WorkBoat December 2024

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16 Focus: Matt Nichols

The last Nichols brother retires from the yard bearing the family name.

18 In Business: Bisso Towboat Co.

Onboard Bisso Towboat's newest tractor Tug.

28 Cover Story: Driver's Ed

U.S. Coast Guard lifeboat pilots train in extreme conditions.

BOATS & GEAR

22 On the Ways

• Conrad Shipyard refits OSV into marine spaceport for Space Perspective • Brix Marine delivers 34' tour boats to Hawaii • Vessel Repair delivers 74' towboat to Golding Barge Line • Bollinger Shipyards lays keel for newest vessel in United Launch Alliance's fleet • St. Johns Ship Building to construct two 180' spud barges for Mobro Marine • Suderman & Young wants to build a zero-emission, battery electric 98' tug to operate in Port of Corpus Christi.

32

Hybrid Ready

Latest WindServe Marine CTV gets an upgrade.

AT A GLANCE

8 On the Water: Leave your troubles at the dock — Part II

8 Captain’s Table: Celebrating our inland rivers heritage.

9 Energy Level: China's economy and oil prices.

9 Nor'easter: Hasn't BOEM learned from mistakes?

10 Inland Insider: Boat pilots are impressive individuals.

12 Credentialing Insights: Able seafarer-deck equipment endorsements now simplified.

12 Insurance Watch: Business income coverage.

13 Legal Talk: What exactly is a hazardous waste?

14 Wind companies bid $21.9 million for Gulf of Maine offshore leases.

14 Failure of Georgia ferry gangway kills seven.

14 Settlement comes in at $100 million in Baltimore bridge allision case.

SAVE THE DATE

DEC 3-5, 2025

NEW ORLEANS

Morial Convention Center

Thanks for the ride

It all began with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Dealing with OPA ’90, the legislation that was passed in the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez oil spill that occurred in Alaska's Prince William Sound on March 24, 1989. That was still big news when I began writing for WorkBoat back in the early 1990s.

And it was still news when I became an editor at WorkBoat in the mid‘90s. We covered other big workboat industry events since the Exxon Valdez including the 1993 Big Bayou Canot Amtrak train wreck. The subsequent accident investigations set in motion a fundamental change for the tug and barge industry — Subchapter M. Big Bayou Canot changed a lot of things in our industry including accident response, wheelhouse training, casualty reporting, and licensing.

More big events followed after I became editor in chief of the magazine in 1999. The big one was 9/11. The heroic efforts of re ghters, police of cers, and a host of other rescue workers in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 World Trade Center disaster has been well documented.

But another group of “rescuers” also played an important role that terrible day: commercial mariners. The terrorist attack that left thousands dead also left many of the shocked survivors trapped at the southern tip of Manhattan Island. In their time of need, marine personnel who make their living in and around New York Harbor responded with everything they had. The Coast Guard estimated that about one million people were evacuated from Manhattan by

commercial workboats.

There were several other big workboat industry events since then leading up to the allision between the 985' containership Dali and the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in March.

I’m sure there will be more big news and more technological advances, new boat designs, and new gear etc., going forward. I won’t be at WorkBoat to cover these happenings. This issue is my last after 25 years as the magazine’s editor in chief. It will rest in the capable hands of a new editor and a new crew.

I met a lot of dedicated workboat professionals over the years. I want to thank them and wish them luck. I truly enjoyed the ride.

David Krapf, Editor in Chief dkrapf@divcom.com

MITSUBISHI

Because they watch over us. Because they give so much. Give to the Coast Guard Foundation Sometimes, even the rescuers need to be rescued.

Sometimes, even the rescuers need to be rescued.

To learn more, visit RescueTheRescuers.org

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

To learn more, visit RescueTheRescuers.org

Krapf / dkrapf@divcom.com

Ken Hocke / khocke@divcom.com

Kirk Moore / kmoore@divcom.com

Capt. Alan Bernstein • Steve Blakely • Arnie Brennaman Robin G. Coles • Michael Crowley • Jerry Fraser • Nate Gilman • Pamela Glass • Max Hardberger • Joel Milton

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PROJECT MANAGER / ART DIRECTOR Doug Stewart / dstewart@divcom.com eremiah Karpowicz / jkarpowicz@divcom.com

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE S 842-5439 / mcohen@divcom.com

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COORDINATOR

207-842-5616 / wjalbert@divcom.com

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Theodore Wirth / twirth@divcom.com VICE PRESIDENT Wes Doane / wdoane@divcom.com

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MAIL BAG

When marine facilities are gone, they're gone

Did you ever play musical chairs as a child? Today, we are playing musical chairs on a much larger scale in the maritime industry. There are many articles in newspapers and magazines that show a shipyard marine railway or terminal was converted to mixed-use housing and parks. This all sounds good, except we are forgetting how hard it is to get these facilities back.

It is virtually impossible to do. You can’t just pull a ship or barge to the bank of the river and unload. First, you must have a large pier strong enough to support the equipment and infrastructure to unload the ship. In the case of a containership, you must have rail and truck service to move the containers out of the terminal.

This brings us to the hard reality of what we’re losing when you see a pier,

dock or shipyard close. Everybody says it’s no big deal but think what it takes to build another terminal for ships. Once again when it’s gone it’s gone. Does the public have any idea of the complexity of what it takes to get products from the ship to the stores?

Wayne

McCall McCall Brothers Diving Inc. Salem, S.C.

Rejection of Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) applications

TheNational Maritime Center (NMC) will begin rejecting incomplete merchant mariner credential (MMC) application submissions during initial screening beginning Dec. 1, 2024. MMC application submissions are considered incomplete if missing a complete CG-719B on the current version of the form, evidence the applicant

holds or has applied for a TWIC card, evidence of payment of the required evaluation fee (use of pay.gov is the preferred method of fee payment), or evidence of satisfying applicable drug testing requirements. If an application package is found to be missing any of these items during initial screening, the applicant will be e-mailed a Notice of Rejected Incomplete Application.

B. W. Clare

Captain, U.S. Coast Guard

Something on your mind? WorkBoat encourages readers to write us about anything that appears in the magazine, on WorkBoat.com or pertains to the marine industry. To be published, letters must include the writer’s address and a daytime phone number. Email: khocke@divcom.com

BY JOEL MILTON

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

On the Water

Leave your troubles at the dock — Part II

Whether fatigue is chosen as the sole culprit, as with the towboat John 3:16, or as an accomplice of possibly unmeasurable complicity, it almost always plays at least some role in maritime accidents. That is the very nature of 24-7-365 shift work with limited personnel and often the added negative effects of travel to, from or between vessels. Throw in some time zone changes and you really have a recipe for both physical and cognitive decline.

(The towboat John 3:16 allided with an industrial pier on the Lower Mississippi River in 2023. The pilot was suffering from acute fatigue partially brought on by significant personal problems.)

There is a widespread acceptance of this state-of-affairs and there seems to be very little interest in deviating from long-standing industry practices, despite the harm they do to health generally, and how they degrade job performance specifically. Some significant improve -

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.

Captain’s Table

Celebrating our inland rivers heritage

Iam planning a major event in Cincinnati in Oc-

tober 2025 called America’s River Roots. Formerly called Tall Stacks, this event has expanded its focus beyond traditional sternwheel riverboats — although 12 river cities will have steamboats there — to include a wide range of iconic historical and cultural features of our nation’s inland rivers from food to music and towboats and barges. I often reflect on how important our inland river system has been to the development of our country and the crucial role that it still plays today.

Unfortunately, many of us forget that in the 19th century, the inland river system served as a major transportation artery for goods and people. It facilitated trade between the interior states and the Gulf of Mexico, enabling the movement of agricultural products, especially cotton and grain. Cities like New Orleans, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh became key trading hubs.

By the mid-1800s, approximately 10 million tons of cargo were carried annually on river vessels. The inland river system underpinned the growth of our agricultural economy. It contributed

ments are within easy reach and only require making relatively small changes in behavior.

Tugs traditionally have run 6-on/6-off watches scheduled to change at 0600, 1200, 1800 and 2400, which is a completely unnatural schedule known to cause fatigue no matter what. There are alternatives such as 7-on/5-off/5-on/7-off, or 8-on/4-off/4-on/8-off. Some even do 12-on/12off, which is brutal if the boat is running all or most of the time. And there are lunatics who do “rolling 8’s” which is 8-on/8-off indefinitely, meaning that every day the schedule flips to the opposite of the day before and destroys any possibility of establishing a workable rhythm. It is a guaranteed fatigue-inducer, as well as a health-wrecker, of the highest order and should be avoided.

I’ve experimented with it all and ultimately settled on 7/5/5/7 as the least-bad option in most cases. Anything longer makes for a really long navigation watch and is simply asking too much of tired bodies and minds in such a safety-intensive job.

But at least as important as the schedule, whatever it may be, is precisely when those watches start and finish.

to the rise of steamboats, which revolutionized transport, and ultimately promoted westward expansion.

Sadly, most vehicle drivers today pay little attention to the important role our rivers and waterways still play in transporting goods and people. The numbers are substantial.

The Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) estimates that 200 million passengers are safely carried aboard U.S.-flagged passenger vessels each year in the U.S. According to the American Waterways Operators (AWO), more than 5,000 tugs and towboats, and more than 33,000 barges, carry approximately 665 million tons of domestic cargo each year.

Both the PVA and AWO promote safety and have developed programs that prioritize safe operations within their memberships. The two organizations are active in Washington D.C. area, advocating for their industries. They often work together on issues of common concern.

Communications among river industry stakeholders is important, and I regularly speak with the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, local law enforcement, firefighting units, and others up and down the river to ensure that my company is well known to each.

Energy Level

China's economy and oil prices

BY G. ALLEN BROOKS, CORRESPONDENT

Oil prices dropped like a rock in mid-October, falling from the mid-$70s at the close of trading the previous week, before landing at $70/ bbl. The collapse followed a two-week run-up in oil prices. What happened? Israel failed to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities or its petroleum exporting infrastructure — no oil flow disruption. All the hedge funds, which only a few weeks earlier couldn’t sell crude oil contracts fast enough, suddenly couldn’t buy them fast enough. Crude oil has been volatile all year. Amazingly, Middle East tensions have had only a fleeting impact on crude oil prices. Other than when military clashes were intense, oil prices barely budged within a narrow trading range. The lack of price movement reflected a growing consensus that the oil market was oversupplied. More importantly,

BY KIRK MOORE, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Contributing

Editor Kirk Moore

was a reporter for the Asbury Park Press for over 30 years before joining WorkBoat in 2015. He has also been an editor for WorkBoat’s sister publication, National Fisherman, for over 25 years.

traders saw few forces to shrink the current glut.

The force missing is China’s economic weakness. For more than a decade, Chinese oil consumption has accounted for over half of world demand growth. After officials ended the country’s three-year Covid-19 lockdowns, China’s economy has struggled to resume its historical growth rate — a rapid rate that began early this century.

China’s economic growth was driven by its strategy to become the manufacturing center of the world, plus its determination to impress visitors during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. For years before the opening ceremony, in anticipation of visitors seeking to explore the country, the Chinese government initiated major infrastructure-building projects — airports, roads, high-speed rail, stadiums, ports, and cities. China’s living standards rose. These efforts stimulated energy demand growth just as China shifted from meeting its petroleum needs to becoming the world’s largest oil importer.

Nor’easter

Hasn't BOEM learned from mistakes?

Thenewly proposed Central Atlantic wind energy area “unnecessarily includes some of the most critically important scallop fishing areas on the East Coast” — even as the Bureau of Offshore Energy Management (BOEM) has ample data to avoid the conflict, New Bedford, Mass., port officials wrote in a scathing Oct. 21 comment letter to the agency.

BOEM has “all the technical and scientific detail necessary to understand how essential the Elephant Trunk, Hudson Canyon, and Delmarva areas are to the scallop industry,” wrote Gordon Carr, executive director of the New Bedford Port Authority. “What is stunning to us is that all that data is and was available to BOEM prior to setting the boundaries of the proposed call area.”

New Bedford is the most profitable U.S. fishing port — mostly on the strength of the sea scallop fishery — and the nation’s first big “offshore wind industrial marshalling port,” Carr noted.

Port advocates have been “diligent in provid-

China’s population is not only aging rapidly but also atrophying. The Chinese government’s inability to accelerate economic growth means its energy needs are not growing as fast as they once did.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) have just cut their oil demand forecasts for the third consecutive month. The two forecasters remain significantly apart in their growth projections. For 2024, the IEA sees oil use growing by only 863,000 bpd versus OPEC’s aggressive projection of 1.93 million bpd. Although reducing its 2025 estimate, OPEC remains more optimistic about oil consumption than the IEA — up 1.64 million bpd compared to 998,000 bpd.

Countries are mired in a slowgrowth world. Economies are weighed down by huge debt burdens. The world’s population, however, continues to grow. People will need more oil, gas, and petrochemical-derived products.

ing comments for multiple offshore wind projects underway and proposed for the future,” Carr added. “However, we have become more and more concerned that development must only be accomplished in a responsible manner by protecting established industries that share our waters.”

That must “include learning from mistakes made in failing to avoid and address the interaction and conflicts between offshore wind and commercial fishing” already at work and avoiding more conflicts early in BOEM’s planning, the letter said.

In drawing the Central Atlantic call area, excluding scallop grounds “would have left the vast majority of the more than 13 million acres and have virtually no effect on the overall area potentially available for future leases,” according to the letter. Setting the call area’s northern boundary 150 miles to the south would still leave 400 miles and millions of acres to South Carolina available for future wind projects, it said.

The New Bedford officials’ letter speculated that “a cynical interpretation” could be that BOEM included the scallop grounds only to reduce the call area and declare it is addressing the conflict.

BY KEN HOCKE

Inland Insider

Boat pilots are impressive individuals

There are two articles in this month’s edition of WorkBoat that shine a light on the skill and expertise it takes to captain commercial and military vessels on U.S. inland waterways.

Back in October, Scott Slatten, owner of Bisso Towboat Co., invited me to accompany the crew of his newest 96'x38'x16'6" tractor tug, Mr. Brian, as they worked a job in the Mississippi River at Convent, La., located between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

That job (see page 20) involved pulling the 738'x105.7', 41,684 gross ton bulk carrier Chailease Bright away from the dock, spinning her around, and sending her on her way toward to Gulf of Mexico.

Once we got on site, the task seemed almost impossible, when you compare the size of the tug and the size of the ship. In addition, we had to pull the ship sideways across the river’s current.

But in the hands of Capt. Keith Blancq and his

crew, it was handled like they did this sort of thing every day. In fact, they do. And they give the waterway the proper respect it deserves. Anyone who works on the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to the Gulf of Mexico will tell you that the river will make you pay for even the smallest mistake. It’s a professional group.

Our cover story this month (see page 28) is about the Coast Guard’s National Motor Lifeboat School, located in Ilwaco, Wash., where the Columbia River meets the Paci c Ocean. The school is there because that area has a wide variety of training zones, and the severe conditions needed to test the equipment and the mettle of their operators, who are looking to become certi ed as a surfman.

The school’s courses include some classroom work but are primarily focused on hands-on operation and training using four of the six 47' Motor Lifeboats stationed at the school. They place three students on each boat, along with an instructor, an engineer and a crewman.

These men and women are training to handle search and rescue in the most obnoxious conditions possible — conditions most of us wouldn’t go near.

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

BOOTH 1207

Credentialing Insights

Able seafarer-deck endorsement requirements now simplified

BY NATE GILMAN

The Coast Guard temporarily revised the policy for obtaining an STCW (Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping) able seafarer-deck (AS-D) endorsement by simplifying the sea service requirement. Historically, documenting the sea time required for an STCW AS-D endorsement was complex and confusing. This was due to the sequencing of the numerous steps involved, typically holding STCW basic training, 180 sea days in the deck department, and completing the RFPNW (Rating Forming Part of a Watch) checklists/assessments before your sea days started counting towards the AS-D endorsement. Now to add the STCW AS-D endorsement to your able seaman endorsement is as straightforward and simple as 360 days of sea service in the deck department and completing an STCW AS-D course or 540 days of sea service in the deck department and completing the Record of Assessment

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

for Able Seafarer-Deck from NVIC (Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular) 14-14. This temporarily revised policy will be in effect until Dec. 22, 2026.

You will still need to hold an able seaman rating as well as STCW RFPNW, STCW basic training and either Proficiency in Survival Craft or Proficiency in Survival Craft-Limited to qualify for the STCW AS-D endorsement.

An AS-D endorsement is an STCW supplement endorsement to your Able Seaman Coast Guard deck rating. The IMO’s STCW able seafarer-deck rating and the Coast Guard able seaman ratings are completely different endorsements that are both issued by the U.S. Coast Guard. You must hold at least one of the USCG able seaman ratings to qualify for holding an STCW AS-D rating.

“Thank you to the Coast Guard and their hardworking team for listening to the needs of the workforce to ensure industry can provide qualified mariners to assist national security, safety and the shipping industry flourish,” said Augie Tellez, executive vice president of the Seafarers International Union.

The STCW AS-D rating is required for sailing on Military Sealift Command vessels, U.S. government vessels, large commercial ships as well as a few tugs that work internationally.

The maritime industry should applaud the Coast Guard on its efforts for streamlining and simplifying the process.

Insurance Watch

Business income coverage

You have had a catastrophic fire loss at your boatyard. Your insurance policy responds to the property loss but how does your business survive while you rebuild? This is where your business income coverage becomes very important.

Like loss of use coverage on a vessel, business income coverage is triggered due to a slow down or suspension of your operations caused by a covered cause of loss to your commercial property. A fire in your shop or a burst water pipe which causes damage are just two examples. Business income coverage applies to the loss suffered during the time required to repair or replace the damaged property. It can also extend to losses suffered after the repairs are completed for a specific number of days.

But how many days will it take to rebuild your business property and how many days does your policy provide? Many policies only provide one year of business income. The time period for this coverage would begin shortly after the date of the loss, usually 72 hours. How long will it take for

any claims adjusters or fire marshals to inspect the loss site? And then how long will it take to have all the debris cleared and the site ready to rebuild? And speaking of rebuilding, how long will it take to get a contractor lined up to start the actual building process? It could be three to five months into your business income policy before the work starts.

When looking at business income coverage — also known as business interruption coverage — you should remember to include extra expenses. This is the insurance which pays for additional costs in excess of normal operating expenses — what your business spends to continue operations while your property is being repaired or rebuilt. This includes, for example, costs you incur to relocate and advertise this new location. Your extra expense coverage begins immediately after your claim is filed. Your actual business income kicks in three days later.

Business income insurance is an essential safeguard for any business. It enables business owners to focus on rebuilding their business without the stress of no actual income coming in. Key to this coverage are adequate limits and timeframes.

BY TIM AKPINAR

Tim Akpinar is a Little Neck, N.Y.based maritime attorney and former marine engineer. He can be reached at 718-224-9824 or t.akpinar@verizon. net

Legal Talk

What exactly is a hazardous waste?

Maritime industry workers deal with a wide range of hazardous materials. Aboard a chemical tanker carrying sulfuric acid, the special precautions needed to clean a spill might be evident simply from the name of the cargo. Shipyard employees regularly deal with countless nasty compounds, from degreasing solvents to paint strippers.

When such substances need to be disposed of, they sometimes become something we call a “hazardous waste.” But what exactly does that term mean? We might correctly guess that a hazardous waste is something we don’t want to be around in a confined space with poor ventilation. However, we’ll see that such wastes have certain qualities that can be legally defined.

If we go by the guidelines of the Environmental Protection Agency, a hazardous waste must first be a solid. While that may suggest something like a bar of aluminum, solid here could include liquids and compounds with gaseous

components. Next, the waste must not be “excluded” (for example, having an exemption due to being part of certain industries — mining, agriculture, and others).

At this point, we can designate the waste as hazardous either because it appears on certain lists, or it possesses certain characteristics. Examples of listed wastes can include toluene, benzene, xylene, acetone, etc. In terms of the second category (based on certain characteristics), we look at toxicity, reactivity, ignitibility, or corrosivity, and a few other traits.

Naturally, this is a somewhat shorthand definition. The actual regs that govern hazardous wastes are voluminous and can be complex. Furthermore, hazardous substances and wastes are addressed by many entities, including the National Maritime Association, the Coast Guard, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and others.

For the most part, hazardous wastes and substances will quietly go along their journey in a cargo hold or drum, ultimately ending up in a chemical plant or environmental disposal facility.

But when something goes wrong, people panic.

Wind companies bid $21.9 million for Gulf of Maine leases News Bitts

Wind power developers Avangrid and Invenergy offered $21.9 million in winning bids for the rst four offshore tracts in the deepwater Gulf of Maine federal waters, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said Oct. 28.

Maine state of cial and energy planners see offshore wind energy as a major source by mid-century. Avangrid Renewables, LLC and Invenergy NE Offshore Wind LLC were provisional winners for tracts east of Massachusetts and south of Maine.

Avangrid won Lease OCS-564 at $4.92 million for 98,565 acres, and Lease OCS-568 at $6.24 million for 124,897 acres, all lying about 29.5 nautical miles offshore.

Invenergy will get Lease OCS-562 for $4.89 million, consisting of 97,854 acres about 46.2 nm off Maine, and Lease OCS-567 for $5.88 million, covering 117,780 acres about 21.6 off Massachusetts.

If fully developed, the lease areas could potentially generate maximum energy outputs to supply 2.3 million homes, according to BOEM.

“To ensure we got the process of bringing offshore wind to the Gulf of Maine right, we’ve engaged in over a hundred outreach efforts with local communities and connected with thousands of partners and stakeholders,” BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein said in announcing the bids.

“Despite the general uncertainty around the upcoming presidential election, this is a vote of con dence for an American industry that has already received nearly $3 billion of new supply chain investment in the rst nine months of 2024,” said Liz Burdock, president and CEO of the industry group Oceantic Network.

Commercial shermen are not sharing that optimism, according to Jerry Leeman, CEO of the New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association.

Branch named to top position at Port NOLA

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) Board of Commissioners recently appointed Beth Ann Branch as president and chief executive offi cer of Port NOLA, as well as CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad. These actions will become eff ective Dec. 1, 2024. Before joining Port NOLA, Branch served as chief commercial offi cer at the Alabama Port Authority in Mobile.

Settlement comes in at $100 million in Baltimore bridge allision case

The

owners and operators of the 984'x157' container ship Dali agreed to pay more than $100 million to settle a civil claim from the U.S. government over the ship’s allision and catastrophic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. The Dali 's owners and operators had sought to limit their liability to $43.7 million, according to the Department of Justice. Still to be resolved are legal claims from the state of Maryland, the city of Baltimore, families of the highway workers who died and others.

Failure of Georgia ferry gangway kills seven

Sevenpeople lining up for a ferry on Sapelo Island, Ga., died after a gangway suddenly collapsed at the Marsh Landing Dock, state offi cials said. A “catastrophic failure of the gangway” plunged about 20 people into water off the ferry dock, said Walter Ravon, commissioner of the state Department of Natural Resources, at a press conference in October. The gangway and other dock construction was completed in 2021 and the gangway was inspected “almost daily” by ferry operators.

"The government put our livelihoods and our coastal communities up on the auction block,” Leeman said. “The areas slated for industrialization cover prime, multi-generational shing grounds that will likely close forever, jeopardizing our ability to make a living and support partner businesses on shore.” — Kirk Moore

Avangrid and Invenergy secured $21.9 million in bids for offshore wind leases in the Gulf of Maine, aiming to power 2.3 million homes.

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Moving On

The last Nichols brother retires from the yard bearing the family name.

By Bruce Buls, Editor at Large

The sign at the entrance to the shipyard’s parking lot still says Nichols Bros Boat Builders, and the yard is still located at its historical location on Holmes Harbor, at the southern end of Whidbey Island, a large and long island north of Seattle and west of Everett.

For a time, back in the 1960s, six Nichols brothers, three sisters and both parents all helped build a edgling, waterfront shipyard. Sixty years and dozens of steel and aluminum boats later, the last of the various Nichols brothers, fathers and uncles who developed and managed the small shipyard has left the business. Matt Nichols, 77, decided to of cially retire last June from the com-

pany that still bears his family name. But now, for the rst time ever, there is nary a Nichols at the yard.

A LITTLE HISTORY

Matt’s family got started in the boatbuilding business when his grandfather, George, moved to Hood River, Ore., during the Depression in the 1930s. One of George’s brothers wanted help building a small pusher tug to move logs on the Columbia River, so George put his blacksmithing skills to work, and they built a small tug called the Whale. Following that, George and his family built more tugs and small, steel shing boats.

In 1964, one of George’s sons, Frank, struck out on his own and moved his

wife and 10 of 11 kids, including Matt, to Freeland, Wash., where they took up residence in an abandoned machine shop at the water’s edge. The property had been in his wife’s family. Frank and family xed up the shop and temporarily camped out in the back where the oors were dirt, the roof leaked and the windows were covered in plastic.

Matt was 17 when they moved, and he nished his senior year on the island. Back at the yard, he and his brothers worked with their father building shing boats.

“Dad was a great teacher,” said Matt. “He really knew how to explain things.”

The market for small, steel salmon shing boats for Alaska was good, especially following the Alaska earthquake and tidal wave of 1964.

Matt also got the chance to crew on salmon seiners working in Prince William Sound. “After shing in Alaska for a couple years, I came home with money in my pockets,” he said, “some of which I loaned to dad for his business. Then a few years later, he decided he wanted to retire and told me that I now owned 20 percent of the business because of my loans to him. I had been studying forestry, of all things, in Everett, so I told Cassie, my wife, that I could go back over there and help run this boatyard now that I was a part owner,” which he did. “I think it was one of the best decisions of my life.”

For many years, Matt and his brother Archie owned and operated the yard together. Matt handled sales and administration while Archie was in charge of engineering and production. The yard has always built a large variety of boats. Forty-two-foot seiners evolved into 125' crabbers. Small tugs

Bruce

Buls Matt Nichols, 77, has retired from the company that bears the family name.

became big tugs. There was a large and complicated Robert Allan-designed Voith Schneider reboat for Los Angeles as well as some simple barges. Add in numerous passenger and cruise boats, some large ferry superstructures and a big paddle-wheeler with a working paddle-wheel. And perhaps most of all, high-speed aluminum catamarans.

Of all the different designs built by Nichols Brothers, it’s the high-speed, aluminum catamaran that really put them on the map. It all started, Matt said, when he had been approached by a resort owner on nearby Hood Canal who wanted a high-speed passenger boat to ferry customers to and from Seattle, across Puget Sound. “So he’d gone to Australia on vacation,” said Matt, “and he called me in the middle of the night and said, ‘Get your butt over here, I found it.’”

What he had found were IncatCrowther-designed passenger cata-

marans zipping around Sydney harbor. Matt did, indeed, book a trip to Australia, liked what he saw, and cut a deal with Phil Hercus and Incat for a license

to build its designs in the U.S. The rst boat was bought by Brad Phillips, who accompanied Matt to Australia, for his tourist operations in Alaska. The second boat was bought by the resort owner. “After that we built 55 more catamarans,” said Matt. “They weren’t all Incats, but almost all of them were. They were great designs and simple to build.”

They may have been “simple to build,” but the all-aluminum boats demanded a new kind of construction precision. “It wasn’t like a crab boat superstructure,” said Bryan Nichols, Matt’s son and yard co-president from 1995 to 2005. “There were completely different issues with the metal and how it is welded.” If it wasn’t done right, “the boats could crack apart, so yeah, there was a lot of investment into training and getting it right.”

“We probably had a good 10- to 12-

Story continued on page 42

Bruce

Buls

Nichols took the time to know the names of all of his shipyard workers.

Ride Along

Onboard Bisso Towboat’s newest tractor tug.

By Ken Hocke, Senior Editor

I’m following Jonathan Davis into the early morning fog. Davis is Bisso Towboat Co.’s vice president, training, and we’re moving along the company’s steel walkway up and over the Mississippi River levee in Convent, La., between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

As we come down the other side of the levee, a pair of tractor tugs tied up to a barge slowly become visible in the water, appearing like ghosts out of the mist.

The tug we’re looking for is on the right — the 96'x38'x13'6" Mr. Brian. We hop down to the deck and enter the galley where we’re met by Capt. Keith Blancq and the boat’s engineer, Dalton Kirk. The mate, Austin Bourgeois, and the deckhand, Santino Nuczuillo, are both in their bunks after working the night watch.

I mention how spit and shiny every-

The Mr. Brian is the sixth ASD tractor tug built for Bisso Towboat in the past nine years by Main Iron Works. In fact, all 10 of the company's tractor tugs were built at the shipyard.

thing is and wonder if it’s the newness of the boat or the time of day or both.

“Oh, no,” said Blancq, “you can come aboard at three o’clock in the morning or three years from now and it will look like this if I’m the captain.”

Davis smiles, shaking his head in the af rmative.

THE BOAT

Bisso operates 10 escort/ship assist tugs, all of which are tractor tugs. “We do have one conventional tug as a backup,” said Davis. “But Scott believes in the tractor tug.”

Scott is Bisso’s owner Scott Slatten. When he decided to add a tractor tug to

Bisso Towboat photos

Mr. Brian is powered by Caterpillar 3516E Tier 4F main engines, generating 2,500 hp each at 1,600 rpm. The Tier 4 engines require a catalytic reduction (SCR) aftertreatment system.

his fleet in the late 1990s, he travelled all over the world looking for a design that met his needs. He found it in the tug Reliant, a 100'x40' brute designed by Castleman Maritime, Clear Lake Shores, Texas. In fact, Slatten was so taken with it that he eventually bought the design, making improvements to it over the years.

He also found a builder he liked.

Main Iron Works LLC, Houma, La., has built all 10 of Bisso’s tractor tugs.

The Mr. Brian is the sixth one built for Bisso in the past nine years. The new tug is named in honor of Bisso’s longtime vice president, operations, Brian Cyprowski.

Kirk takes us below to see his engine

room. On the way down, Davis said, “The day I first drove a tractor tug I thought about all those years in conventional tugs and all the things I used to wish they could do. These tugs can do those things.”

The Mr. Brian is powered by twin Caterpillar 3516E Tier 4F main engines generating 2,500 hp each at 1,600 rpm driving two Kongsberg US205STK2400FP Z-drives. The Z-drives feature 2,400-mm diameter, 4-bladed stainless-steel propellers in stainless steel nozzles. Estimated bollard pull is 68 tons.

The engine room is eat-off-the-floor clean. Kirk, a man of few words, looks around the area like he just got it for

MR. BRIAN SPECIFICATIONS

Name: Mr. Brian

Owner: Bisso Towboat Co.

Builder: Main Iron Works

Mission: Ship assist

Length: 96’

Beam: 38’

Depth: 16’6”

Draft: 13’6”

GRT/NRT: 199/136

Speed (knots): 13

Main Propulsion: (2) Caterpillar 3516E, 2,500 hp @ 1,600 rpm

Z-Drives: (2) Kongsberg US 205STK2400FP

Propeller: (2) Stainless steel, 4-bladed, 94.5” dia.

Bollard Pull: 66 tons (estimated)

Gensets: (2) Caterpillar C4.4 engines, 118 kW

Hull Construction: Steel

Capacities (gals.): Fuel oil, 30,162; potable water, 11,000; lube oil, 1,825; hydraulic oil, 1,825; diesel exhaust fluid, 2,000

Electronics: Simrad HALO-4 radar, Simrad NSO EVO3 heading device, Simrad AP70 MK2/ Rose Point navigation software, Simrad IS42 weather station, Simrad Airmar B45 fathometer; FLIR thermal camera/radar; Navionics platinum chart plotter; Furuno FA170 AIS, Furuno LH5000 loudhailer, Furuno BR 500 wheelhouse alert, Blue Box cube system audio recorder; Unlimited Control & Supply 78-point engine room monitoring/alarm system; Fireboy Xintex USCG-approved fire/ smoke alarm system

Firefighting: 500 gpm monitor powered by 4” pump/25-hp motor

Fire Suppression System:

Herbert Hiller fixed CO2 fire suppression system

Fendering: Schuyler 24” OD cylindrical bow fenders

Bow Winch: JonRie 240 hydraulic with 500' of 3" diameter Saturn 12

Ken Hocke

Ken Hocke

The Mr. Brian positioned itself at a 45º angle off the port side of the bulk carrier Chailease Bright.

Christmas.

Electrical service is provided by two 118-kW Cat generators powered by Caterpillar C4.4 engines. The tug is equipped with a JonRie series 240 escort winch featuring 500' of 2 ¾" diameter Saturn 12 line.

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

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

The Mr. Brian carries an ABS International Load Line designation in addition to being built to Subchapter M certification and receiving a Coast Guard COI. “Scott Slatten is in the office every morning for crew change (6 a.m.),” said Davis as we check out the Z-drives, “and he knows everyone by name.”

By the time we check out the rest of the boat and return to the galley, Austin Bourgeois is awake.

“The sun has burned the fog off enough for us to go to work,” Blancq tells us. “Let’s go.”

THE JOB

Blancq cranks up the big Cats and pulls away from the dock, chasing sister tug Alma S that peeled away from the dock ahead of us headed south.

As we make our way, I ask Davis about any personnel issues for Bisso. “We haven’t really experienced that like some others because we keep our crews together, keep the same people together,” he said. “And we don’t hire outside captains. Loyalty is a two-way street. So, people want to stay.”

We make our way to the Zen-Noh Grain Feed dock where we must provide a ship assist for the Chailease Bright, a Liberian-flagged 738’x105.7’ bulk carrier. The actual job order was “turn for sea from Zen-Noh Grain.”

We reach the dock under bright sunshine. The Alma S took up a position on the port side near the stern and we’re “port bow, break of the focsle,” Davis told me. Meanwhile, Blancq was having a conversation with the pilot aboard the bulk carrier.

The dock is a hive of activity. Zen-Noh is a New Orleans company, established in 1979, that supplies corn, milo, soybeans and other foodstuffs to produce compound feed around the world from its mills in Japan.

Activity aboard the ship begins to pick up. Kirk pops out the wheelhouse and hooks a line that the ship’s crew has lowered to the tug’s line and the ship’s

crewmen bring it up and we’re attached. Blancq looks at me. “Good old knowhow.”

The pilot from the ship’s wheelhouse gives Blancq a direction. I can’t make it out. “He wants us to go to a 45.” Blancq moves the tug until the line from the ship to us is at a 45° angle.

Kirk is back in the wheelhouse with us, and it’s quiet until the ship’s pilot says all is ready. Mr. Brian will tug the bow of the Chailease Bright, which is pointing upriver, around while the Alma S keeps the ship’s stern where it is as it moves away from the dock.

The engines come to life again and the Mr. Brian begins to pull, the Cats growling differently than they did when they were pushing the tug by itself. Pulling the ship’s 41,684 gross tons sideways across the river’s current makes the wheelhouse floor shake and the windows vibrate.

Blancq is hyper-focused but calm, moving the controls with professional dexterity. The bow struggles to move away from the dock, but the Mr. Brian is insistent. Finally, the bow can resist no more and it swings into the center of the river. The Alma S takes up its position off the ship’s stern.

Chailease Bright is now facing downriver, towards the Gulf of Mexico. Kirk pops out of the wheelhouse again to unhook the tug’s line, and the captain reels it in. Blancq swings the Mr. Brian around, then turns and looks at me. “Well, that’s what we do,” he said.

In the truck on the way back to New Orleans, Davis said, “You know, most people have no idea what these guys do out here every day, and how much it affects their lives. But I guess that’s OK.

“I’ve been working for Bisso for more than 40 years, and I still like my job. These are good people. And every now and then, I’ll take a shift for somebody, and I get to drive the boat. That’s when I really like my job.”

My sincere appreciation to Scott Slatten, John Davis, Capt. Keith Blancq and the crew of the Mr. Brian for taking me on as ballast for half a day in October.

Ken Hocke

Capt. Keith Blancq at the controls of the new tractor tug on his way to undock a bulk carrier and send it on its way. Mate Austin Bourgeois looks on.

ON THE WAYS

CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT WORKBOAT YARDS

Conrad Shipyard refits OSV into marine spaceport for Space Perspective

Mankind’s movement away from earth started on Nov. 21, 1783. That’s when two Frenchmen made the first untethered manned hot-air balloon flight in Paris. Ten years later, a pair of Americans made this country’s first hot-air balloon flight, taking off from the Walnut Street Jail in Philadelphia on Jan. 9, 1793. (They were not inmates).

It was another 110 years before Orville and Wilbur Wright flew the world’s first successful powered airplane flight out of Kitty Hawk, N.C., on Dec. 17, 1903. The flight covered about 120’ and lasted 12 seconds.

Since then, there have been numerous space fights, beginning with Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s orbiting the

earth in Vostock I on April 12, 1961. One thing common to these breakaway space adventures is they all launched from land. Now, it’s entirely possible that the next break through space adventure with a manned craft will depart from a water-born vessel, possibly off the coast of Florida. That’s where the unmanned spaceship Neptune-Excelsior lifted off the 294'x56'x18'9" vessel Voyager (referred to as a Marine Spaceport and the first OSV designed for space support) on Sept. 15, 2024. It was carried aloft by the SpaceBalloon that uses renewable hydrogen to ascend. The test flight reached 100,000', putting it above 99% of the earth’s atmosphere for part of its six-hour journey.

When a manned Voyager flight takes

place, a capsule with up to eight passengers and a captain will be lifted off the Voyager by the SpaceBalloon.

The Voyager at one time was a traditional offshore supply vessel (OSV).

The driving force behind changing a traditional OSV from oil and gas support operations to offshore launching and recovery space operations is Space Perspective, Titusville, Fla. That’s “the first carbon-neutral space flight experience company,” said Bryan Dietz, the Voyager’s captain, in the American Bureau of Shipping podcast “Setting Course” from May 8, 2024.

Prior to becoming Space Perspective’s space flight launching and recovery platform, the Voyager was Edison Chouest Offshore’s C-Challenger, a

Spools of Space Perspective’s proprietary balloon deployment and recovery system and a space capsule hang from the 294' Voyager 's stern-mounted A-frame .

240' OSV built in 1998 at Chouest’s North American Shipyard, Larose, La.

The switch in deepwater occupations required Conrad Shipyard, Morgan City, La., to make some signi cant modi cations to the Voyager, including lengthening the hull to 294', modifying the propulsion and emergency systems, out tting the Voyager with a balloon launch system for the 600' balloon and 150' to 200' rigging for the space capsule’s parachutes. There’s also a large Supreme Integrated Technologies space capsule A-frame on the stern to recover the capsule. “We’ll launch off the deck of the vessel, sending the capsule and balloon into the stratosphere,” said Dietz. “And a couple of hours later, when she returns to the water, we’ll aid in the retrieval of the capsule in the balloon.”

The Voyager uses a couple of small, fast boats to help retrieve the spacecraft and balloon from the sea.

The deck has the strength of 540 lbs./sq. ft. and can handle 1,250 LT of cargo. Tankage includes 129,466 gals. of fuel and 36,620 gals. potable water.

The American Bureau of Shipping was a big part of the redesign process, for as ABS’s Tyson Breedlove noted, a vessel designed and constructed for supporting the oil and gas industry was converted to an industry with a very different risk pro le.

“So, in order to do this and to do this safely, ABS as a case society reviewed their plans,” said Breedlove. “We make sure that the vessel is ready for this new and really adventurous type of operation that they are about to undertake.”

That said, Breedlove acknowledges that currently there “are no speci c requirements for space support vessels. There’s just not enough of them.”

With a 14'6" maximum draft, the Voyager’s main propulsion comes from twin Caterpillar 3516 diesels producing 1,710 hp each. The boat also has

two bow thrusters and two azimuthing stern thrusters (no hp available). One of the bow thrusters is an 850-hp CPP tunnel thruster and the other is a 1,200-hp dropdown. Cruising speed is 10 knots; maximum speed is 13 knots.

Why launching at sea? There are “regulatory constraints to launch on shore that do not exist if you launch offshore,” said Breedlove, and there’s a limited number of spaceports in the U.S. and globally. “It makes operating a spaceport at sea more attractive.”

The vessel can be easily moved in a day or two to areas with better weather conditions, allowing “us a lot more exibility to station this vessel in calmer areas,” noted Dietz.

Other features of the boat, which can carry up to 42 people, include 16 staterooms, nine heads, a lounge area, hospital, walk-in cooler and walk-in freezer.

Breedlove said the number of OSVs supporting space ight will grow as the

number of ights is growing. “And we expect that to continue,” he said.

Voyager is USCG certi ed, Subchapter I and ABS classed Maltese Cross A1, AMS, DPS, Loadline (unrestricted ocean service), Circle E.

“Within the next couple of years, we’re going to be spreading worldwide. There’s a lot of interest globally, speci cally Australia and Hawaii,” Dietz said. “We’re on the dawn of a new space age.”

A crewed test ight is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 4, 2025. Ticketed ights most likely won’t happen sooner than 2026, said Hunter Abramson, Space Perspective’s head of strategic growth. Tickets for those ights are listed online at $125,000. As of July 27, 2023, more than 1,600 tickets had been sold.

— Michael Crowley and Ken Hocke

Brix Marine delivers 34’ tour boats to Hawaii

Brix Marine, Port Angeles, Wash., has launched three custom-built 34' foil assist catamarans for boat tourism company, Na Pali Experience, Kaua’i, Hawaii.

The three vessels, Kulea, Lanakila, and Tokihi, were designed in collaboration with Jutson Marine Design, and each offers seating for up to 20 passengers and one crewmember.

www.SciencoFAST.com solutions@sciencofast.com

“We are thrilled to partner with Brix Marine on these innovative boats,” Nathaniel Fisher, founder and owner of Na Pali Experience, said in a prepared statement. “Their craftsmanship and attention to detail are evident, and we are excited to elevate our guest experience along the Na Pali Coast.”

The boats feature an asymmetric catamaran hull with midship-mounted hydrofoils for improved performance in varying sea conditions, shipyard ofcials said.

Each vessel is equipped with twin 300-hp Suzuki outboard engines and hooked up to two 100-gal. fuel tanks.

The vessels include SeaDek foam decking, high-grade vinyl seating, washdown systems, and advanced navigation electronics.

“These vessels not only perform exceptionally well in the water but are visually stunning,” Drew Belt, a captain at Na Pali Experience, said. “Our guests will enjoy a safe, intimate and memorable tour.”

The vessels, whose responsibilities include sea cave exploration, dolphin encounters, and snorkeling among sea turtles, fall under USCG Subchapter T regulations.— K. Hocke

Brix Marine

Brix Marine's new 34' boats feature an asymmetric catamaran hull with midship-mounted hydrofoils for improved performance in varying sea conditions.

roudl made in the U.S. .

Photo credited to Snow & Company

ON THE WAYS

BOATBUILDING BITTS

Golding Barge Line, Vicksburg, Miss., has commissioned its newest vessel, the 74’x34’ Scott Golding. Built by Vessel Repair, Port Arthur, Texas, the vessel features two Mitsubishi engines, each delivering 1,260 hp at 1,600 rpm. The low-emission engines not only meet rigorous environmental standards but also offer mechanical reliability and efficiency, meeting the industry’s growing demand for sustainability. The Tier 4 engines were supplied by Laborde Products, Covington, La.

Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, La., officially laid the keel for the future R/S SpaceShip, the newest vessel in United Launch Alliance’s maritime fleet, which will transport Vulcan rockets from the factory in Decatur, Ala., to the launch sites at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. ULA awarded Bollinger Shipyards a contract in December 2023 to build a second roll-on/roll-off vessel classed for both oceangoing and river service. Construction of the 356' ship is taking place at Bollinger Marine Fabricators in Amelia, La., with delivery to ULA expected in early 2026. St. Johns Ship Building, Palatka, Fla., was recently awarded a contract by Mobro Marine Inc., Jacksonville, Fla., to build two 180'x54'x12' spud barges. St. Johns said the collaboration with Mobro Marine marks another milestone for the shipyard as it continues to expand its portfolio of marine vessels. The spud barges, built to support various marine construction operations, will serve in Mobro Marine’s fleet, providing services across the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA), Bourne, Mass., welcomed the arrival of the 525'x55'1" training ship Patriot State, and accepted custody of the ship from the U.S. Maritime Administration (Marad) at a ceremony held in October. During the ceremony, Rear Adm. Ann Phillips, Marad Administrator, officially signed the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) over to the academy and to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) is designed to provide a state-of-the-art training platform that ensures

the U.S. continues to set the world standard in maritime training, according to MMA officials. The NSMV has space to train up to 600 cadets at sea, and a range of 10,000-plus miles at 18 knots. It has diesel electric propulsion with 16,800 kW of total installed power plus a 900-kW emergency generator. Full speed is 18 knots.

Suderman & Young, Corpus Christi, Texas, has been selected as a sub-recipient of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Ports Program to construct a zero-emission, battery-electric 98'x44' tug to be used in the Port of Corpus Christi. The port is the collaborating entity. The tug plan Suderman & Young submitted with the grant application will be North America’s most powerful electric tugboat at 8,500 kW of electrical power and a 100plus metric ton bollard pull and help advance the Port of Corpus Christi’s environmental stewardship and maritime sustainability goals. The tug will be able to perform three ship assists on a single charge and can be fully charged again in three hours.

Both new ships will also feature a main lounge and restaurant, a bow terrace and horizon lounge, and an indoor fitness center.

In October, American Cruise Lines (ACL), Guilford, Conn., announced the construction of the 248'x58' (may be subject to change) American Maverick and American Ranger. The new 125-passenger ships are the seventh and eighth vessels in the company’s Project Blue series of small ships for the U.S. market. American Maverick and American Ranger will both begin cruising in 2026, directly following the 2025 debuts of American Patriot, American Pioneer, and new riverboat American Encore (2026).

The fourth deck on both ships will house all-suite accommodations ranging from 420-620 sq. ft. The newest feature on American Maverick and American Ranger will be the fifth deck Sky Lounge — an entire deck dedicated to relaxation and recreation, offering panoramic views, comfortable lounge seating, a 360° walking track, and a casual outdoor Back Porch Café.

Fincantieri, Trieste, Italy, has signed contracts with Viking River Cruises, Basel, Switzerland, for the construction of two cruise vessels. The vessels will be based on the features of the previous ships Fincantieri has built for Viking. The vessels have expected delivery dates of 2030. The value of the agreement is considered as large, according to a joint statement. The shipyard where the vessels will be built was not announced.

74' towboat for Vicksburg, Miss.-based barge company features low-emission engines.

American Cruise Lines

Driver’s Ed

U.S. Coast Guard lifeboat pilots train in extreme conditions.

By Arnie Hammerman, Correspondent

Part of the Coast Guard’s mission is to assist mariners when things go wrong. Rescues in dire situations require specialized equipment, procedures and training. To meet the mission readiness required for these dangerous circumstances, the USCG needs to practice in areas with extreme conditions.

That is precisely why the National Motor Lifeboat School (NMLBS) was created in 1968. The Coast Guard identified a need to create a standard of operations for the lifeboat community that required a practice area that could expose their men to all types of conditions. They created the school in Ilwaco, Wash., at the mouth of the Columbia River primarily because this area has a wide variety of training zones and the severe conditions needed to test the equipment and the mettle of their operators, who are seeking to become certified as surfmen.

The Coast Guard is refurbishing its 47' lifeboats, extending their operational lifespan by several more years.

“Our goal is to create the best possible boat operators in the Coast Guard by exposing them to the worst conditions,” said BMCS Senior Chief Trevor Armstrong, executive petty officer.

Known as the “graveyard of the Pacific,” the Columbia River bar presents unique qualities that create some of the most treacherous marine environments available.

The Columbia stretches from the Washington-Oregon border 1,243 miles to its headwaters in Canada. River volumes vary by season, but at the mouth of the river the Columbia delivers into the Pacific Ocean an average flow of 265,000 cu.ft. per second (about 2 million gallons). The mouth of the river stretches 3.5 miles wide between the heads, and the main

Canyon. Tides along Cape Disappointment typically run around 6', and tidal flows reach 80 miles upriver to the Willamette junction near Portland, Ore., and beyond. Currents at the mouth can run 5 knots when the tide flows in the same direction as the river. When this huge volume of water meets Pacific swells rolling up on the river delta’s shoals, the effects can be astounding.

Crossing the bar even in mild conditions can be challenging, and for hundreds of years ships of all sizes have

channel is a

foundered there. The river’s unique geography and the adverse conditions it presents creates an ideal proving ground for the Coast Guard to train

their personnel in a real-world setting.

COURSE WORK

The school runs three different tiers of courses — basic operator, heavy weather, and the surf course. Each course is four weeks long and typically consists of 12 students. The courses include some classroom work but are primarily focused on hands-on operation and training using four of the six 47' Motor Lifeboats stationed at the school. They place three students on each boat, along with an instructor, an engineer, and a crewman.

The basic course is designed to get as many people as possible exposed to the area and teach them fundamentals. “The basic operator is a course to learn fundamentals. We’re not looking to get them in bad weather,” said Armstrong. “We just want them to get the essential skills and learn how to drive the boats.”

In the heavy weather course, students learn to operate in big swells and heavy winds. Students must already be at a designated heavy weather unit or a surf unit to get orders to take the course, and they have to be a boat driver who is desiring to go in the heavy weather or surf. “We’re looking for all the way up to 20-foot swells and 50 knots of wind which we want to expose them to as much as we can,” said Armstrong. “We’re trying to get the students in the worst weather possible to expose them to the fundamentals and operating life in

Arnie Hammerman

The Coast Guard is refitting its 47' lifeboats, adding to more years to their life expectancy.

Scott Sanders photos

The Coast Guard is refitting its 47' lifeboats, adding 20 more years to their life expectancy.

mile wide. The debrisstrewn delta pushes sediments five miles into the ocean before it drops into the 1,500'-plus depths of the Astoria

Each lifeboat training vessel accommodates three students, along with an instructor, an engineer, and a crewmember.

these conditions. We go over how to tow boats, how to approach a vessel, how to pass dewatering pumps and other gear, how to pick people out of the water, and other essential operational tasks.”

Then there is the surf course, which is a very important course for the Coast Guard as it trains surfmen needed to operate in the most extreme conditions. There are usually only one or two surf courses per year. “We get students directly into breaking surf and show them techniques and the foundations of driving in breaking waters.”

For the surf course, students have to be at a designated surf unit and have passed the basic and heavy weather courses. There are only 18 surf stations in the Coast Guard, most of which are on the West Coast.

The course alone doesn’t necessarily qualify them as surfmen. The students have to go back to the station where they’re attached and show their commanding officer that they’re capable and able to make appropriate decisions and have the confidence and skills to be surfmen.

It can take up to six years to qualify as a surfman after you first step on one of these boats. Students who qualify are issued a surfman check — a brass check. It’s got his or her surfman number on it. Every surfman who gets qualified receives a number and is entered in the surfman registry and is entitled to wear

a pin to signify the importance of this qualification, considered a milestone in someone’s operating career.

The school at the mouth of the Columbia River is adjacent to the Coast Guard station there. According to Armstrong, the mission of the lifeboat school is purely for instructing, but it will operate search and rescue if necessary. “If a vessel is in distress and if we’re near the area, and we can affect the rescue, then we will operate in that manner,” he said.

NEW LIFE

At the heart of the Surf School is the 47'11"x15' motor lifeboat. The vessels, which have a draft of 4'6", were originally built by New Orleans-based Textron Marine from 1997 until 2003. A total of 117 MLBs were placed in service on the Great Lakes and the northern areas of the East Coast and West Coast.

With thousands of rescues performed successfully even under some of the most-dire circumstances, the vessels have proven to be excellent surf boats. The lifeboats are rated to operate in 50 knots of wind, 30' seas and 20' surf. The “lifeboat” designation means they are designed to re-right even when knocked down or rolled 360°

However, the all-aluminum vessels are nearing the end of their planned 25year service life. The established track record and performance of the boats

and the fact that many boats have hull and superstructures still in serviceable condition opened the door for an option. In the interest of mission readiness and cost savings, the Coast Guard decided to extend the service life of these vessels instead of having an all-new vessel engineered and built to replace them.

In 2019 the Coast Guard awarded Birdon America Inc. the contract to do the 47' Motor Lifeboat Service Life Extension Program (MLB-SLEP). In 2024, Birdon opened a new $5.5 million, 32-acre facility that includes a marina and boatyard in Portland, Conn., to support the project. The facility can handle seven boats at a time, and Birdon’s West Coast operations in Bellingham, Wash., can have five boats in production simultaneously.

“They arrive to us as a 47B [Bravo] and leave here as a 47C [Charlie],” Patrick Kinser, MLB program manager at Birdon, said. “We will do about 50 boats on the West Coast and about 60 boats on the East Coast from our two separate production facilities. We are doing the same boat at the same time on two different coasts to support the bicoastal delivery for the surf stations.”

According to the Coast Guard, the boats’ specifications are not changing. The Service Life Extension work is concentrated on preserving the performance of the MLB for an additional 20 years beyond the initial 25-year service life. To preserve the stability and self-righting capability, the contract limits the movement of the center of gravity and allows the use of ballast to maintain the center of gravity within allowed margins.

Major changes include the propulsion system — engines, reduction gears, shafts, rudders, skegs, and props — with equipment that is available now and will remain available for the next 20 years, replacement of the navigation system with the FLIR/Raymarine-provided Scalable Integrated Navigation System standardized across all Coast Guard boats, replacement of deteriorated forward deck and hull plate, and reconfiguration of the open bridge to provide shock-mitigating

Students train in towing operations aboard the 47' motor lifeboat (MLB), gaining hands-on experience in various rescue techniques.

Coast Guard

seats for the full crew with improved ergonomics.

“We essentially tear them down until there is really nothing left but for a few wires and some old insulation,” Kinser said. “There’s approximately 4,000 individual components that go on each boat, and it takes us just about six months to complete a boat in terms of delivery timeline.”

The new Cummins QSC 8.3, 530hp turbo diesels are around 2,000 lbs. lighter than the old Detroit Diesel 6V92TA DDEC-IV, 435-hp engines they are replacing. Because of this, critical measures are taken to ensure

the self-righting capabilities of the boats are not compromised. To ensure that the longitudinal, horizontal, and vertical centers of gravity are right where they need to be so that the boat can upright itself if it gets sideways in a wave, each boat is weighed on a special cradle prior to delivery.

“We’ve got a specially engineered ballast kit that goes in the boat and then we confirm that the weight and center of gravity is the same or similar to when the boat came in by putting it into a very precise measurement cradle that Birdon designed and built specifically for this project,” said Kinser.

According to the Coast Guard, the ballasting varies on each individual MLB with the amount and location determined through a post-SLEP inclining. Typically, approximately 1,250 lbs. of epoxy coated steel plate ballast is needed to maintain the center of gravity within the allowable margins.

Modern components provide additional safety features for the crew, and for the boat in terms of operation of the engines and the mechanical components, should the boat roll over. There’s a lot of engineering that goes into this, and once the vessels have been updated a significant amount of testing of all the new systems gets done. This includes, on-the-water testing of the boat to make sure it meets specifications prior to the delivery.

“We do extensive testing on the Charlies (47Cs) brackets for about a month in what we call phase six where we do in-plant tests, then dockside tests, and finally we do open-water builder’s trial testing,” said Kinser.

All of the MLBs at the National Motor Lifeboat School are 47Cs, and several other stations have received their upgraded boats as well. As WorkBoat went to press, Birdon said it has delivered 21 boats so far and expects to deliver another six boats before the end of 2024.

The original cost of each 47B MLB at delivery was approximately $1.2 million with a designed service life of 25 years. The total investment to convert each boat to a 47C and add an additional 20 years of service life is approximately $2 million per MLB. The actual cost will vary depending on the boat’s condition when it is sent to the shipyard for refit.

The biggest variable that affects costs is the hull condition. Plate renewal can vary from 10 sq. ft. for an MLB that has been in the Great Lakes to over 200 sq. ft. for some of the older MLBs that have been in saltwater environments. Even for the vessels that require additional plate renewal, the cost savings of the SLEP is substantial when compared to what it would cost to engineer, test and produce an all-new surfboat.

Birdon America is refurbishing the 47' lifeboats at its facilities located in Portland, Conn., and Bellingham, Wash.

The refit MLBs go through in-plant tests, dockside tests, and open-water builder's trial testing before delivery.

Hybrid Ready

Latest WindServe Marine CTV gets an upgrade.

By Ben Hayden, Content Editor

Senesco Marine, North Kingstown, R.I., recently launched a new Jones-Act-compliant crew transfer vessel (CTV) for its sister company, WindServe Marine

The new vessel, WindServe Frontier, is servicing the emerging offshore wind industry on the U.S. East Coast. Both Senesco Marine and WindServe Marine operate under the Reinauer Group.

The delivery of the WindServe Frontier marks the fth-ofsix vessels that Senesco has on contract with WindServe. The aluminum catamaran was designed by BMT, Houston, and measures 95'x30' with a 5'6" draft.

A notable difference with this vessel, compared with the previous four, is the extended engine control room (ECR), which allows for hybrid-ready capabilities.

Ted Williams, Senesco’s president, spoke to the 6' ECR extension, which will also be incorporated into WindServe’s nal vessel, WindServe Spartan.

“We’re not supplying the hybrid system at this time, but in the event a customer in the future wants that, there’s enough room in the back of the engine room to go hybrid if there’s the desire to do that,” Williams said.

The new CTV is equipped with quad Volvo Penta D13

main engines, each rated at 690 hp at 2,300 rpm, and connected to a Volvo Penta IPS 900 propulsion system. The vessel has Volvo joystick controls, including a dynamic positioning system feature that allows the vessel to maintain its positioning despite strong winds and current.

The WindServe Frontier can achieve a service speed of 24 knots, with top speed capability of 27 knots, carrying up to six crewmembers and 24 offshore technicians. Crew amenities include Starlink internet, DirecTV satellite television

The WindServe Frontier is the fifth of six vessels Senesco built for WindServe Marine.

Senesco Marine decided to get into the CTV construction business, signing the six-boat contract with WindServe Marine.

Ben Hayden

and KPM suspension seating.

Also onboard are a pair of Kohler Marine generators, Toimil T-12505M/2 forward deck crane, a portable highpressure washer on the bow, Hercules AAW-150 anchor windlass, First Electric automation system, and a Reygar BAREFleet vessel monitoring system.

Capacities include 9,715 gals. of fuel, and 792 gals. fresh water. The new boat can carry up to 20 LT of cargo on 540 sq. ft. of forward deck space.

WindServe Frontier is ABS classed and USCG Subchapter L certi ed.

Senesco uses Pierce Aluminum, Franklin, Mass., and Yarde Metals, Southington, Conn., for its aluminum parts, and Kloeckner Metals, Middletown, Conn., for its steel. Williams said it's important to keep these construction metals separate during the build.

“We get all of the aluminum pre-cut, because we don’t want to contaminate steel and aluminum. Aluminum is really ckle. And if you get any steel dust in

it, it will degrade the welds signi cantly,” Williams said.

Senesco Marine separates its aluminum builds from its steel builds in buildings that originally served as World War II aircraft maintenance hangars.

THE MARITIME INDUSTRY TRADITION

The WindServe Marine eet is comprised of the 64'6" WindServe Odyssey (2020), the 88'6" WindServe Genesis and WindServe Journey (2023), and the WindServe Explorer, which launched earlier this year. The company also has an additional 95' CTV, WindServe Spartan, on order.

WindServe Marine has locations in Staten Island, N.Y., and Brooklyn, N.Y., Boston, and Quonset Point, R.I.

The WindServe Frontier sits dockside after its launch. Senesco Marine

TIt's On!

he largest commercial marine trade show on the West Coast opens its doors on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at the Lumen Field Event Center in Seattle. Paci c Marine Expo targets all facets of the region’s marine industry, including the workboat market.

PME offers numerous products and topical conference sessions for operators of tugs, barges, charter boats, passenger vessels, patrol boats, offshore service vessels and other workboats.

Presented by WorkBoat and National Fisherman magazines, Paci c Marine Expo features marine manufacturers and distributors that will showcase the latest products and services for commercial vessel operators looking to upgrade their boats or build new ones.

This year’s WorkBoat West conference

program offers sessions geared speci cally to workboat operators.

A large part of this year’s program involves Blue Ventures start-up pitches. The latest in innovation across maritime, sheries, and ocean sectors, Maritime Blue’s Ventures Programs support startups and entrepreneurs from the Paci c Northwest and around the globe at all stages of development to nd demonstration opportunities, customers, and access to capital.

Produced by Diversi ed Communications, PME's hours of operation are from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 20, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Nov. 21, and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 22.

For more information go to www.paci cmarineexpo.com, email: customerservice@ divcom.com or call (508) 743-8566.

Doug Stewart

2024 Exhibitor Listings

*Exhibitor list is subject to change. For the most updated list visit www.pacificmarineexpo.com

ACI Boats 927

www.aciboats.com

AdvanTec Marine 1233

https://advantecmarine.com/ AgWest Farm Credit 905 agwestfc.com

Alaska Chadux Network 4223 www.alaskaosro.org

Alaska Communications Systems - ACS 633

www.alaskacommunications.com/Business

Alaska Department of Fish and Game 4224 www.adfg.alaska.gov

Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development, Alaska Commercial Fishermen's Fund 412 https://labor.alaska.gov/wc/ffund.htm

Alaska Division of Investments 4214 www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/inv/

Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation 4118

www.afdf.org

Alaska Marine Safety Education Assn 4315 www.amsea.org

Alaska Maritime Documentation 4002 www.akMdoc.com

Alaska Net & Supply 4021

Alaska Sea Grant College Program 4317 www.seagrant.uaf.edu

Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute 4218 www.alaskaseafood.org

Alatas Americas 221 www.alatas.com

Aleutian Airways 4126 www.flyaleutian.com

Alexander Gow Fire Equipment Company 711 www.gowfire.com/

Alfa Marine and Protein 649

https://alfamarineprotein.com/ Alpha Diving Inc. 4322 alphadivinginc.com

Alpha Welding and Boat Repair Inc. 4322 alphaweldingandboatrepair.com

AMECO 842

https://www.ameco.com/

American Scaffold 530 www.americanscaffold.com

American Vulkan Corp 1105 www.vulkan.com

Ameriprise Financial 1162 www.ameriprise.com

AMP United, LLC 948 www.ampunited.com

Anchor Hatches 531 www.anchorhatches.com

Aquakob Systems Inc. 924 www.aquakob.com

ARG America 1300

ARG Industrial 906 www.alaskarubbergroup.com ASANO 729 www.asano-metal.com

Assurant Innovations 226 assurantinnovations.com

PACIFIC MARINE EXPO

2024 Exhibitor Listings

C.C. Jensen Window A/S 2601

Cable Transit Solutions 1501

www.cabletransitsolutions.com

Carboline Company 549 www.carboline.com

Carsoe US 432

Cascade Machinery & Electric 739 www.cascade-machinery.com

Catalyst Marine Engineering, LLC 4215 www.catalyst-marine.com

Central Welding Supply 848 www.centralwelding.com

CFAB - AK Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank 4121 www.cfabalaska.com

Cheyenne Scale Company 4127 www.cheyennescale.com/

Christie & Grey Inc 1213 www.christiegrey.com

Cimolai Technology SPA 541 www.cimolaitechnology.com

Circle Seafoods 730

Clatsop Community College/ MERTS Campus 913 www.clatsopcc.edu/MERTS

Coastal Fluid Power 500

www.coastalfluidpower.com

Columbia Industrial ProductsCIP Marine 325 www.cipmarine.com

Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission 4229 www.cfec.state.ak.us

Continental Western Corporation 1050 https://www.cwcglobal.com/

Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council 4321

https://www.circac.org

Cooley Equipment Sales, Inc. 540 www.cooleyequipmentsales.com

Cordova Port & Harbor 4130 www.cityofcordova.net

Crucible Engineering LLC 503 crucibleservices.com

Cummins Inc. 1311 salesandservice.cummins.com

Curtin Maritime 605

https://curtinmaritime.com/ Cutco Cutlery 1201

D2Bridge Transportation & Industrial Design 1444

https://www.d2bridge.com/ DAVCO Technology 1204 www.davco.com

Deckhand Electronic Logbook 529 https://www.deckhandlogbook.com

Deepchill Solutions Inc. 704 www.deepchill.com

Dehumidification Technologies 327 www.rentdh.com

Dellner Bubenzer 1121 www.dellnerbubenzer.com

Dexter-Russell Inc 608 www.dexter1818.com

DNV 811

www.dnv.com

Dock Street Brokers 611 www.dockstreetbrokers.com

Dole Refrigerating Co 734 www.doleref.com

Donaldson Company Inc 525 www.donaldsonfilters.com

Driveline Service of Portland Inc 1310 www.driveshafts.com/

DSV Air & Sea Inc 606 www.dsv.com/us Duramax Marine LLC 1339 www.DuramaxMarine.com

Dykman Electrical Inc 849 www.dykman.com/ E&E Foods 4312 www.EEFoods.com

Frontier Precision Unmanned 809 www.frontierprecision.com/unmanned Frontline Naval-Marine 1145

FT - TEC USA Corp. 505 www.seaangelusa.com

Furuno Norge AS 1306 www.furuno.no

Furuno USA, Inc. 1515 www.FurunoUSA.com

Galley Stories Podcast 307

Gannet Nets 611 www.gannetnets.com

Garmin USA 521

www.garmin.com

Garware Technical Fibres USA Inc 706 https://www.garwarefibres.com/ Geislinger Corp 1211 www.geislinger.us

GEMECO Marine Accessories 942 www.gemeco.com

General Communications, Inc. (GCI) 633 www.gci.com

Glamox Aqua Signal Corporation 1007

www.glamox.com/global-marine/ Glendinning Marine Products 1511 www.glendinningprods.com/ Glosten 833

www.glosten.com

GMA Garnet (USA) Corp. 1172 www.gmagarnet.com

Graco Inc 442

www.graco.com

Great Western Pump Co 812 www.greatwesternpumps.com

Green Iceberg 313

green-iceberg.com

Grundens 715 www.grundens.com

GS Hydraulic Hose Corporation DBA Pirtek 1210

pirtekgs.com

Guy Cotten Inc 1039

www.guycottenusa.com

Hamilton Jet 1333 www.hamiltonjet.com

Harbor Marine Maintenance 1442 www.harbormarine.net

Hatenboer-Water 1047

Hatton Power & Propulsion 1426

https://hattonpower.com/

Hefring Marine 220 https://www.hefringmarine.com/ Highland Refrigeration 748 www.highlandref.com

Highliner Apparel 217

Highmark Marine Fabrication 4124 www.highmarkmarine.com

Hiller Companies (The) 829 www.hillerfire.com

Hockema Group, Inc. 1029 www.hockema.com/

Homer Marine Trades Assoc/Port of Homer/Homer Chamber/NOMAR 4033 www.homemarinetrades.com

Honda Marine 1342

https://marine.honda.com/ Icom America Inc 1033

https://www.icomamerica.com/ Imtra Corp 839

https://www.imtra.com

INEXA TNF ApS 2601 www.inexa-tnf.com

Integrated Marine Systems Inc 1013 www.imspacific.com

International Marine Industries Inc 1000 www.imifish.com

Ironwear 1045

IsoFlex Technologies 1121 https://isoflextech.com/ ISolv

www.kodiakchamber.org

PACIFIC MARINE EXPO

2024 Exhibitor Listings

Kolstrand, JKFAB, Nordic & Forfjord by Integrity Machining, Inc. 321 www.kolstrand.com

Kongsberg Discovery 921

https://www.kongsberg.com/discovery/ Konrad Marine 1327 www.konradmarine.com

KVH Industries, Inc. 1035 www.kvh.com

Leeward Marine Works LLC 215

Legacy Master Marine Boats 1301

LFS Marine Supplies 621 www.lfsmarineoutdoor.com

Linde Gas & Equipment Inc. 639 https://www.lindedirect.com/ Little Hoquiam Shipyard 401 www.littlehoquiamshipyard.com

Logan Clutch Corporation 1228 www.loganclutch.com

Lunde Marine Electronics Inc 1221 www.lundemarineelectronics.com

Lynden Inc 4123 www.lynden.com

MacGregor USA Inc. 1046 www.macgregor.com

Machine Support Technologies, Inc. 1004 www.wedogrout.com

Mackay Marine U.S. West Coast & Pacific NW/Alaska & Olex North America 1509 www.mackaycomm.com

Marco Products / Smith Berger Marine, Inc. 920 www.smithberger.com/

Marine Diverters 1240

Marine Exchange of Puget Sound / Marine Exchange of Alaska 4122 www.marexps.com, www.mxak.org

Marine Jet Power 1108 www.marinejetpower.com

Marine Systems Inc. 1239 marinesystemsinc.com/ Marine Yellow Pages 610 www.marineyellowpages.com

Marinsa Pacific 1131 www.marinsa.com/marinsa-pacific/ Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) 3000 www.mitags.org

Maritime Law Group 638

Marlon Marine A/S 2601

marlon-marine.com

Marport Americas, Inc. 939 https://www.marport.com/ Maximum Performance Hydraulics 726 www.mphyd.com

McDermott Light & Signal 1052 www.mcdermottlight.com

McRae Marine Electric & Electronics 1244 www.mcraeelectric.com

MDL ApS 1048

MER Equipment, Inc. 1121 https://www.merequipment.com

Michelli Weighing & Measurement 647 www.michelli.com

Michigan Wheel 724 www.miwheel.com

Miller-Leaman, Inc. 439 www.millerleaman.com

Millner-Haufen Tool Company 1152 www.millnertools.com

Mitsubishi Marine Engine 1413 www.mitsubishi-engine.com

Motion & Flow Control Products, Inc. 801 www.mfcpinc.com Motive Power Marine 950 https://www.motivepowermarine.com/ Mountain Pacific Bank 612 www.mp.bank

MSHS/Pacific Power Group 1113 www.pacificpowergroup.com/marine Mustad Autoline Inc 821 www.mustadautoline.com

Northern Lights 813

www.northern-lights.com

Northline Seafoods 350 www.northlineseafoods.com

NorthScope 1168 myfoodsoftware.com

Northwest Pump 351 www.nwpump.com

Notus Electronics Ltd 1124 www.notus.ca

Nutriom, LLC 4231

ovaeasy.com/pages/helping-to-feed-theworld-by-reducing-food-waste

OEG Offshore Inc 528 www.oegoffshore.com

Oregon Fishermen's Cable Committee 633

www.ofcc.com

PACCAR Winch 239 www.paccarwinch.com

Pacific Boat Brokers Inc 403 www.pacificboatbrokers.com

Pacific Fishermen Shipyard & Electric 1221 www.pacificfishermen.com

Pacific Marine Center 810 www.pacmarinecenter.com

Pacific Marine Equipment LLC 700 www.PMESeattle.com

Pacific Net & Twine Ltd 852 www.pacificnetandtwine.com

Pacific Pipe and Pump 551 www.pacificpipeandpump.com

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission 346 www.psmfc.org/

Pacific West Refrigeration 415 www.pacificwestrefrigeration.com

Palmer Johnson Power Systems 1215 www.pjpower.com

Panel Components & Systems 911 www.pc-s.com

Peoples Bank 1221 www.peoplesbank-wa.com

Performance Contracting Inc 750 www.pcg.com

Petro Marine Services 607 www.petromarineservices.com

Petro Star Inc. dba North Pacific Fuel 4221 www.petrostar.com

PFI Marine Electric 1221 www.pfielectric.com

Philadelphia Gear, Power Systems by Timken 1141

www.philagear.com

Phoenix Lighting 1030 www.phoenixlighting.com

Platypus Marine, Inc. 632 www.platypusmarine.com

Pole Star Maritime, LLC 2601 www.psmaritime.com

Polyform Norway 1034 www.polyform.no

Port of Bellingham 2605 www.portofbellingham.com

Port of Port Angeles 950 www.portofpa.com

Port of Port Townsend 515 www.portofpt.com

Port of Seattle 2600 www.portseattle.org

Port of Seward 4217 www.seward.com

Port of Toledo Shipyard 749 www.portoftoledo.org/shipyard

Port Townsend Shipwrights Co-op 514 www.ptshipwrights.com

PPG Protective & Marine Coatings 535 www.ppgmc.com

Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council 4321 www.pwsrcac.org

Project Gabe/AMSEA 4314 https://www.amsea.org/opioids

Fernstrum &

https://www.fernstrum.com

www.swwilson.com Saeplast Americas Inc. 1025 https://americas.saeplast.com/

www.schaefferoil.com

PACIFIC MARINE EXPO

2024 Exhibitor Listings

SCHC 826

https://schci.com/

SCHOTTEL, Inc. and Elkon Integration 901 www.schottel.com

Seakeeper 1150 www.seakeeper.com

Sea-Mountain Insurance 609 www.sea-mountain.com

Seaspan Shipyards 907 www.Seaspan.com

Seattle Fishermen's Memorial 547 www.seattlefishermensmemorial.org

Seattle Marine & Fishing Supply Co 315 www.seamar.com/products

Seattle Tarp, Inc. 331 www.seattletarp.com

ShipConstructor USA Inc 1008 www.ssi-corporate.com

Ships Machinery International Inc 625 www.shipsmachinery.com

Silverback Marine 1146

Sinex Solutions 1424 www.sinexsolutions.com

SI-TEX Marine/Koden Electronics 1132 www.si-tex.com

Snow & Company, Inc. 600 www.snowboatbuilding.com

Sopow Art 1160

Sound Propeller Services 1238 https://www.soundprop.com

Spears Manufacturing Company 527 www.spearsmfg.com

Specified Technologies Inc. 542 www.stimarine.com

Spurs Marine Manufacturing Inc 539 www.spursmarine.com

Stabbert Marine & Industrial LLC 1009 www.stabbertmaritime.com

Standard Calibrations Inc 538 www.standardcal.com

Star Rentals 825

www.starrentals.com

Stormline Gear 708 www.stormlinegear.com

Strapack 534 www.strapack.com

Sure Marine Service Inc 1101 www.suremarineservice.com

System Incorporated 1242 systemseattle.com

Tacoma Boat 1346 tacomaboatsales.com

Tahma Boots 1166 https://www.tahmaboots.com/

Technical Marine & Industrial 551 www.tmigreen.com

Technical Marine and Industrial, LLC 551 www.tmigreen.com

Thrustmaster of Texas Inc 926 www.thrustmaster.net

Thundercat Marketing 708 www.thundercatmarketing.com

Thyboron Trawldoor 751 www.trawldoor.dk

Toura Boat Craft 1430

Transfluid LLC 1533 www.transfluid.us

Transport Products and Service Enterprises, Inc. 1207 www.tpsemarine.com

Trident Seafoods 721 www.tridentseafoods.com

Tunnel Radio of America, Inc. 1010 www.tunnelradio.com

TWG Tulsa Winch - LANTEC and Pullmaster Brands 932 www.dovertwg.com

Twin Disc Inc. 1215 www.twindisc.com

U.S. Navy 4115 www.goaeis.com

2024

WESMAR - Western Marine Electronics 931

https://www.inov8vmarine.com

Western Group (The) 838 www.thewesterngroup.com

Whistle Workwear 3005 www.whistleworkwear.com

Whittier Seafood 4230 www.whittierseafood.com

Woods Hole Group 910 woodsholegroup.com

Wrangell Port & Harbors 4325 www.wrangell.com

Xiamen ECO Sources Technology Co, LTD

DBa Eco-Sources-USA 808 eco-sources-usa.com

Xiamen Rich Fishing Nets Co., Ltd 413 www.richan.cn

FOCUS Matt Nichols

Continued from page 15

year lead on the rest of the industry,” said Justin Nichols, Bryan’s brother and co-president. “That was nice to be in that pole position. We were the premier aluminum boatbuilder for high-speed catamaran passenger boats.”

X-CRAFT

The vessel Matt is most proud of is the X-Craft, an experimental, highspeed aluminum catamaran built in the early 2000s for the Navy. The 262'x72' vessel was designed by Nigel Gee and Associates in the UK and powered by a combined gas turbine and diesel propulsion system.

“We had built a lot of catamarans at that point but never put in a gas turbine before,” said Matt. “With two GE gas turbines and two 16-cylinder MTU diesels, the X-Craft had 68,000 horsepower. And we never had installed a CODOG (combined diesel and gas) gearbox system before. That was quite a feat to do that. But, you know, it went smooth the whole time even with people doubting us all the way.” Not only did the X-Craft pass muster with the Navy and the Coast Guard, it was also ABS classed.

“Matt has been a great innovator,” said Greg Bombard, owner of three Nichols-built catamarans and CEO of Los Angeles-based Catalina Express “He’s also thorough, and when he tells

you he’s going to do something, he goes and does it. Compliments to him and his crew. They’ve always done a really good job. He was a great shipyard owner.”

Nichols hasn't owned the company since 2007, when the family-owned company went bankrupt following what Matt describes as a “perfect storm” of financial problems that hit them at the same time. The assets were purchased by an investment group and the yard is now owned by Drum Capital Management LLC. Even though Matt was no longer an owner, or even CEO, he stayed at the yard as vice

president of sales for

Both Matt’s sons credit their father with developing a family atmosphere at the yard. His door was always open. He knew all the names of the men and women who worked at the yard. He helped them out if they needed it. For years, the company has been the largest private employer in Island County. Hundreds of family-wage jobs have helped sustain the local economy for years.

The company has sponsored Little League teams, helped build a local playground and refurbished a nearby church steeple.

Beyond the island, Matt Nichols’s reputation is similarly solid. “I have never run across anyone who has said that ‘dirty rat bastard’ about Matt,” said Keith Whittemore, former partner and CEO of Kvichak Marine, Seattle. Kvichak and Nichols teamed up on several builds for the San Francisco area. “He was honest, trustworthy, fair and funny, and that’s a pretty damn good combo.”

He’s also not yet done with boatbuilding. Soon after officially leaving his waterfront office at Nichols Brothers, he started consulting with Snow & Co. in Seattle, opening doors, making introductions, helping develop marketing strategies.

“He’s always going,” said Bryan. “He’s always on the move.”

Bruce Buls

Nichols says the X-Craft was his favorite project.

another 17 years.

The X-Craft is powered by two gas turbines and two 16-cylinder diesel engines. Bruce

Buls

Golden Alaska Seafoods has open positions on the

Wheelhouse positions: Captain, Mate, Purser Engine Room positions: Chief Engineer, 1st Assistant, 2nd Assistant, Oiler, Fishmeal Technician

Galley positions: Chief Steward, Cook, Prep Cook, Galley Assistant, Housekeeper

Deck positions: Bosun, Deck Boss, Deckhand, Deckhand Trainee

Factory positions: Baader Technician, Surimi Technician, Quality Control, Foreman, Factory Mechanic, Processor

Alaska Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k) EOE and Drug Free Company

Please apply online at: www.goldenalaska.com

McAllister Towing, “Leading the Way” for over 150 years, Has positions available: Captains, Mates, Engineers, AB & OS Deckhands

 Captains: Need a minimum of 200 Ton Near Coastal License with Master of Towing, 1600 ton preferred, with a valid TWIC, USCG Medical Certificate, NY harbor experience is preferred. Coastwise towing experience on wire tugs and /or Tractor tug experience is a plus

 Mates: Need a minimum of 200 ton Near Coastal License with Mate of Towing, 1600 ton preferred, with a valid TWIC, USCG Medical Certificate, NY harbor experience is preferred. Coastwise towing experience on wire tugs and /or Tractor tug experience is a plus

 Engineers: Need a valid MMC, TWIC, USCG Medical Certificate, We prefer a Licensed Engineer with Tug experience, but will consider unlicensed personnel that have tug experience.

Send resumes to: revans@mcallistertowing.com or employment@mcallistertowing.com

Or apply online at: https://www.mcallistertowing.com/aboutmcallister/employment-opportunities

Showcase your product in the next edition of WorkBoat and reach a targeted audience. Don't miss out on this opportunity to connect with industry professionals and enhance your visibility. Contact: Wendy Jalbert wjalbert@divcom.com

Based in Port Arthur, TX

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.

LOOKS BACK

DECEMBER 1964

• The nation's businessmen are taking a look at what's happening on the inland rivers, and they obviously like what they see, for they are putting their money on the line to locate their plants and facilities along our waterways. In the stretch of the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge, La., and New Orleans, U.S. industry, so far this year, has unveiled plans to build nothing less

than $400 million worth of new chemical plants.

• The Marine Aluminum Committee of the Aluminum Association, Box 1845, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10017, has issued a revised guide for painting aluminum boats.

DECEMBER 1984

• A $290,000 NASA contract has been awarded to Harbor Boat Building Co., Terminal Island, Calif., for the conversion of a U.S. Navy YFNB into a Space Vehicle Transportation barge.

DECEMBER 1974

• Moss Point Marine Inc., recently christened and launched the Argosy Navigator, the fourth of ve 181'x40'x14' supply boats being built by the Escatawpa, Miss.-based yard for Argosy Offshore Ltd., Lafayette, La. The all-steel boat is powered by two Caterpillar 3512 engines developing a total of 2,400 hp. The Cats drive two 80"x63", 4-bladed propellers through Caterpillar reverse/reduction gears on

• The state of Alaska is currently soliciting bids from shipyards for the construction of a 235' passenger/ vehicle ferry which will be similar to the Le Conte. Last May the Le Conte was delivered to the state by Peterson Builders Inc., Sturgeon Bay, Wis., after making a 9,300-mile delivery voyage. The new vessel as well as the Le Conte, was designed by Nickum & Spaulding Associates Inc., Seattle, and will be capable of transporting 47 passenger cars or 14 40' vans and 15 automobiles

on the main deck. Facilities for 250 passengers will be provided on the upper and superstructure decks.

• Ashland Oil Inc., Ashland, Ky., and Levingston Shipbuilding Co., Orange, Texas, have agreed in principle to the acquisition of Levingston by Ashland. Levingston earned a net pro t of $4.4 million from sales of $59 million during the past scal year. Livingston constructs offshore drilling rigs.

a ratio of 5.11:1. The new boat has accommodations for 15.

• Midland Af liated Co., Cincinnati, has agreed in principle to acquire St. Louis-based Federal Barge Lines Inc. for an undisclosed price. This action comes on the heels of the controversial CSX/ACBL merger recently approved by the ICC. Midland currently operates on the Mississippi, Illinois, and Ohio rivers.

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