonset Point, R.I., manufacturing facility. Shipyard personnel will construct and outfit Columbia modules at Quonset Point which will then be transported by the Holland to the company’s final test and assembly facility in Groton. The first Columbia module is expected to arrive in Groton in 2023. Demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the maritime sector is growing rapidly. Over the next several years, it’s estimated that 400 new vessels utilizing LNG are expected enter service. Many believe LNG is the leading solution to fuel the maritime sector as the industry advances its sustainability goals through a transition to lower carbon fuels. LNG is a process through which

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

Polaris New Energy

Barges

New LNG ATB consists of the 4,000-hp tug Polaris and the 340' barge Clean Canaveral.

Northstar’s capabilities to manage the last-mile logistics of LNG safely and effectively across the U.S. coastline.” McAllister Towing LNG Services LLC is operating the ATB Polaris/ Clean Canaveral for Polaris New Energy. The 4,000-hp tug Polaris is fitted with a JAK-400 coupling system and was built at Master Boat Builders Inc. In addition to those bunker barges, Bay Shipbuilding is constructing the largest LNG bunkering barge ever built in the U.S. for Crowley. The 416' barge is expected to be completed in late 2023. Crowley will operate the vessel under a long-term charter with Shell NA LNG LLC. The barge, which will have a capacity of 12,000 m3 (3.17 million gals.) of LNG, will be the largest Jones Actcompliant vessel of its kind, and the second Jones Act-compliant bunker barge Shell has under time charter in the U.S. Serving the U.S. East Coast, it will be used to help expand current LNG network capacity and meet demands

Maersk Supply Service

natural gas is cooled to a liquid state and reduced in volume by nearly 600%, which makes it easier and safer to transport. Bunkering barges either transport the gas to locations where it can be returned to a gaseous state for energy, or it can be used to refuel other vessels which use LNG. In Wisconsin, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding delivered the 340'×66'×32'10" LNG bunkering barge, Clean Canaveral, to Polaris New Energy six months ago. Bay Shipbuilding is the main commercial business unit of Fincantieri Marine Group in the U.S. One month earlier, the shipyard was awarded a contract from PNE Marine Holdings, an affiliate of Polaris New Energy, to build a second 5,500-cu.-meter LNG bunker barge. Polaris New Energy is the marine bunkering subsidiary of Seaside LNG Holdings, a subsidiary of Northstar Holdco Energy focused on the production and delivery of LNG as a clean transportation fuel. The new ATB barge, a sister vessel to the Clean Canaveral, will join Northstar Holdco’s growing fleet that delivers LNG to cruise ships, container vessels, bulk carriers, car carriers, and tankers. The 5,500-cu.-meter ATB will be fitted with four 1,375 CBM IMO Type C tanks. It will utilize a cargo handling system designed and developed by Wärtsilä. “LNG is recognized as a clean, dependable and competitively priced fuel for the shipping industry,” Tim Casey, senior vice president LNG for Northstar, said when the contract was announced. “The completion of this sister vessel to the Clean Canaveral further distinguishes

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

for cleaner energy sources for ships. Kirby Corp. announced in late March that it was getting in on the offshore wind industry gold rush by signing an agreement for its wholly owned subsidiary, Kirby Offshore Wind, to provide barge transportation services for offshore wind towers and turbines to Maersk Supply Service. Maersk has been selected by Empire Offshore Wind, a joint venture between Equinor and BP, as the installation contractor for the project off the coast of New York. Kirby’s deal with Maersk represents a 20-year framework agreement. Kirby will provide the Jones Actcompliant feeder barges and tugs that will transport the wind towers and turbines from New York’s South Brooklyn Marine Terminal to a specialized Maersk wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV). Kirby will be investing $80 million to $100 million in two new ABSclassed feeder barge and dieselelectric hybrid tugboat units which will be constructed in U.S. shipyards. Each feeder barge will transport nextgeneration turbines of 15 megawatts and higher as turbine technology advances. Additional information about the tugs and barges had yet to be disclosed as WorkBoat went to press. Kirby’s offshore marine facility in Staten Island, N.Y., as well as its marine headquarters in Houston, will be the base of operations for the company’s offshore wind activities.

Maersk and Kirby will install offshore wind turbines for New York wind farms.

ON THE WAYS CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT WORKBOAT YARDS

Maersk Supply Service

Maersk installation vessel for waters off N.Y. will be built in Singapore

The WTIV for Empire Wind will feature jacking units, a load transfer system and crane from offshore crane manufacturer NOV.

wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) to be built in Singapore will be teamed with U.S.-built tugs and barges to install the Empire Wind offshore turbine project outside New York Harbor, according to wind developers Equinor and BP, and Maersk Supply Service. Copenhagen-based Maersk said it’s been developing a design concept since 2019 with “unique feeder capabilities” to make its WTIV 30% more efficient than using other jackup vessels. Without any U.S.-flag installation vessels built yet, offshore wind developers are expected to rely on the feeder model — using Jones Act-compliant tugs and barges to carry wind turbine components out to foreign-flag WTIVs at sea. With its improved handling design, the Maersk WTIV may be better equipped to tackle tricky transfers of heavy turbine tower parts. Maersk said its installation concept includes a novel WTIV design “with a patented load transfer system that will enable safe transfer of cargo.’ The concept will utilize two new tugs and barges to transport wind turbine components out to the installation 26

site, while the wind installation vessel itself will remain on location to carry out successive installations. SembCorp Marine, Singapore, will build the WTIV with a steel-cutting ceremony set for the fourth quarter, according to Maersk. The vessel’s jacking units, load transfer system and crane will be provided by Houston-based offshore crane manufacturer NOV Inc., while ABS is supporting the design work. Maersk expects it will deliver the vessel into U.S. waters in 2025. Meanwhile, Jones Act-compliant tugs and barges will be built in the U.S. by Kirby Offshore Wind — in the “feeder barge” model that’s to be used, pending arrival of new U.S.-built WTIVs into the market. “The newbuilt tugs and barges will further create employment opportunities for U.S. citizens — both during the vessel construction phase and the subsequent operations for Equinor and BP,” according to Maersk. According to a Department of Energy report, WTIVs are self-powered vessels with jackup capabilities, purpose-built for offshore wind farm installation and O&M activities. www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

ON THE WAYS New 98'6" tug is working in Texas.

Master Boat Builders

They are typically 295' or more in length, with a beam of 130' or more. The most modern of these vessels are designed with the capability to transport as many as 10 complete wind turbines, although a move beyond the current 5-6 MW turbine size in the future would stretch the storage capabilities of even the largest contemporary WTIV, such as the A2Sea’s Sea Installer, which measures 430'×130'. Next generation 10-MW turbines will have blades in excess of 260' and tower heights of close to 330'. Specifications for Kirby’s feeder barges and tugs, and the shipyard or yards that will build them, have not been released. — Kirk Moore

ing modes with the push of a button. A tug in transit can minimize enA vessel can2309 runison main new, engines ergymodel. consumption and eliminate main The Multi Cat Damen’s midrange CTV only, gensets only, or a combination of engine wear by running on a single the two, optimizing energy use across generator set. In hybrid mode, power the entire operating profile. is balanced between the diesel engines

Master Boat Builders delivers 5,100-hp harbor tug to Seabulk

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

Fourth Heritage-class 360'x54' offshore patrol cutter for the Coast Guard. Eastern Shipbuilding Group

he 98'6"×43'×17'6" Spartan, the latest high-power tug to join the Seabulk fleet, adds to a growing list of vessels featuring the fully integrated hybrid propulsion plant from Berg Propulsion. Already operational at Port Arthur, Texas, following delivery by Master Boat Builders, the Robert Allandesigned RApport 3000 vessel, which has an 18'6" draft, is the first of two 90-ton bollard pull tugs using this latest Berg package, with the second due in service in the third quarter. In addition to Berg MTA 628 azimuthing thrusters, Berg VS3 variable frequency drives with motors, and its own hybrid control system, Berg’s design, supply, and integration includes the switchboard with full power management plus control of the tug’s twin Caterpillar 3512E Tier 4 (2,550 hp) main engines and its gensets — two Cat C18s and one C7.1. The propulsion package gives the Spartan a running speed of 12.6 knots. Berg’s hybrid electric propulsion system includes high levels of redundancy for safety as well as the ability to switch seamlessly between operat-

BOATBUILDING BITTS

astern Shipbuilding Group Inc. (ESG) announced in April that the Coast Guard awarded ESG a contract to begin construction of the fourth Heritage-class offshore patrol cutter (OPC), the future Coast Guard cutter Rush (WMSM 918). Eastern’s design of the 360’x54’ OPC includes a draft of 17’, speed in excess of 22 knots, a range of 10,200 nautical miles (at 14 knots), endurance for 60-day patrol cycles, carrying capabilities for an MH-60R or MH-65 helicopter, and three over-the-horizon (OTH) cutter boats. OPC’s missions include law enforcement, drug and migrant interdiction, search and rescue, and other homeland security and defense operations. Each OPC will feature a flight deck and advanced command, control, communications, computers,

intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance equipment. On April 1, Burger Boat Co. rolled over the hull of the Neebish Islander III so the next phase of construction could proceed. The 92'x33' passenger/vehicle ferry will be servicing traffic to and from Neebish Island in the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the Eastern Upper Peninsula Transit Authority. The new Coast Guard-certified, Subchapter T Neebish Islander III will have a 7'4" draft. Designed by Seacraft Design LLC, Sturgeon Bay, Wis., the U.S.-made steel ferry will operate year-round on the St. Mary’s River in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula between Barbeau, Mich., and Neebish Island. The ferry was designed to operate in the harsh winter environment and through the solid ice conditions that it will encounter on its route. Main propulsion will come from a pair of Tier 3 Caterpillar C18 diesel engines, producing 600 hp at 1,800 rpm each. The propulsion package will give the ferry a running speed of approximately 10 knots with a full load. Fuel capacity is 1,500 gals. The Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, awarded an $8.4 million contract to Cleveland-based Great Lakes

ON THE WAYS

Conrad Shipyard

Silver Ships

Towing in April for lease of 28' RIB for NOAA is powered by the tugboat Don Raul to serve twin Mercury SeaPro 115-hp on the Great Lakes. The Don outboards. Raul is a 74', 2,800-hp, twinscrew seagoing tug, built by Great Lakes Shipyard in 2008. The tug will primarily be used on Lake Erie between Buffalo, N.Y. and Toledo, Ohio, but may serve all the way to Massena, N.Y., towing the Buffalo District’s repair fleet. The delivery of Athena, its fourth and most fleet is one of three strategipowerful Tier 4 ship assist and harbor cally located across the Great Lakes, escort tug. The 77’ tug is compact in size providing a flexible, rapid response for but does not sacrifice power, offering maintenance at U.S. harbors and along the most bollard pull for a tug under the nation’s shorelines. 80' in the market, according to Crowley Conrad Shipyard LLC, Morgan City, officials. The vessel operates on a pair La., announced in April that it was awarded a contract by the Army Corps of of 3,400-hp Caterpillar Marine 3516 Tier 4-compliant engines. This results Engineers for the design and construction of two CELRE Detroit ice-class tugs. in lower greenhouse gas emissions while achieving a power output of The vessels will provide mobilization of nearly 6,800 hp and 96 tons of bollard various pieces of floating equipment on pull. Serving the Pacific Northwest out the St. Mary’s River, upper Great Lakes, of Puget Sound, Wash., Athena, built and Soo Harbor, as well as breaking by Diversified Marine Inc., Portland, ice up to 12" thick and performing ice Ore., and chartered from Brusco Tug & scraping operations at the St. Mary’s Falls Canal. The 76'x25'x10'8.5" tugs will Barge, Longview, Wash., complies with EPA Tier 4 pollution control technolbe diesel powered, twin screw, open ogy criteria. The vessel is outfitted with wheel, with 1,600 hp and have deckremote monitoring for increased vessel houses with galley/mess, berths, and efficiency and data interchange. sanitary facilities for a crew of three. Silver Ships Inc., Theodore, Ala., reThe tugs are ABS classed as Maltese cently delivered a customized Ambar Cross A-1 Towing Vessels, Ice class C0, series 28' RIB to the National Oceanic Great Lakes Service with Maltese Cross and Atmospheric Administration. The AMS. Each vessel will also comply with NOAA vessel is a custom-built AmSubchapter M requirements. bar six-meter (AM600), designed to Crowley Maritime Corp. has taken be operated from NOAA oceangoing ships. At just The 76' ice-class tugs will operate on the under 28' (with a hull length Great Lakes. of 20'5") with an 8'10" beam and 22" draft, the RIB is powered by twin Mercury SeaPro 115-hp outboards. The boat also features an 80-gal. fuel tank, a trailer, and a boat cradle for deck storage to meet NOAA’s needs.

and electrical motors to optimize fuel consumption, maneuvering response, and bollard performance. “During the first weeks in operation, Spartan has been living up to the promises made for hybrid propulsion vessels,” Daniel Thorogood, president and CEO, Seabulk, said in a statement. “Seabulk’s commitment to improving the sustainability of its operations is represented by its investment in a new generation of vessels whose flexibility is proving that hybrid tug technology is our choice for the future.” On deck is a JonRie Intertech hawser winch, series 225, with a line pull of 25 tons at 100 fpm, 300-ton brake capacity, and 600' of 8" Saturn 12 HMPE rope. There are also two Viking 10-man life rafts. The propulsion package, installation of which was managed at the yard by Berg’s distributor and partner in the area, Thompson Marine, is the most advanced hybrid electric package ever delivered by Berg Propulsion, the company said. “Thompson Marine managed the details from the earliest design phase through sea trials together with Master Boat Builders, Seabulk, Berg Propulsion and Caterpillar,” said Richard Tremayne, marine business manager, Thompson Marine. “This delivery sets down a marker that with the right team in place, the sustainability and performance benefits of advanced hybrid electric propulsion are available to all.” Spartan is ABS classed, Maltese Cross A1, Towing Service, Escort Vessel, AMS, UWILD. Tankage includes 47,679 gals. of fuel; 5,087 gals. fresh water; 243 gals. main engine lube oil; and 236 gals. gear oil. “This has been a landmark delivery for Master Boat Builders in next generation tug construction,” said Garrett Rice, the shipyard’s president, “and we look forward to completing work on the second of these innovative Seabulk tugboats later this year.” — Ken Hocke www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

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COVER STORY Yearbook

YEARBOOK

he big story in the last 12 months was once again the coronavirus pandemic. At many shipyards, business has stayed steady despite the lingering effects from the pandemic (see below). Inland barge operations are returning to normal as cargo shipments rebound (see page 31). Tug operators continue to build innovative vessels (see page 34). The passenger vessel industry is finally looking forward to a strong season (see page 36). The offshore energy industry is seeing demand and commodity prices increase (see page 38).

Shipyard owners embrace change By Ken Hocke, Senior Editor

e’ve all heard the phrase, “You have to spend money to make money.” Over the past year, shipyard owners seem to have taken those words to heart. Many boatbuilders are expanding their facilities, moving to new digs, or opening additional locations — trying to land that next big contract and the one after that. In early 2022, Russell T. “Bubba” Steiner moved into his new Bayou La Batre, Ala., shipyard, Steiner Con30

struction, a piece of land that used to be a part of Horizon Shipyard before it was sold to Metal Shark in 2018. The new yard gives Steiner increased capacity. Steiner said the old yard became too crowded. “This yard will give us more room to build more boats.”

MORE WATERFRONT

Austal USA, Mobile, Ala., has been building aluminum fast warships for the Navy for two decades. From its humble beginnings in the late 1990s, the yard has blossomed into a world-class shipbuilder, primarily from two Navy contracts — the 421'6"×103.7' Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS)

and the 338'×93'×12' expeditionary fast transport (EPF) vessel. Today, those ships are built at Austal USA’s 700,000-sq.-ft. module manufacturing facility (MMF), a modern, hyper-technological facility with a production line that produces a ship that’s 85% finished when it completes its trip across the building. Following the acquisition of additional waterfront property along the Mobile River in 2020, Austal USA established a ship repair facility, a first for Austal, that received an immediate positive response and came with a 692'×122', 20,000-ton certified Panamax-class floating drydock. “Almost immediately after word got

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

out that Austal USA had purchased the additional waterfront property, we were inundated with calls from commercial captains looking to return to Mobile to have their ships serviced,” Mike Bell, the shipyard’s senior vice president of operations, said earlier this year. In addition to the drydock, Austal’s acquisition included 15 acres of waterfront property spanning almost 3,000 linear feet of waterfront pier space, a 300,000-sq.-ft. outside fabrication area, and 100,000 sq. ft. of covered fabrication facilities — all just 30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Another first took place last year when Austal USA broke ground on its $100 million steel production assembly line facility right next to its aluminum MMF. The steel building opened in April. The addition of steel capability is designed to keep Austal USA as a major contributor to the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base, the shipyard said. In October, the Navy awarded Austal USA a $144 million, two-ship towing, salvage, and rescue ship (T-ATS) detailed design and construction contract. The contract award marks the first new steel ship construction program for the shipyard. “We’ll be the only shipyard that can build aluminum and steel combatants,” said Bell.

OTHERS EXPAND

Fincantieri Marine Repair welcomed its first commercial customer to its new location in downtown Jacksonville, Fla., in January, marking the start of operations in northeast Florida. The new yard is designed to provide repair and maintenance services to military, commercial, and large private vessels on the East Coast. The first customer is special to any business, but in this case there is more to it: the first vessel was the LNG barge Clean Canaveral, which was built by another Fincantieri shipyard, Bay Shipbuilding, in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. The team at Fincantieri Marine Repair provided testing and trials for the Clean Canaveral. Willard Marine Inc., Anaheim, Calif., a builder of composite and

Doug Stewart

Yearbook

Austal’s new $100 million steel module manufacturing facility opened in April.

aluminum boats, expanded its East Coast operations and relocated to Chesapeake, Va., from nearby Virginia Beach earlier this year. The new Chesapeake facility has waterfront access and provides additional production capacity to meet anticipated growth, along with an increased ability to produce metal boats. Willard’s Mid-Atlantic location provides shorter delivery distances and faster repair times for East Coast military and commercial customers. “The move of our East Coast facility to our new location will allow us to have a total capacity of 14,400 square feet,” Willard’s director of manufacturing, Joe Nangle, said. “This will increase our service capacity and expand our metal boat production capabilities.” Willard opened its Virginia Beach location in 2010. Everett Ship Repair LLC’s expansion plans continued with the purchase of a second drydock and a crane barge in March. ESR purchased the drydock Zidell 220, renaming it the Emerald Lifter, in tribute to Puget Sound, also known as the Emerald Sea. The drydock, which has been relocated to ESR’s facility in Port of Everett, Wash., has a lifting capacity of 2,000 tons and working deck area of 220'×62'. ESR also brought in a 150-ton LinkBelt LS518 lattice boom crawler crane with 150' boom and has positioned the

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

crane on a 180'×49' barge, which will service both drydocks. Currently ESR owns and operates the Faithful Servant, a 430'×110', 8,000-ton capacity drydock. With the acquisition of the Emerald Lifter, ESR can now provide services to both the commercial and government market segments with a focus on tugboats, fishing vessels and other workboats.

Inland waterways operators stay busy By Pamela Glass, Washington Correspondent

fter two difficult years, operations on the inland waterways have moved toward normality over the past year. Cargo shipments have rebounded, Covid protocols have been integrated more smoothly into daily operations, and major infusions of federal funds for lock and dam improvements coupled with new opportunities in the offshore wind sector have given tug and barge operators hope for the future. Yet the pandemic has taken its toll, as mariners reported more stress, anxiety and depression, and the industry faced labor shortages and supply chain disruptions. Shifts in the energy market 31

Doug Stewart

COVER STORY Yearbook bill “provides about $2 billion more in funding than the last significant infrastructure funding package that was passed in 2009.” Calhoun said the focus now shifts to making sure the money is spent as intended to finish the Kentucky Lock on the Tennessee River, Montgomery Lock on the Ohio River, a new 1,200' lock at Lock and Dam 25 on the Mississippi River, the Three Rivers project on the Arkansas River, and the T.J. O’Brien lock major rehabilitation on the Little Calumet River near Chicago. In total, the bill fully funds five of the 15 backlogged priority projects on the inland system, the same number that has been funded to completion in the last 13 years.

Kirby’s 3,000-hp towboat Betty Brent on the Atchafalaya River.

also forced some operators to reassess coal transport, attacks against the Jones Act revved up, and the inland barge market has most recently begun to feel the effects of the ongoing war in the Ukraine. By far the biggest positive development for the waterways has been the $2.5 billion of full federal funding for inland waterways project construction that was included in the massive infrastructure package approved by Congress and signed by President Biden in November. Combined with

EVK WATER LUBRICATED SHAFT SEAL

full annual appropriations, over the next five years a total of $4 billion will flow to inland waterways construction and major rehabilitation projects that should improve efficient transport of barged cargo on the waterways. “This is a unique and historic opportunity to see significant infrastructure modernization come to the inland system,” said Debra Calhoun, senior vice president for the Waterways Council Inc., an industry-backed group that advocates for waterways funding. Money in the infrastructure

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COVID EFFECTS The national labor shortage hit the barge industry hard in the last year, making it challenging for operators to attract and retain workers and making many companies skittish about imposing vaccination mandates that might scare away potential recruits or push existing employees to quit. Companies got creative with incentives to encourage vaccination and hiring. Wages for many positions were increased at a time when increases weren’t financially justified for many

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www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

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COVER STORY Yearbook companies. Meanwhile, some offered financial incentives or prizes for workers who received Covid-19 immunizations while others adopted new hiring policies of not adding new workers or giving promotions to existing mariners who were unvaccinated. As Austin Golding of Golding Barge Line, Vicksburg, Miss., put it: “You have to have a jab to get a job.” During the pandemic, cargo movements on the inland waterways were generally down especially in the energy sector as demand for fuels plummeted. But energy product movements in the tank barge sector have improved over the past year as domestic and international economies reopened and demand rekindled. A bright spot during the pandemic has been strong demand for barging agricultural products like corn and soybeans, and this is expected to continue as U.S. farmers plan record soybean plantings this spring. The economic fallout from the pandemic has provided further encouragement for barge lines to diversify their businesses. Houston, Pa.-based barge operator Campbell Transportation, for example, recently acquired the marine assets of E Squared Marine Service LLC in a deal that includes its towboat and tank barge fleets as well as its barge fleeting operation in the Houston, Texas, area. According to its website, E Squared Navy yard tug (YT) 809. Part of the YT 808-class built by Dakota Creek Industries, the sixth of the series was delivered in March.

has a fleet of six towboats, eight 10,000-bbl. and 16 30,000-bbl. tank barges. Campbell, which owns and manages coal and other barges on the rivers in western Pennsylvania, said this was part of the company’s “strategic plan to grow by diversifying and expanding its current business into new and growing markets,” namely tank barge operations. The wild card of the moment is what effect the war in Ukraine will have on the U.S. barge market. Some impacts have already been felt. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Grain Transportation Report said that barge rates have skyrocketed in response to the war and a tight supply of barges, caused largely by high water on the Ohio and Lower Mississippi rivers, which has led to a 12% to 16% drop in the number of barges upriver. “The war may amplify pressures on an already tight barge supply, as global consumers turn to U.S. grain and other commodities to fill voids left by Russia and Ukraine,” the USDA said, noting that grain shippers are already competing with other commodities such as coal and energy products for available barges. Barging might also benefit in an uptick in demand for export coal as the global market seeks substitutes for Russian coal, according to River Transport News. Imports of dry cargo

commodities through the Lower Mississippi River could also experience a steep decline in volume over the coming months for products like ferrous raw materials and fertilizers that come from Russia and Ukraine. Despite such market uncertainties, many barge lines are seeing new opportunities in the fast growing domestic offshore wind sector. Plans are proceeding at a fast clip to build out wind farms off many areas of the East Coast, and barge companies are poised to enter this emerging market providing vessels to service construction and maintenance of turbines and other related maritime services. In April, Houston-based Kirby Corp., the nation’s leading tank barge operator, announced an agreement with Maersk Supply Service to supply coastal barging services for construction of offshore wind turbines for the Empire Offshore Wind project off New York. Kirby plans to spend between $80 million and $100 million to acquire two new feeder barges and tugboats. “Offshore wind in the U.S. has tremendous potential for significant growth during this decade and beyond,” Christian O’Neil, Kirby’s president of marine transportation, said in a statement announcing the deal. “As a leading provider of Jones Act compliant barge services in the U.S. coastal trade, Kirby’s participation in the development and support of the offshore wind industry is critical to our future.”

Innovative tug designs continue to be introduced By Bruce Buls, Editor-at-large

Brent Morrison

f you think YTB stands for YouTube, you’re reading the wrong magazine. Here in the workboat world, YTB means “yard tug boat” or “yard tug big.” It’s a designation that applies to Navy tugs whose mission

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

is to maneuver ships and submarines in close quarters, tow barges, transfer personnel and fight fires. In the 1960s and ‘70s, a variety of U.S. shipyards built about 75 of the 109'×29' single-screw Natick-class YTBs with 2,000-hp engines. For the past 20 years or so, the Navy has been replacing these old yard tugs with commercially chartered vessels as well as a new class of Navy vessel to perform these same functions. Between 2009 and 2011, J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding, Tacoma, Wash., built six YT 802-class tugs for the Navy designed by Robert Allan Ltd. (RAL), Vancouver, British Columbia. Now the Navy has six more of these tugs — the YT 808-class, built by Dakota Creek Industries, Anacortes, Wash. The sixth of the series was delivered in March. The hulls are the same 90'×38' Z-Tech 4500 design as the 802-class and also have a pair of Caterpillar 3512E engines (1,810 hp each), but now with selective catalytic reduction to meet Tier 4 emissions requirements. With Twin Disc gears and Schottel Z-drives, the new tugs have a free running speed of 12 knots and a bollard pull of 40 short tons, same as the 802s. JonRie supplied hydraulic hawser winches for both series. Dakota Creek won the $84 million contract over 14 other yards. Five of the new tugs will stay in the Pacific Northwest and one was barged back to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.

Crowley Maritime

Yearbook

The 77’ Athena has a pair of 3,400-hp Caterpillar 3516 Tier 4 engines.

MORE PROJECTS Robert Allan also designed the Athena, a recently delivered ship-assist tug, for Brusco Tug & Barge, Longview, Wash., which chartered the tug to Crowley Maritime. The 77' tug is a sister vessel to the Hercules and Apollo (also chartered by Crowley), but with a pair of 3,400-hp Caterpillar 3516 Tier 4 engines, it has an additional 400 hp and a bollard pull of 96 tons, making it “the most powerful tug for its size in the U.S.,” according to Crowley. The Athena, like her two sisters, Hercules and Apollo, was built by Diversified Marine, Portland, Ore. The tug is also outfitted with remote monitoring for data interchange with the home office. It was assigned to Puget Sound operations.

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Crowley Engineering Services is currently overseeing the construction of the eWolf, the first fully electric ship-assist tug in the U.S. The decarbonized vessel (except for two 300-kW generators for long transit) was designed by Crowley’s naval architecture and marine engineering team, formerly Jensen Maritime Consultants. The 82'×40' harbor tug is being built by Master Boat Builders at its shipyard in Coden, Ala. With two 1,800-kW motors and 6 MWh of battery storage, the twin Z-drive tug will provide 70 short tons of bollard pull. It’s expected to go into service at the Port of San Diego in mid-2023. Crowley said the eWolf embodies the company’s dedication to sustainability, which includes a goal of net-zero emissions “across all

W W W. G E N O A D E S I G N . C O M 35

COVER STORY Yearbook scopes” by 2050. In March, Master Boat Builders completed the Spartan, the first of two hybrid diesel-electric tugs for Seabulk, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Designed by Robert Allan, the 98'×43' hybrid features a propulsion system provided by Thompson Tractor with two Tier 4 Caterpillar 3512E main engines (2,550 hp each), three Cat generators, two Berg azimuth thrusters, and two ABB electric motors and variable frequency drives. Master Boat has also teamed up with Robert Allan on the design of a new hybrid model called the ElectRA 3000-H. The hybrid will incorporate up to 2,000 kWh of batteries, a boosted bollard pull of 80 MT and a continuous bollard pull of about 65 MT. RAL has also developed other variations of the ElectRA series that can operate on batteries only, such as the ElectRA 2800 harbor tugs being

built in Turkey for an LNG export terminal in British Columbia. The 28-meter (92') tugs will have up to 6,102 kWh of battery capacity and produce about 70 MT of bollard pull. The new LNG terminal will also be serviced by a new class of RAstar 4000-DF escort tugs operating on dual-fuel (LNG and diesel) engines. The 40-meter (131') tugs will provide 100 MT of bollard pull. The new tugs will be operated by HaiSea Marine, a joint venture between Haisla First Nation and Seaspan ULC. LNG Canada’s $17 billion export facility, the largest private sector investment in Canadian history, is expected to open in 2025. Last November, RAL announced a partnership with Svitzer, a Danish company that provides marine services worldwide, to develop a new generation of tugs powered by methanol fuel cells. As a subsidiary of Maersk, Svitzer’s participation will be a pilot

project that will “allow for the transfer of knowledge and experience from the small scale of inshore tug operations to oceangoing containerships.”

Passenger vessels are prepared for a big season By Dale DuPont, Correspondent

he Boat Company Ltd. has very patient passengers. When Covid-19 hit, the operator shut down for two years because its two boats carry only 20-24 on overnight eco-cruises in Southeast Alaska. People who had their cruises canceled got refunds and first right of refusal on future trips. Thus, this season “the majority of our bookings are clients that have been waiting” for a while, said

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GLADDING-HEARN SHIPBUILDING

Duclos Corporation gladding-hearn.com

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

The Boat Company

Yearbook

The 145’x28’ Liseron was built in 1952 in Seattle, sold to France as a minesweeper, and then purchased and restored in 1989 by The Boat Company. The 900-hp vessel has a draft of 8’6”, and room for 20 passengers and 12 crew.

Hunter McIntosh, president of the Poulsbo, Wash., company. Bookings are at pre-Covid levels. “We’re putting people on wait lists. If we get a cancellation, we’re able to fill a cabin the same day.” While the pent-up demand is welcome, passenger vessel operators are still dealing with a raft of issues the pandemic made more difficult such as skyrocketing fuel costs – some of which are passed on in surcharges or higher ticket prices, menu changes when food isn’t available or simply costs too much, and new sanitation protocols. Hardest hit of all workboat sectors, passenger vessel operators also have been frustrated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) order requiring passengers to wear masks inside vessels except when eating or drinking. Hopes for an early end to the edict – in effect since February 2021 – were crushed in mid-April when the agency extended it until at least May 3, because it was monitoring the spread of a Covid subvariant. Then a few days later, a federal judge ended the mandate, saying that the CDC exceeded its authority. Further legal action was expected. Mandates have been lifted in most public places, and the CDC’s order “is resented and resisted by most individuals who come on board,” Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) president Bob Bijur wrote to the CDC in late March. Crewmembers who remind passengers of the requirement “are met with refusal, resistance, and, not infrequently, outright hostility. Widespread non-compliance with the rule is the norm, despite best efforts of vessel operators.”

CREWMEMBERS NEEDED But there’s one challenge that trumps the others. Finding crew “is probably the most perplexing scenario our entire industry is facing,” McIntosh said. In the past two years, it seems an entire generation of crew has disappeared. People have retired or changed jobs. Seasonal operators trying to ramp up for the summer “have www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

big hurdles to jump,” with only 30%-40% of the crew they need, said Bijur, who’s with Island Queen Cruises & Tours/ Biscayne Lady Yacht Charters, Miami. Everyone wants more time off, more benefits and more pay. Covid has produced a different attitude in the workplace, Bijur said. And “licensed and credentialed people are always a challenge.” Some operators are coping by not opening certain dining rooms or running fewer trips at lower capacity to give a higher level of service to those onboard. On the bright side, passengers in general have come back, and Bijur estimates that Covid’s nearly nonexistent corporate business is at 65%-85% of pre-Covid levels. And the return of the huge foreign-flag cruise ships to areas like Florida and Alaska could once again provide more patrons for local U.S.-flag tour boats. Domestic tourists helped Shipwreck Tours, Munising, Mich., which is celebrating its 30th anniversary exploring Lake Superior’s sunken treasures from May to the end of September. “We’re in an unusual situation. When Covid struck and people couldn’t go overseas, we had a large influx of tourism,” said owner Capt. Peter Lindquist. The company operated at 50% of capacity and complied with all the pandemic’s rules. And business was still up about 50%. “Now, the question is

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COVER STORY Yearbook

what’s going to happen this year.” He’s optimistic. This past year also saw the delivery of several new commuter ferries, including New York Harbor operator Seastreak’s 720-passenger, 157'×40' Courageous, built by Midship Marine, Harvey, La., which the company says is the largest capacity high-speed ferry in the U.S. And Eastern Shipbuilding Group Inc., Panama City, Fla., delivered two of three new ferries for New York’s Staten Island Ferry. The 4,500-passenger 320'×70'×21'6" Michael H. Ollis, WorkBoat’s 2021 Boat of the Year, arrived in New York City in August. The Sandy Ground was delivered in December. The third ferry, Dorothy Day, is due for delivery later this year. However, with many people still working from home, ferry traffic has been down. Staten Island Ferry ridership in February, for example, was 810,018, an increase from 472,526 the same month last year, but a marked drop from the 1.7 million in February 2019. For the second consecutive year, Washington State Ferries (WSF) carried more vehicles with a driver than walk-on passengers – 8.9 million versus 8.4 million. Ridership at the country’s largest ferry system rose to almost 17.3 million in 2021, about 72% of 2019 preCovid numbers. Crewing challenges and the temporary loss of one of WSF’s biggest ferries due to an engine room fire were two major service obstacles, a state official said.

An improperly tightened fastener led to the Wenatchee’s engine failure April 22, 2021, causing nearly $3.8 million in damages, the National Transportation Safety Board said recently. The 460'2"×90'×17'3" Jumbo Mark II ferry, which was undergoing sea trials with recently rebuilt engines, is one of three scheduled to be converted from diesel to hybrid-electric propulsion. On the regulatory front, the Coast Guard issued an interim rule effective March 28 for additional fire safety requirements on certain small passenger vessels with overnight accommodations. The rule, in response to the 2019 Conception dive boat fire that killed 34 people, includes fire detection and suppression systems, escape routes, firefighting training, watchmen monitoring devices and the handling of flammable items such as rechargeable batteries. Comments are due June 27.

High times for oil, gas and wind By Jim Redden, Correspondent

roduction is flowing from the first of three significant Gulf of Mexico deepwater developments slated to come on line this year as producers look to cash in on $100/bbl oil and the provincial support of the Biden administration. In April, Murphy Oil’s celebrated

The semisubmersible floating production platform Argos, the centerpiece of BP’s $9 billion Mad Dog 2 project, arrived in the U.S. last year after completing its 16,000-mile journey from South Korea to the Kiewit Offshore Services fabrication yard in Ingleside, Texas.

King’s Quay floating production system (FPS) delivered first oil from two wells, months ahead of schedule. King’s Quay ties in production from the Khaleesi, Mormont and Samurai fields in Green Canyon and when fully operational will produce 85,000 bpd of oil and 100 MMcfd of natural gas. Also, in Green Canyon, BP expects to begin initial production by midyear from the second phase of the Mad Dog Field. At its peak in 2023, the FPS will produce around 120,249 bpd and 147 MMcfd of oil and gas, respectively. Rounding out the triumvirate that is projected to help push Gulf production to a record 2.3 million bbl/day this year, Shell said its slimmed down Vito platform will be in place this month in 4,000' of water in Mississippi Canyon in preparation for first production later this year. Vito is expected to reach peak production of an estimated 100,000 boe/d around 2024 “We have said 80% of our spend is in the core assets. And therefore, expect more to go into deepwater, where we have quite a few good opportunities that we are executing on and maybe a few more to come,” said CEO Ben Van Beurden. All this comes as the Biden administration, in an abrupt about-face, is encouraging increased domestic production in the short term to make up for shortfalls aggravated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while at the same time, aggressively pushing offshore wind and other renewable energy sources as longer-term alternatives to fossil fuels. Like oil, the war in Ukraine has strained Europe’s natural gas inventories, putting pressure on the Gulf Coast’s dominant liquefied natural gas (LNG) export sector to pick up the slack. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated on April 12 that U.S. LNG exports will average 12.2 Bcf/d this year, up 25% over 2021. Most of the increase will come from the five LNG export terminals concentrated off Louisiana and Texas. S&P Global’s Petrodata listed 28 drilling rigs under contract in the Gulf for the week of April 15 for a marketed utilization rate of 82.4%. A dissection

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Yearbook of Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) data shows five new well drilling permits issued in April for waters deeper than 1,000', averaging just over one month from receipt of the application to final approval. That brings to 12 the number of deepwater drilling permits authorized between Jan. 1 and April 18. Despite cycle-weary operators keeping a tight rein on spending, day rates are up sharply for both deepwater drilling rigs and offshore support vessels (OSV), owing in no small part to increased costs, exacerbated by a shrinking labor pool. “The OSV market continues to look strong and we expect it to keep rising,” Richard Sanchez, senior marine analyst for S&P Global, said in April. “Day rates are pretty good because it’s hard to get mariners. There are plenty of boats, but not enough mariners. Vessel managers I’ve spoken with say even low-level

positions are hard to fill. Shipyard costs are also up, and delays are common because of supply chain issues.”

MIXED MESSAGES While oil and gas rule the roost for now, questions remain over future investments, owing largely to the likelihood of a curtailment in new Gulf lease offerings. The Biden administration has not announced a new five-year offshore leasing program, which by law must be in place by July 1. As things now stand, no new lease sales could be held until at least October 2023. “At a time of geopolitical uncertainty and rapidly rising energy prices, Gulf of Mexico oil and gas production is more important than ever,” Erik Milito, president of the National Ocean Industries Association, said in March. “The longer we go without being able to explore and develop new leases offshore, the longer we weaken a key, proven national

strategic energy asset in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.” There’s been no such delay on the offshore wind side, with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management laying out a full plate of sales from the Gulf of Maine to California. Following the record breaking New York Bight sale in February, BSEE scheduled a sale off North Carolina and South Carolina for May 11. The New York Bight sale drew $4.37 billion in high bids for six lease areas covering 480,000 acres between New Jersey and Long Island, N.Y. Reinforcing the administration’s goal of installing 30 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030, the Department of Energy said that $40 billion in senior secured debt is available for renewable energy, including financing for offshore wind turbines and Jones Act-compliant support vessels. ABS estimates that 110 specialized vessels will be needed to support offshore wind initiatives.

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Underwater lifting bags Vehicle recovery systems Pipe pluggers

Contact: Address: P.O. Box 2030, North Kingstown, RI 02852 U.S.A. Phone: (401) 884-8801 Email: sales@Subsalve.com

BOATS & GEAR Lighting

Got a Light? LED technology continues to move in the right direction. Phoenix’s SturdiSignal lights are designed to withstand moisture and corrosion conditions.

Phoenix Lighting

ABS

The MITAGS wheelhouse simulator in Baltimore.

By Jerry Fraser, Correspondent

irplanes proved their worth in World War I, but ocean crossings were still novel in May 1919, when the Navy’s newest flying boats set out to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The leg to the Azores was more than 1,200 miles. To guide the airplanes at night the Navy deployed a string of destroyers that strung themselves out in a lighted picket line. Aboard one, the USS O’Brien, was a young lieutenant commander named Philip Van Horn Weems. Weems, an orphan from Tennessee, had been admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy despite having an eighth grade education. Perhaps he made it to Annapolis because he was smart 40

enough to realize there had to be a better way to navigate. Just over a century later, the company that bears his name, Weems & Plath, Annapolis, Md., manufactures navigational instruments that Lt. Cmdr. Weems went on to design, and in 2019 the company — as if to cover all the bases – began manufacturing and distributing OGM lights. Although OGM – then known as Orca Green Marine – produced the first Coast Guard-certified LED navigation lights in 2004, Weems & Plath has engineered OGM’s nextgen Q Series of LED navigation lights, with a complete line for vessels up to 20 meters and a growing line for vessels up to 50 meters. First responders are among the Q Series’ target markets. The Q Series builds on the OGM’s earlier LX series with www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

Weems & Plath

Ultimately, Hertel said, the issue is safety. “What you don’t or can’t see can hurt you.” Phoenix’s SturdiSignal lights are designed to withstand moisture and corrosion conditions, but if something goes awry, SturdiSignals offer a Plan B. Phoenix has launched a self-monitoring series of navigation lights to keep vessels in compliance and, more important, safely illuminated. If brightness falls below the level prescribed by regulations, SturdiSignal intelligent LED navigation lights will send an alarm to a panel in view of the vessel operator. At the same time, SturdiSignal fixtures have a double-head, autonomous option that automatically alternates LED heads to double the lifespan on a light and switches to an alternate head if one fails or falls below required illumination levels. A control panel is available in combination with the navigation lights for both new construction and retrofits. If an existing control panel requires modification, Phoenix said it can make that happen. Lights designed to be modular and easier to replace offer benefits to operators in the form of long-term cost savings and ease of maintenance, Hertel said. As a result, operators that install Phoenix’s navigation

In 2019 Weems & Plath began manufacturing and distributing OGM (Orca Green Marine) lights.

lights that are modular, serviceable and upgradeable, allowing vessel operators to take advantage of advancements in LED technology. “More powerful lights, smaller footprints and smaller packages is what everyone is shooting for,” said Drew Fleming, vice president of sales at Weems & Plath. The Q Series lights are made in the U.S. and are Coast Guard approved. They feature quick-disconnect waterproof PVC wire and have waterproof O-ring seals. The lights have a solid aluminum housing and are designed around what the company calls better thermal management. Although LEDs are thought of as being relatively cool, Fleming said, “It’s important to be aware of what impact heat can have. We do everything we can to get heat to exit the housing.”

Phoenix Lighting

Lighting

Phoenix lights are designed to be easy to replace, the company said.

lights are unlikely to need to hire a specialist in the event a light needs repair. Maintenance work can be carried out by a crewmember with a spare LED module kept onboard. “For any newbuild or refit, it’s important to understand the benefits of new shipboard lighting technologies,” Hertel said. “You can get better lighting – and therefore a safer and more productive working environment – for a lower lifecycle cost.” Phoenix’s SturdiSignal navigation lights are designed and manufactured in the U.S. and are IP68 certified, with

Phoenix Lighting

PHOENIX LIGHTING If heat plagues shipboard LED light systems, condensation can also raise the devil. “Navigation lights experience constant condensation issues caused by moisture intrusion,” said Ryan Hertel, vice president of business development at Phoenix Lighting, Milwaukee. Condensation issues often causes premature failure. “And when navigation lights fail, vessels no longer maintain compliance with COLREGS and Coast Guard regulations.”

If brightness levels fall below a certain level, Phoenix Lighting's SturdiSignal intelligent LED navigation lights will send an alarm to a panel in view of the operator.

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

ABS approval and UL1102 MSC 253 (83) 4.3 compliance. They are available for commercial vessels greater than 20 meters long (65') as well as Navy, Coast Guard and Military Sealift Command vessels.

IMTRA

MCDERMOTT LIGHT & SIGNAL If vessel operators see LED as emerging technology, McDermott Light & Signal, Ridgewood, N.Y., sees it as a platform for innovation. For example, most operators regard the low draw of LED lighting as an asset. But one of the problems early adopters of LEDs confronted was that low current demand of LEDs escaped the notice of supervisory control panels designed for incandescent bulbs. “It wouldn’t pull the relay in,” said Vernon McDermott Jr., the company’s

Imtra

Imtra has introduced a low-profile, 1,000-lumen (75-watt) surface-mounted LED utility light. The SWIM 350 is designed to be installed in an engine room or under a counter, but its sleek appearance would not be discordant in a galley or elsewhere on a workboat. “It has a nice, finished look,” said Nate Cabral, who handles Imtra’s commercial sales in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. “It could almost be used anywhere.” Cabral articulated a trend that Imtra and others in the world of maritime lighting are seizing on. “Halogen is phasing out,” he said. Which is not to say there haven’t been growing pains for LED. For example, in its early days, LED illumination was considered harsh, Cabral said, and as a result was not received well in the market. Over time, however, LEDs, which are much more energy efficient and last far longer than halogen or incandescent bulbs, have exerted their attributes. As an example of that efficiency, Cabral points out that the LED equivalent to a 50-watt halogen bulb is six watts.

And unlike incandescent and halogen lights, he said, LEDs use electronic drivers, rather than heat, to create light. “LED deck lights love cold weather,” he said. The SWIM-350 is 13.94"×4.21", consumes 10 watts of electricity and will run on 10- to 32-volt DC systems. Its low profile facilitates wire entry from the side or the back. Although modern working vessels have gensets providing alternating current in the wheelhouse, galley and accommodations, DC power is still useful – particularly when it comes to lighting. “If you lose power, your battery will run your lights,” Cabral said. “Think about working in the engine room.” Still, AC circuits aren’t going away. “The mindset is, ‘We always had a big generator,’” he said.

Imtra has introduced a low-profile, 1,000-lumen (75-watt) surface-mounted LED utility light designed to be installed in an engine room or under a counter.

McDermott Light & Signal

BOATS & GEAR Lighting

McDermott Light & Signal said that if vessel operators see LED as emerging technology, they see it as a platform for innovation.

vice president. So, McDermott Light developed its RP feature, a relay panel that enabled tugboat operators to retrofit their vessels to LEDs without the cost of changing their existing panels. Conversely, the company learned that LEDs could drain power even if burned out, escaping the notice of the alarm panel. “We patented a device that would make sure that the alarm panel would know if an LED was not actually working, then the alarm would sound,” said company President Vernon McDermott Sr. By the same token, he observed, what’s old is new again. The company manufactures an LED version of the battle hand lanterns – portable lamps typically mounted on bulkheads for emergency use – it once manufactured for the Navy. The company has also retrofitted a standard, 500-watt halogen light housing with LED drivers that “light up the same deck using only 50 watts, or with the right lenses installed in the same size housing, light up a shoreline from 200 feet away,” McDermott Sr. said. In other cases, energy savings figure prominently into calculations – making solar power cost-effective. “We used to use 50-watt solar panels for barge navigation lights, now we use a five-watt panel,” he said. “Technology is still moving in the right direction.” The company’s marine line of LED lighting includes navigation, flood, and engine room warning lights as well as barge lighting.

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

PORT OF CALL

BOAT FOR SALE OR CHARTER

EMPLOYMENT HIRING ALL POSITIONS ABOARD OUR FLEET!

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Need To Fill All positions aboard DP2-Construction Support Vessel

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Call for price- 912-313-9228

EMPLOYMENT

All applicants must possess valid MMC, Medical Certificate and TWIC credential Apply online:

www.dannmarinetowing.com/employment

SHORE OFFSHORE SERVICES

PLACE YOUR EMPLOYMENT AD HERE!

Has Immediate Openings!                    

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

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

Minimum 2 years offshore experience onboard a derrick barge required. Applicants must have a valid TWIC card.

Email resume to:

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Contact: Wendy Jalbert wjalbert@divcom.com

WE ARE HIRING!! Skilled & Qualified Personnel

• • • • • • • •

• •

Assistant Project Managers Estimators Mechanical Supervisors Crane & Rigging Supervisor Tank Department Supervisor Yard Superintendents Fork Truck Operators Mechanics Electricians Laborers

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

Must have DP-2 DSV experience, current mariners’ credentials, certifications & physical. Send resumes & copies of credentials to:

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Dann Ocean Towing

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

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

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

PORT OF CALL Employment, Equipment & Services

EMPLOYMENT SE EK IN G QUA LI FIE D & E X PE RI ENC ED PER SO NNE L to work on our subsea construction fleet.

AVAILABLE POSITIONS

              

Master Senior Chief Officer Chief Officer Second Officer Chief Engineer Second Engineer Third Engineer Fourth Engineer Electro-Technical Officer Electrician Instrument Technician Bosun Able Seafarer Able Seafarer (Engine) Welder

              

Crane Operator Crane Technician Materials Coordinator Chief Pipelay Engineer Fitter Technician Supervisor Hydraulic Technician PLC Technician Electrical Technician Mechanical Technician Pipelay Operator Deck Mechanic Deck Coordinator Offshore Const Manager SR Offshore Const Supervisor

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Offshore Const Supervisor Offshore Operations Engineer Deck Supervisor Rigging Supervisor Assistant Rigging Supervisor Rigger (incl Lead rigger) Rigger Welder ROV Superintendent ROV Senior Supervisor ROV Supervisor ROV Senior Pilot Technician ROV Pilot Technician HSE Advisor Medic Administrator Offshore Administrator

Send resumes to:

Now Hiring!

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

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

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

https://cardinal.bamboohr.com/jobs www.workboat.com/resources/jobs-marketplace You'll also find Marine Gear, Equipment, Services, and more in our Marketplace.

Captains, Engineers & ABs Email your resume and credentials to:

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

THE RIVER IS CALLING IMMEDIATE OPENINGS American Queen Voyages™ seeking

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Your Voyage Begins Today 44

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

PORT OF CALL

EMPLOYMENT WE ARE HIRING!

MATE – supervises and coordinates activities of crew aboard tugboat MASTER – has the legal responsibility and accountability for safe operation of company owned tugboat, and will direct the day-to-day operations as well as coordinate the onboard activities of the boat crew such as operating engines, steering and maintaining and repairing the ship's equipment.

Northstar Marine has been serving the professional marine industry since 1990. We provide a variety of marine related services including, barge and vessel rentals, lift boat services, marine spill response, hydrographic & geophysical survey support, offshore wind and diving services to both the public and private sectors.

Please submit resume to:

SAN FRANCISCO Chief Engineer Able Bodied Seaman Captain QMED

Mate and Master of Towing

Master and Mates of Towing (min 200T) Licensed Engineers—Deck Engineers AB's and OS

Jobs@nstarmarine.com

WE ARE HIRING!

NOW HIRING!

Full job description and to apply go to:

www.cityexperiences.com/careers An Equal Opportunity Employer Dillingham, Alaska To apply go to:

https://bristolbayfuels/employment/

Or email resume at:

travis.rottini@cityexperiences.com

NOW HIRING! **NOW HIRING**

DIESEL TECHNICIANS Northern Lights is the West Coast Distributor for MAN and Nanni engines. We are looking for all skill level field service technicians to work on the maintenance and repair of marine diesel engine equipment.

 Parts

& Service Sales Representative

 Service

Coordinator

 Technical

Support Representative

 Diesel

Technician

For full job descriptions go to:

https://workboat.com/resources/jobsmarketplace/now-hiring

Port Technician - Miami Port Technician - Baltimore Operating Unit Manager - Philadelphia

Send resume to Saba Williams at:

swilliams@northern-lights.com For more info visit the "Careers" page at

www.northern-lights.com

To be considered for the above full-time positions please apply online at:

www.morantug.com/careers-at-moran/ Submit letter and resume, and include the position and location in the subject line.

Seeking fleet deckhands 3 locations

Waggaman, LA - Vacharie, LA - Destrehan, LA ADM is seeking a full time laborer to work as a deckhand under the direction of a Captain on a tug boat at our American River Transportation Company (ARTCo) fleeting locations Complete benefits package, including 401K/ESOP Pension, Health, Life, Vision and Dental Insurance For job description go to:

https://www.workboat.com/resources/jobs-marketplace/seeking-fleet-deckhands

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

Please visit our website to apply:

www.adm.com/careers 45

PORT OF CALL Employment, Equipment & Services

EMPLOYMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE HIRE! Marine Chief Engineer

• •

•

Knowledge of United States Coast Guard regulations governing ferry operations. Knowledge and ability to operated and monitor main engines and auxiliary machinery on ferry vessels Hold a minimum of MMC-endorsed as “Chief Engineer” motor vessels of at least 3000 H.P. Familiarity and experience with vessels of at least 200 feet/800 tons.

Send resumes to: Curtis.hardison@usfacilities.com

LAW

NOW HIRING! Offshore Stewards, Cooks and Galley Hands For offshore in the Gulf of Mexico

TWIC card required. SafeGulf/RigPass & Water Survival preferred.

Apply Today!

Email resumes to: dispatch@baileyss.com

Place your ad here! wjalbert@divcom.com

MARINE GEAR

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

PORT OF CALL

MARINE GEAR / SUPPLIES / SERVICES Heated Work Boat Cabin Glazing Electrically Heated Interlayers For estimates please call: 724-256-9151

www.hotlineglassusa.com

MB Brokerage Co. HOSS Winch Division

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

cgonsoul@gmail.com

850-255-5266 www.HossWinch.com

 1992 S/N 2808-299

 Width increased to 38’  Located in Freeport Texas

 As is, buyer arrange disassembly and transportation For purchase inquires:

mwoods@gandhtowing.com

FOR SALE

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

This LARC is in very good condition. USCG certified for 27 passengers. Certificate is not active. Many upgrades.

$175,000

LARC-V FOR SALE Family owned for 18 years

Call Capt Shane Steward

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

941-650-9491

Replaced the Cummings 555 with a Cat 3306 Replaced all 4 hubs with new manufactured hubs. Replaced all 4 rims and brandnew tires. Two of the hubs and all 4 tires have less than 20 miles on them. New seats stored and ready for use.

PORT OF CALL Employment, Equipment & Services

MARINE GEAR / SUPPLIES / SERVICES

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

Sales and Service

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

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

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

33475 Giftos Dr., Clinton Township, MI 48035 ◼

www.marinemachining.com - www.aquamet.com 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.

THE MOST POWERFUL TOOL

for removing coatings and rust

www.inmarsolutions.com 

info@inmarsolutions.com

(225) 644-7063

Rustibus® is designed to de-scale and power brush ship decks, hatch covers, tank tops, etc. free from paint and rust! USA OFFICE Ph: 832-203-7170 houston@rustibus.com

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

PORT OF CALL

MARINE GEAR / SUPPLIES / SERVICES SIMPLE. RUGGED. RELIABLE.

Keel Coolers

KIENE Cylinder Pressure Indicators for measuring diesel engine firing pressures...

Trouble free marine engine cooling since 1927!

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

220 Ton Mobile Boat Hoist Easy to use—simple and reliable. Reduce maintenance costs. Improve engine availability. Use to balance cylinders. Pinpoint engine problems. Optimize fuel consumption. Fits any standard indicator valve. Recommended and used by major engine builders. • Minimal investment to monitor engine condition.. • • • • • • • •

Call or e-mail for info! 1-800-264-5950 info@kienediesel.com www.kienediesel.com

Place your ad here! wjalbert@divcom.com

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

For purchase inquiries: s.roppoli@mastermarineinc.com

Now Manufacturing and Installing Fire Retardant Bunk Curtains

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

We custom build every shade to fit each window in our facility. They are Incredibly durable, driven by over-sized clutches and operated by a stainless steel pull chain. We offer measurement and installation services in Southern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. We carry $5,000,000 workers’ compensation, and liability insurance policies with U.S.L.&H. and the Jones Act.

Download our order form to purchase your shades today.

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

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

PORT OF CALL Employment, Equipment & Services

MARINE GEAR / SUPPLIES / SERVICES

36-inch Diameter Modular Plastic Pontoons The Best Idea Since the Indian Canoe

Uses: Pontoon boats, house boats,

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

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

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

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

Toll Free: 877-456-2531

www.plasticpontoon.com Become a Certified and Accredited Marine Surveyor

Fishing Vessel Qualified. Complete course and examination for all vessel types and uses. 1-800-245-4425 or navsurvey.com 50

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

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

cgonsoul@gmail.com

www.mbbrokerage.net www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

PORT OF CALL

MARINE GEAR / SUPPLIES / SERVICES

BOLLARD™ MARINE GENERATORS Designed & Built for the Harsh Marine Environment

9kW - 550kW Gensets LOWEST COST OF OWNERSHIP MORE COPPER = LOWER OPERATING TEMPS & LESS FUEL CONSUMPTION

ured by

ct Manufa

uipmen

MER Eq

CUSTOM SPECS AVAILABLE

800.777.0714

Locate a dealer www.merequipment.com

International WorkBoat Show Nov 30 - Dec 2, New Orleans, LA

ADVERTISERS INDEX Ahead Sanitation Systems Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Laborde Products Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cover snipe, 21

Airmar Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

McDermott Light & Signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

All American Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Mitsubishi Turbocharger and Engine America, Inc . . 5

BAE Systems Ship Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

MTU - A Rolls-Royce solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Blount Boats Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Philadelphia Gear, A Timken Brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Browns Point Marine Service, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Platypus Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

CAIG Laboratories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Research Products/Incinolet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

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

RINA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

David Clark Company Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Rouses Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

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

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

Endura Paint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Subsalve USA Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Furuno USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CV2

Transport Products and Service

Genoa Design International Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Enterprises, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Trimaco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

International WorkBoat Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 + 9

Washburn & Doughty Associates Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Karl Senner, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CV4 KEMEL USA Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

LOOKS BACK JUNE 1962

• Labor leaders should be a little apprehensive about an emerging Congressional mood which may result in a legislative crackdown on union excesses (like the 25-hours-work-for-40-hourspay electricians obtained recently in New York) next time trouble arises on any big scale. At the root of this new attitude in Congress is in part due to the recent hassle between President

Kennedy and the steel industry. Many Congressmen (and businessmen) were concerned about the massive display of presidential power that forced the steel people to back down. • What is said to be the only self-unloading river-lake cement barge operating on the Great Lakes passed through Chicago for the first time recently with a full cargo of 7,500 bbls. of cement

bound from Marquette Cement Manufacturing Co.’s production plant at Oglesby, Ill.

JUNE 1972

• The formation by 15 major U.S. barge lines of the Waterways Operations Conference Inc., a new national organization designed to focus on the operational aspects of waterways transportation, has been announced by Louis R. Fiore, president of The Ohio River Co., Cincinnati, chairman of the new conference. • Work on the St. Claude Avenue and Florida Avenue bridges over the Industrial Canal in New Orleans has resulted in the bridges closing to water traffic

during most regular work day hours. • Construction contracts have been signed by Port Everglades Towing Inc., the general partner of Seabulk Tankers Ltd., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with Kelso Marine Inc., Galveston, Texas, to build the Catug, the latest development in oceangoing integrated tug and barge (ITB) units. The cargo tanks will have a capacity of approximately 300,000 bbls.

JUNE 1982 • Point Marine Inc., Morgan City, La., has recently signed a contract with Halter Marine Inc., for the construction of four 191', 4,000-hp tug/supply vessels later this year. The boats, which will be built at Halter's Lockport, La., facility, will each be powered by a set of EMD 160645C diesel engines. When the four vessels are completed, it will increase the number of Halter-built vessels operated by Point Marine to 15. 52

• Eastern Marine shipyard has become, almost exclusively by just wordof-mouth, one of the largest boatbuilders in the South. To make a long story short: In August 1976, Eastern Marine started with a half-acre plot in Panama City, Fla. Today Eastern Marine consists of two shipyards with over 145 acres and more than 5,300 feet of water frontage located along the Intracoastal Waterway. www.workboat.com • JUNE 2022 • WorkBoat

Duramax Marine® Engineered to Perform. Since 1895.

Made in USA

Duramax Marine® is the world leader in waterlubricated bearing technology and has gained the trust of marine professionals around the world, setting performance records our competitors are still trying to meet.

www.DuramaxMarine.com

DryMax® Rudder Seal

DryMax® Shaft Seal

DuraCooler® SuprStak™ Keel Cooler

DuraBlue® Rudder Bushings

Johnson® Cutless® Bearings

This axial system provides excellent sealing and can accommodate large increases in radial clearances due to wearing down of rudder stock bushings. Designed to deliver long service life.

Shaft Sealing System has nitrile rubber seal that rotates with the shaft and creates a hydrodynamic seal. Seal is easy to maintain, reliable, and boasts a low life cycle cost and total cost of ownership.

SuprStak™ with TurboTunnel design is engineered to “jet” turbulent seawater in a tunnel-like configuration that greatly enhances heat transfer.

Composite Rudder Bushings and Thrust Washers that are self-lubricating and pollution free. They are dimensionally stable with ultra low friction and extremely long wear life.

Water-Lubricated Rubber Bearing Technology that has nothing more to prove. It’s the longest life bearing in harsh abrasive laden river applications.

Duramax Marine® is an ISO 9001:2015 Certified Company

Engineered to Perform. Since 1895.

p: 440.834.5400 f: 440.834.4950

“With moreSenner, than 65 setsLLC. of Reintjes gears in service today, ourservice business has continued to operatethat safely and efficiently “Karl provides excellent and a product helps us with reliable and dependable service from Karl Senner, LLC. With Reintjes and Karl Senner, LLC. as our partners, we are confi dently operate We are proud to say Inland thatwaterways.” Reintjes has been confident that we will have manyour morevessels. years of operating success along America’s

Photo: Michael Steiner

in every boat that Canal Barge Company -has over the past decade.” Clark built Todd, President, Blessey Marine Services Inc. – Mark Allen, Director of Vessel Engineering

Karl Senner, LLC is proud to equip the M/V Lizzie Lane Peus with REINTJES Gears. This is the second of two vessels in this series.

Onboard Karl Senner, LLC supplied two Karl Senner, proud Reverse to supply REINTJES WAF LLC 873 /is7.454:1 Reduction Gearboxes, two REINTJES WAF with 563internal Gearboxes multi-discthe shaftM/V brakes, AMOT Temperature onboard Daniel Wisner. Control Valves and Torsional Couplings. Owner: Canal Barge Company, Inc. Shipyard: Steiner Construction Company, Owner: Blessey Marine Services, Inc. Inc. Shipyard: Verret Shipyard

504-469-4000

KARLSENNER.COM

WorkBoat June 2022

Articles inside

Got a Light?

Cover Story: Yearbook

Vessel Report: Special Delivery

Focus: Well-Being

On the Ways