WorkBoat March 2025

Pushing Power

Propulsion is the backbone of working vessels

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FEATURES

12 Focus: Admiral Overboard!

Commandant Fagan is first casualty of focus on DEI.

14 Focus: The Highs and Lows

Marijuana testing lives in gray area for mariners.

18 Vessel Report: Cleaner Crossings

Ferry operators steer toward reducing emissions.

26 Cover Story: Power Point

Propulsion transforms a floating hull into a workboat.

BOATS & GEAR

22 On the Ways

• NSMV Lone Star State floated out • AAM building hybrid tour boat for Harbor Breeze Cruises • Wendella orders tour vessel from Burger Boat

• Brix Marine delivers RIB to Hawaii Nautical • Gladding-Hearn builds launch for Delaware Bay Pilots • RFP for Scripps research vessel • BAE Systems docks LPD 20 • SJSB building Hal Jones barge.

30 Methanol in the Mix

New dual-fuel diesel options are coming.

NEWS LOG

7 Illegal charter boat owner captain hit with 18-month prison sentence

7 River surge causes barge strike at Algiers Lock .

7 Ardito named president of Birdon America.

AT A GLANCE

8 On the Water: Always be ready to adapt

8 Capital Corridors: Trump's maritime moment.

9 Energy Level: U.S. must take long view.

9 Nor'easter: Panic and joy as Trump pauses wind power.

10 Inland Insider: DOE challenges maritime industry to clean up.

7 Corvus Energy to power world's first completely electric offshore vessel

10 Credentialing Insight: Coast Guard eliminates oath for new mariners.

11 Insurance Watch: Safety at work: An emotional issue.

11 Captain's Table: California harbor craft face daunting rules.

SAVE THE DATE

We want to hear from you

At WorkBoat, we strive to bring you the latest insights, industry trends, and real-world stories that matter to those working on the water. Whether it’s advances in shipbuilding and vessel design, regulatory challenges, or the economic forces shaping the maritime sector, our goal is to keep you informed and engaged. But great industry journalism isn’t just about what we write — it’s about the conversations we create. That’s where you come in.

We want to hear from you.

The U.S. workboat sector, from inland waterways to deepwater offshore, is constantly evolving, and no one knows that better than the people working in the eld every day. Your rsthand experiences, opinions, and concerns are what shape this industry, and they should help shape our coverage, too. Whether you agree with an article we’ve published, take issue with something we’ve reported, or have a perspective that isn’t being covered enough, we invite you to write to us.

Letters to the editor are a great way to share your voice with the broader WorkBoat community. They spark discussion, challenge assumptions, and bring new ideas to the forefront. And in an industry as vital and dynamic as ours, those conversations matter.

Maybe you have a strong opinion on a recent regulatory change, a personal story about working in extreme conditions, insights into how new technology is affecting operations, or a suggestion about stories we should be exploring. Whatever it is, we want to hear it. No topic is too big or too small.

Eric Haun, Executive Editor ehaun@divcom.com

You can email your letters to ehaun@divcom.com, and we’ll publish selected letters in our Mail Bag section in upcoming issues and online at WorkBoat.com to help keep the conversation going. To be published, letters must include the writer’s name, address and a daytime phone number.

This month’s issue contains stories on a number of thought-provoking topics, from changes at the Coast Guard and drug test mandates, to alternative fuels and emissions reduction efforts. I’m curious to hear your thoughts on these subjects.

Your voice is an essential part of WorkBoat, and we’re here to make sure it’s heard. So don’t just read — write.

Photo credited to Snow & Company

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EXECUTIVE EDITOR Eric Haun / ehaun@divcom.com

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Tim Akpinar • Capt. Alan Bernstein • Stehen Blakely

Dan Bookham • Arnie Brennaman • G. Allen Brooks

Bruce Buls • Michael Crowley • Jerry Fraser • Nate Gilman

Pamela Glass • Craig Hooper • Joel Milton • Chris Richmond

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MAIL BAG

AWO urges California regulatory change

Ina letter dated Jan. 30, 2025, Jennifer Carpenter, president and CEO, of The American Waterways Operators, wrote to California Gov. Gavin Newsom urging the withdrawal of the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) 2022 amendments to the Commercial Harbor Craft (CHC) rule after CARB withdrew its request to enforce emissions rules for the state’s truck and rail industries on Jan. 13. “This decision to withdraw emissions rules with the exception of those for the maritime industry places vessel operators at a competitive disadvantage — one that will cripple California’s marine sector and economy and threaten both mariner safety and the environment,” she wrote.

“These amendments require the installation of diesel particulate lters

(DPFs), among other requirements, on board vessels even though no such technology certi ed as suitable for marine vessels currently exists,” Carpenter wrote. “The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has expressed safety concerns over the installation of this technology, and CARB has failed to consider the repeated concerns about DPFs expressed by the USCG, vessel owners, and maritime labor unions.”

DPFs have been known to catch re on trucks, and such incidents on vessels would create a severe safety hazard, Carpenter wrote. Additionally, there are only ve drydocks in California capable of handling retro t work, which, combined with supply chain delays and signi cant equipment costs, would make compliance dif cult, she added.

Carpenter called for collaboration between industry stakeholders and regulators to devise a practical solution: “What the industry is asking for

is not, ‘do nothing, leave us alone,’ but rather, ‘let us work with you to devise an approach that works from a safety standpoint and that reduces emissions in a meaningful way.’ We share that goal. We can get there together.”

“This is an industry that's willing to put its money where its mouth is and make big changes. We want to be part of the process, and we want to do it right,” Carpenter said.

The full letter can be read here: tinyurl.com/AWOLettertoNewsom

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: ehaun@divcom.com

Illegal charter boat's owner hit with 18-month prison sentence

In July of 2022, 13 passengers climbed aboard the 27' vessel Stimulus Money for a ride along the Hudson River It's not clear as to whether the passengers were aware that the boat was not equipped to handle that many passengers, or, in fact, if they knew the vessel was not a licensed charter boat.

Somehow, as the boat was running at high speed in high winds and heavy seas, Stimulus Money capsized, dumping all 13 passengers into the river, two of whom drowned — a seven-year-old boy and a 48-year-old woman.

The New Jersey boat owner, Richard Cruz, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison on Jan. 30 after pleading guilty for his role in the tragic accident. Cruz was also ned $50,000.

Cruz was not arrested until March 2024 along with the operator of the vessel, Jaime Pinilla Gomez, and charged with one count of misconduct and neglect of a ship of cer resulting in death, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Charges are still pending against Gomez.

Coast Guard Sector New York and the Coast Guard Investigative Service investigated the incident into suspected illegal passenger operations, nding the vessel did not possess the required Certi cate of Inspection and the operator did not have the required Coast Guard-issued merchant mariner credential to operate a passenger vessel. The Coast Guard referred the case to the U.S. Attorney’s Of ce for the Southern District of New York for further consideration in potential criminal prosecution. No information about whether the passengers knew they were chartering an unlicensed boat has been reported.

“My deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of those affected by this preventable accident,” Capt. Jon Andrechik, the Captain of the Port of New York, said in a prepared statement. “Vessel operator licensing and safety regulations are in place to ensure customers that are trying to enjoy a day on the water can do so safely. Disregarding these regulations can have tragic consequences as we saw in this case. I thank the personnel from Coast Guard Sector New York, Coast Guard Investigative Service, and the U.S. Attorney’s Of ce."

News Bitts

River surge causes barge strike at Algiers Lock, NTSB reports

Surging water from the Mississippi River led to a 2023 barge strike on a gate at Algiers Lock in New Orleans, according to a new report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The Algiers Lock connects the Mississippi River to a network of inland waterways. On July 4, 2023, the towing vessel Kitty was pushing two loaded tank barges into the Algiers Lock during low water conditions. NTSB said the tow surged within the lock chamber and the lead barge struck one of the lock gates. The contact did not result in any injuries or pollution. The NTSB found the surge was likely due to wake eff ects from deep draft ships transiting the river.

Ardito named president of Birdon America

Australia's

Birdon Group announced it has hired maritime industry veteran Tony Ardito as president of its U.S. arm, Birdon America . Ardito joins Birdon as the company expands its U.S. programs and presence, including leading the U.S. Coast Guard Waterways Commerce Cutter shipbuilding program. Birdon operates fi ve production facilities across North America.

Corvus Energy to power world's first completely electric off shore vessel

Corvus Energy, Nesttun, Norway, will deliver a mega-size battery system for the fi rst fully electric off shore vessel ever built. The boat is an electric commissioning service operation vessel that will be constructed by Armon Shipyard in Spain for the U.K.-based shipowner Bibby Marine Ltd. Corvus will supply its Blue Whale battery energy storage system delivering close to 25MWh of power for the vessel.

The illegal charter boat, Stimulus Money, capsized in the Hudson River in 2022, killing two.

On the Water

Always be ready to adapt

BY JOEL MILTON

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

There are many variables, and more variables upon those variables, that ultimately dictate the decisions we make every day operating conventional tugs and tank barges. The better operators are comfortable with that variability — the not knowing, the ambiguity — and can cope with the inevitable contradictions without losing their cool.

The play is called an hour ahead of time by the captain: from towing astern to picking up the light barge alongside, heads-and-tails, on the tug’s starboard side. The tug and barge crews ready their respective decks for the planned evolution.

The towing make-up, alongside (port or starboard, stern or bow-first), or pushing is determined by the barge’s charac-

Capital Corridors

Trump’s maritime moment

FBY CRAIG HOOPER

Dr. Craig Hooper is the founder and CEO of the Themistocles Advisory Group, a consulting firm specializing in maritime and national security strategy. He has been a keen observer of navies and coast guards for over two decades.

or America’s waterfront, the Trump administration remains a mystery. As a campaigner, President Donald Trump’s political signaling thrilled maritime industry stakeholders, and, as the administration gets underway, an exuberant maritime sector expects good things. But it won’t be easy or entirely fun.

Even though the new administration’s National Security Advisor, former Congressman Michael Waltz, was a primary driver of the SHIPS for America Act, the administration will be tempted to prioritize painless performative fluff over the hard work of getting America’s maritime back on track.

Put another way, it was far easier to fire Adm. Linda Fagan, the Coast Guard’s first female commandant — which Trump did on day one — than it will be to really fix America’s troubled and chronically underfunded Coast Guard.

Painful tradeoffs are looming. Take the coastal wind farm industry, once envisioned as a big driver of maritime employment. President Trump’s first executive orders halted new offshore wind leases in federal waters and put existing leases

teristics and where it’s going, as well as the environmental conditions. Depending on the dock’s location and configuration, and the specific manifold connection to be used for the product being loaded or discharged, the barge may need to go in, or against, one way or the other. Sometimes it doesn’t matter and it could go either way for that transfer, but even if that’s the case you also need to think about both your departure and how it needs to go at the next berth if it’s a local dock-to-dock, dock-to-ship, or ship-to-dock move.

The tug has slowed to bare steerage and the barge has been reeled in short. It’s almost time to flip around on the barge when the phone rings. It’s dispatch with a berth change for the barge: now it’s going to the same pier but on the opposite side. At this pier, the barges must go bow-in at both berths, so now you have to immediately switch sides. Time to “call an audible.”

Despite all the variables, you still have only three real possibilities: alongside to port, alongside to starboard, or pushing. You might be disconnecting the tow wire immediately or later. And that’s it. You make sure to be ready for all three towing options each time, so if the play must change it’s no big deal to adapt, because adapt we must.

And it’s surely not for everybody.

under review. The entire sector, which was expected to bring some 77,000 workers into maritime by 2030, is in disarray.

Of course, simultaneous reinvigoration of the offshore drilling industry — a Trump administration priority — can offset wind farm losses. But any sustained conversion of lost offshore wind jobs into the boom-bust offshore drilling industrial base will only come with a solid increase in the price of oil. That didn’t happen in the first Trump administration. Between January 2017 and January 2021, the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil only broached the $70-abarrel price point a few times. This time, increased oil prices, potentially coming in conjunction with a Canadian trade war, are likely to cause pain elsewhere in the maritime economy.

The threat of global trade warfare creates risk for the U.S. maritime industry. Tariff-driven cargo disruption, without compensatory efforts at using tariff exemptions to jump-start U.S. shipbuilding, may strain America’s waterfront.

On the shipbuilding side, President Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in growing the Navy, but he hasn’t done a lot to push the Navy to produce. Trump has made his concerns about programmatic delays clear, but he has no record of killing troubled shipbuilding programs. While he regularly criticized the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier program, he did little to constrain the program. In the 2024 campaign, Trump both celebrated and criticized the behind-schedule and over-budget Constellation-class frigates.

So, how can the industry do well during the Trump administration? There’s no easy answer other than to buckle up, be ready to exploit transient opportunities, and make it easy for the administration to sweep in and champion your business.

Energy Level

U.S. must take long view

OneBY G. ALLEN BROOKS

G. Allen Brooks is an energy analyst. In his over-50year career in energy and investment, he has served as an energy security analyst, oil service company manager, and a member of the board of directors for several oilfield service companies.

of the first executive orders signed by newly inaugurated President Donald Trump was to declare an “energy emergency.” Many pundits believe it was to support the “drill, baby, drill” mantra Trump campaigned on, even mentioning it in his inaugural speech. The pundits say we have plenty of oil and gas supplies; adding supply would worsen the global oversupply. They are missing the key point of the emergency action.

The EO makes several points critical to understanding its purpose and objective. It declares that our energy and critical minerals industries are “far too inadequate to our nation’s needs.” Addressing this inadequacy is crucial for energy prices, which impact those living on low and fixed incomes, and our military preparedness.

The U.S. is struggling to meet the growing need for more electricity-generating capacity, which is only part of our economy’s challenge. Selecting which fuels should power our economy in the future must become a priority that assesses the fuels in the context of their environmental, cost, and reliability impacts. For the past four years, energy policy has prioritized only the environment.

We need more pipelines to move our substantial domestic natural gas resources and refined petroleum products. That shortage creates significant regional economic issues, including electricity price increases and automotive fuel costs. California demonstrates what happens when environmental restrictions shut down domestic production and refining capacity. The state is more dependent on imported crude oil and refined products, which increases its economic and social vulnerability.

New England and other regions suffer in the winter when the natural gas powering electric generators is diverted to home heating. Utilities turn to expensive LNG or restart oil- and coal-fired generators. Seasonally, a more balanced energy market will reduce consumer bills, especially their volatility.

The energy emergency is the initial step in mobilizing the American will to address our long-term economic, energy, and environmental needs. Over-regulation of the energy industry must be addressed. The American will must evolve into the drive that won World War II. The technology and manufacturing processes that drove our victory delivered the greatest peacetime economic and lifestyle boom in America’s history. That is Trump’s energy emergency goal.

Nor’easter

Panic and joy as Trump pauses wind power

FacedBY KIRK MOORE

Contributing Editor Kirk Moore, with over 30 years of experience, joined WorkBoat in 2015. He has won multiple awards for his marine, environmental, and military reporting.

with a complete reversal in its fortunes with the election of President Donald Trump, the U.S. offshore wind industry is pitching its economic contributions to U.S. shipbuilding, steel, and construction.

Trump’s flood of executive orders starting Jan. 20 were delivered like a swift wrestling slam of the renewable energy industry by its foes in legacy fossil fuel. Within hours, the new administration announced a six-month pause of wind leasing and permitting, and its intent to expand oil and gas drilling.

Wind power advocates argued the 180-degree turn would be a setback to longtime, “all of the above” national energy strategies under both Republican and Democratic administrations.

“The contradiction between the energy-focused executive orders is stark: while on one hand the administration seeks to reduce bureaucracy and unleash energy production, on the other it increases bureaucratic barriers, undermining domestic energy development and harming American businesses and workers,” said Jason Grumet, CEO of the industry group American Clean Power.

The Trump orders could also restrict onshore wind power development. “The possibility that the federal government could seek to actively oppose energy production by American companies on private land is at odds with our nation’s character as well as our national interests,” said Grumet.

“Today’s executive order pausing offshore wind leasing and permitting is a blow to the American offshore wind industry and hurts the hundreds of U.S. supply chain companies and thousands of workers already building more American energy,” said Liz Burdock, president and CEO of the Oceantic Network.

“Under a national energy emergency, created by a rise in unprecedented energy demand, curtailing a power source capable of providing base load generation and creating new jobs across 40 states is baffling,” Burdock said. “Today’s actions threaten to strand $25 billion already flowing into new ports, vessels, and manufacturing centers, and curtail future investments across our country.”

While some reactions in the U.S. industry bordered on panic, European wind developers expressed hope that support from East Coast states and their growing electricity demands can withstand Trump’s attack. Meanwhile, offshore wind project opponents rejoiced.

Inland Insider

DOE challenges maritime industry clean up

InBY PAMELA GLASS

Pamela Glass is the Washington, D.C., correspondent for WorkBoat. She reports on the decisions and deliberations of congressional committees and federal agencies that affect the maritime industry.

December, the Department of Energy released an action plan for “Maritime Energy and Emissions Innovation” that calls for inland waterways vessels to transition completely from fossil fuels to clean energy by 2050.

Under the plan’s timeline for what it calls “harbor craft,” 10% of coastal and inland vessels would use sustainable maritime fuels by 2030, 70% by 2040, and 100% by 2050.

Decarbonization of the maritime industry is a complex task, involving more than vessel engine fuels. It also requires heavy investments in port infrastructure to accommodate new fuels and the vessels that use them, research into new energy technologies, training workers to operate and handle vessels that use non-fossil fuels, and ramping up shipyards to construct low-emission vessels, the report said.

Credentialing Insight

Coast Guard eliminates oath for new mariners

BY NATE GILMAN

Nate Gilman, president of MM-SEAS USCG Licensing Software, uses his hawsepiping experience to support mariners and workforce development. Connect on LinkedIn.

The Coast Guard removed one more barrier to becoming a professional mariner. New mariners no longer need to take an oath in front of a notary public or a Coast Guard official.

Before Dec. 17, 2024, mariners interested in joining the maritime industry were required to take an oath in front of a notary public or a Coast Guard official, which meant finding a notary willing to administer the oath. This proved to be difficult for mariners and often involved a visit to a FedEx office, a bank, or a realtor whom the mariner had never met and had no connection to the maritime industry. Taking time off work to take the oath was a hidden expense that factored into the equation and contributed to this barrier. Officially, the Coast Guard determined that requiring an

As part of what DOE calls a “Sustainable Maritime Fuel Challenge,” the 148-page plan also sets targets for when newbuild vessels will be powered by clean energies and when ports will be equipped to handle new fuel technologies.

It acknowledges that the maritime industry is highly diverse in the kinds of vessels and services they provide — from oceangoing ships to ferries and towboats — and that a national strategy must reflect the differing needs of these fleets as they move away from fossil fuels.

For example, the plan notes that towing vessels would likely use alternative liquid fuels such as renewable diesel, methanol, or ammonia over electrification because they travel longer distances and have less access to charging or refueling stations. “Requiring more frequent charging and refueling to support electrification and hydrogen could significantly disrupt freight movement,” the report said.

The American Waterways Operators provided input during the plan’s development and “successfully advocated for DOE to focus on methods of support and collaboration instead of prescriptive technological or emission requirements.”

It’s not yet clear whether the Trump administration will support these decarbonization goals, which were developed by the Biden administration. The new president has strongly voiced his preference for fossil fuels and has said he will dismantle many of Biden’s climate change policies.

oath before an authorized official was a redundant step in the original Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) application process. Mariners already sign the Application for Merchant Mariner Credential (Form CG-719B), where an individual attests to “solemnly swearing or affirming” to abide by the requirements of the oath, which legally binds them. Therefore, the Coast Guard has decided that no additional requirement before an authorized official is necessary.

“It’s great to see the Coast Guard taking steps to modernize their processes while removing barriers to entry for mariners to join the workforce,” said Jonathan Kabak, executive director of Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island, a maritime workforce development program in Rhode Island.

Removing this step in the application process will save the estimated 13,951 new mariners obtaining their first MMC each year both time and money.

In addition to removing the oath, the Coast Guard should be celebrated for the incredible number of rule changes and updates aimed at making the maritime industry more accessible. In 2024 the service centralized its email submission system, removed paying by check, authorized digital signatures for CG-718A (Certificates of Discharge) forms, set up automated email responses so applicants can be confident their submissions have been received, extended call center hours so that West Coast mariners can ask questions, and began implementing process improvements by only accepting complete and accurate MMC applications.

Insurance Watch

Safety at work: An emotional issue

BY DAN BOOKHAM

Dan Bookham is a vice president with Allen Insurance & Financial. He specializes in longshore, offshore and shipyard risk. He can be reached at 1-800-236-4311 or dbookham@allenif.com.

Workplace safety is both a physical concern and a complex emotional issue with far-reaching consequences for individuals, teams, and organizations. A comprehensive approach to workplace safety must address emotional factors otherwise it is doomed to fail. A “hearts and minds” approach to keeping your people safe is always going to pay more dividends than dutifully checking boxes without investment in the philosophy behind your safety culture. Should this all seem a bit too touchy-feely, consider the following. Safety at work is undeniably an emotional issue because human drivers of connection and fear underpin the decisions made every day that could imperil life and limb. On the individual level, this translates to a basic fear of loss. It is human nature to fear injury, illness, and death. This fear can be paralyzing or motivating, depending on how it is managed. We worry about teammates, as employees often form strong bonds with coworkers, creating a sense of family and community. The safety of colleagues becomes a deeply personal matter, driven by love and care. More than anything

Captain’s Table

California harbor craft face daunting rules

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.

M any watch California for trends that lead the nation.

Most recently, this fact has risen in the form of alarming emissions regulations affecting small passenger vessels, towboats, and other commercial vessels that the state calls “harbor craft.” It warrants the attention of all of us.

More than a decade ago, the California Air Resource Board (CARB) enacted rules requiring harbor craft to be upgraded with lower-emitting engines. In 2022, CARB issued even tougher standards requiring diesels on existing vessels to be replaced with Tier 3 or 4 engines and zero-emissions propulsion systems on newbuilds by 2035. In many cases, this would force operators to completely scrap existing ves-

else, the instinct to protect oneself is primal. When safety is compromised, it triggers strong emotional responses related to survival and well-being which can set off a chain reaction of events that can amplify risks as much as lessen them.

Unsafe work environments can lead to chronic stress and anxiety, affecting employees’ mental health and overall quality of life, and the experience of trauma — for both injured individuals and colleagues who were present — can have lasting impacts and cause workers to lose trust in their employer and feel a diminished sense of control over their work environment. This, in turn, can lead to a doom loop of anger and frustration that fuels reckless behavior, increased risk-taking, and reduced attention to safety protocols.

But while negative emotions can spread rapidly through a workplace, creating a climate of fear and distrust that can hinder safety efforts, positive emotions are even more contagious and can boost morale, increase engagement, and promote a proactive approach to safety. When there is a supportive and collaborative safety culture that meets emotional needs in the workplace, we see improved communication, conflict resolution, and decision-making, all of which are powerful force-multipliers when it comes to reducing harm.

Emotions are a powerful force that can either enhance or hinder workplace safety. By understanding the impact of emotions, organizations can develop strategies to create a positive and safe work environment. Exploring and developing specific strategies that help you understand, manage, and mitigate the impact of emotion on safety culture in partnership with your workplace insurers is a smart way to benefit from the premium dollars you pay for your policies.

sels and undertake enormous replacement costs.

In January, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a required federal waiver for CARB to proceed with its rule despite a host of problems with the program.

California operators have long urged CARB to extend compliance deadlines, contending that they are unrealistic when considering the time required to retrofit and build vessels. In addition, unanswered questions remain about missed deadlines, potential penalties, and lost business. Further, while low-emission engines appear to be available, CARBrequired diesel particulate filters (DPF) are not yet commercially viable. The Coast Guard has gone on record stating its fire safety concerns relating to current DPF technology.

In 2024, the California legislature approved legislation that would have met industry concerns, but it was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. In February, the Passenger Vessel Association wrote to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin urging the agency to revoke its waiver. The American Waterways Operators has written to Gov. Newsom requesting that he rescind the CARB 2022 amendments.

While the drama unfolds, I encourage you to work with your own associations to support our California colleagues. What happens in California could affect us all.

FOCUS Coast Guard Leadership

CAdmiral Overboard!

Commandant Fagan is first casualty of focus on DEI.

By Kirk Moore, Associate Editor

oast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan was relieved of her post hours after President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, the rst in an anticipated purge of upper military ranks by his second administration.

Fagan, who in 2022 became the rst woman to lead a branch of the U.S. military, was relieved by Benjamine Huffman, President Trump’s interim homeland security secretary, according to news media and messages to Coast Guard members. Adm. Kevin E. Lunday was named acting commandant.

“Under my statutory authority as the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, I have relieved Adm. Linda L. Fagan of her duties as commandant of the United States Coast Guard. She has served a long and illustrious career, and I thank her for her service to our nation,” Huffman wrote in the announcement.

Citing unnamed of cials, Fox News reported that Trump administration of cials alleged Fagan failed to address border security issues and focused too much energy on Coast Guard diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. So-called DEI programs came under intense re from Trump during his presidential campaign and he has threatened widespread rings of senior

military leadership.

Huffman cited “leadership de ciencies, operational failures, and inability to advance the strategic objectives of the U.S. Coast Guard,” and Fagan’s allegedly excessive focus on DEI efforts.

One directive in Trump’s urry of executive orders ends DEI practices across federal agencies. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is similarly hostile and has in the past spoken of ring Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. and other top of cers.

Hegseth warmly greeted Brown at the Pentagon Jan. 27 when arriving for his rst full day in of ce. But the new secretary made his anti-diversity orders clear in a memo and social media posting: “The President’s guidance (lawful orders) is clear: No more DEI at @DeptofDefense.The Pentagon will comply, immediately. No exceptions, name-changes, or delays.”

Fagan critics claim she mishandled Operation Fouled Anchor, the Coast Guard’s internal probe investigating sexual assault and harassment at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. between 1988 and 2006. The investigation

Adm. Linda Fagan salutes while boarding USCGC Calhoun after its commissioning in North Charleston, S.C., on April 20, 2024.

closed in 2020 under former commandant Adm. Karl Schultz but was withheld from Congress and the public until 2023 over privacy concerns, and Fagan apologized for the delay.

The Coast Guard was also accused of withholding information from a congressional investigation into the branch’s response to sexual misconduct.

Fagan’s defenders included retired Coast Guard officers and senior chiefs who served with her, and several took to social media to praise her character and leadership.

Retired Adm. Thad Allen, commandant from 2006 to 2010, told Military. com in a prepared statement that Fagan is a leader with “character and integrity.”

“She has faced the most difficult challenges in a responsible, forthright and forward-looking manner…Always acting in the best interest of the service,” said Allen. “Her dismissal is not a matter of her performance. It is political performance. One that should cause great concern for current and future military leaders.”

Other Coast Guard veterans criticized Fagan for withholding the Operation Fouled Anchor (OFA) investigative reports from Congress.

“Sexual assault is a crime. It’s a crime that should be prosecuted and for the first time in history a service chief was fired for not doing her job to address this crime,” K. Denise Rucker Krepp, a former chief counsel to the Maritime Administration, wrote in a Jan. 24 commentary in Military Times.

“It was the first time in 18 months since OFA was uncovered that an admiral was held accountable and that’s a good thing.”

The Coast Guard has also faced scrutiny for allegations of racism and hazing.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., called the ouster of Fagan “appalling” and suggested she was being scapegoated by the new administration.

“You're going to fire her over the fact that she wanted to clean up a mess created on a previous watch,” Cantwell said in a CNN interview. “It’s the wrong decision."

Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth on Jan. 27 directed: “The President’s guidance (lawful orders) is clear: No more DEI at @DeptofDefense.The Pentagon will comply, immediately. No exceptions, name-changes, or delays.”

During her annual State of the Coast Guard address in March 2024, Fagan spoke of the work to repair the Coast Guard’s culture.

“Today we are working aggressively to prevent abuses, listen to and support victims and survivors, and strengthen the service’s culture and commitment to our core values,” she said. Fagan told how the Coast Guard adopted new policies to encourage victims to come forward, hired a victim advocate, the first ever in a military service, and improved training throughout the workforce.

“We are embarking on a long-term initiative to strengthen our service culture,” Fagan said. “We do not approach this work lightly or with the belief that it will be quick or easy. Strengthening

our culture demands consistent work and long-term commitment, and our values must always be reflected in our daily actions and traditions.”

Social media image via X

Trump administration officials alleged Fagan has failed to do enough on border security. The Coast Guard was immediately pulled into new efforts to deport undocumented immigrants, in addition to its years of seemingly endless at-sea interdictions.

On Jan. 25 Coast Guard air crews “conducted several Alien Expulsion Flight Operations between California and Texas, in coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” according to a statement. Photos released by the Coast Guard included an image of shackled detainees seated in a C-130 aircraft.

Led by the Coast Guard 11th District in California, the service is drawing on assets and personnel from across the nation to support the Department of Homeland Security operation.

The Coast Guard is moving illegal immigrants “to designated locations in Texas and California, where the Department of Defense will transport the aliens internationally,” according to Coast Guard officials.

The use of military C-17 and C-130 aircraft was “deeply alarming, potentially unconstitutional, and a blatant abuse of presidential power. What is worse is the Posse Comitatus Act explicitly prohibits using active-duty military personnel for domestic law enforcement functions,” said Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif.

“The American people deserve answers about what legal authority the Department of Defense utilized to authorize these activities, if the DoD is respecting the laws and norms prohibiting the use of the military for domestic policing activity, and what impacts these diversions will have on our national defense readiness,” said Garamendi. “It is imperative they do so promptly, considering critical resources are being diverted from supporting the firefighting efforts in Southern California and the multiple threats from adversaries in the Pacific theater and others around the world.”

Detainees on board a Coast Guard aircraft Jan. 25 awaited transfers between California and Texas before deportation.

Coast Guard

The Highs and Lows

Marijuana testing lives in a gray area for mariners.

By Bruce Buls, Editor at Large

speci cally marijuana, which refers to parts or products from the plant that contain substantial amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is used by about 17.7 million people every day or nearly every day, while alcohol is imbibed at a similar rate by only 14.7 million. So, while there are more beer-and-booze people than bud-and-bong people in the U.S., about 35% of American cannabis users have a DND habit. For alcohol, less than 10% drink daily. This makes smoking weed more like smoking cigarettes than drinking.

That this is happening is no surprise given the rapid rise of cannabis legalization and decriminalization by numerous states. A product that was underground for decades began to emerge publicly when medical use began in the 1990s followed by recreational legalization in Colorado and Washington in 2012. Since then, a cascade of states have opened the doors to retail operations selling smokable, drinkable and edible products with a varying amount of THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis that produces the intoxication and mind-altering effects. Since legalization began, legal products have become much more potent. There is no federal recognition of state-legal cannabis and thus no regulation through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Each state makes its own rules. At the moment, 23 states have full-blown pot shops, and about half of all Americans reside in states with legal marijuana. Only six states have yet to change their laws to at least allow some forms of medical marijuana.

While personal usage of cannabis is increasingly common, the policing of its use has become much more dif cult. The problem is testing. At this time, the only accepted method of testing for THC that satis es U.S. Department of Transportation and Coast Guard requirements is urine testing. There are other methods of testing for hair, saliva and blood, but urine testing is universal for transportation industries in the U.S.

The most popular drugs in America are caffeine, alcohol, and cannabis, in that order.

Caffeine, a psychoactive drug that stimulates the central nervous system, is the most widely used drug in the world. In the U.S., about 90% of adults (and many minors) regularly drink caffeinated beverages, often several times a day.

Alcohol is widely used by adults, of course, but the amount of the usage varies a great deal. According to a 2023 Survey on Drug Use and Health, 132 million adults ages 18 and older reported that they drank alcohol in the previous month. That’s about 50% of the adult population.

Fewer Americans — about 52 million, or 20% of the adult population — claim to have used cannabis in the previous year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet, its daily or near-daily usage (DND) has now surpassed that of alcohol. A study published last year in Addiction, a peer-reviewed journal, found that cannabis, and more

However, there are problems with urine testing. First, it’s dif cult to collect. The donor usually must be provided some privacy. Second, urine can be adulterated or swapped out. The DOT has a series of videos that show how to oversee and secure urine sample collection. (“Check inside any toiletpaper dispensers for hidden samples or adulterants and then tape shut the outside.”) For many employers, drug testing is provided by an outside contractor.

Third, urine testing is not reliable for detecting real-time impairment. In fact, THC lingers in the body for up to 30 days past ingestion. Because of this long lag-time, pre-employment drug testing may only reveal that an applicant smoked weed two or three weeks before the test. Recognizing this fact, state legislatures (e.g. Washington) and other governing bodies, like cities (e.g. Philadelphia) have made pre-employment cannabis testing unusable for hiring if the product is legal in that location, medically or recreationally.

Because marijuana is illegal under federal law, regular testing is mandated for employees under the auspices of the DOT or Coast Guard, regardless of the state, and the policy is zero tolerance. For those who test positive, the consequences can be serious: removal from safety-sensitive duties, termination

Maritime employers have found that drug-testing limits their ability to hire workers.

of employment, and/or revocation of merchant mariner credentials. Violators can appeal, but according to the Coast Guard, “mariners are still required to complete rehabilitation and show a year or more of negative drug tests before returning to service.”

Maritime operators under the supervision of the Coast Guard must do both pre-employment and random drug testing for all licensed employees. Each month, 50% of the affected workforce is subject to random selection to be tested. The same employee can be tested more than once because selected names are put back on the list. “We have a guy who got tested for about four months in a row,” said Capt. Alan Bernstein, owner of BB Riverboats, Newport, Ky. “He was wondering what they thought he had done, but it was just random.”

The boatbuilding business isn’t speci cally covered by DOT drug-testing policy, but because many of its jobs

Marijuana and Maritime

are safety-sensitive and because many yards have federal government contracts, shipyard employers usually do pre-employment drug tests. However, doing so

can severely limit hiring because many candidates don’t pass the urine test.

Statistics for this aren’t collected, but industry sources say the percentage of

The daily or near-daily use of cannabis now outpaces alcohol use.

Source: Wiley Online Library / Jonathan Caulkins

FOCUS Marijuana and Maritime

failure has been high in some areas, even in states where marijuana isn’t legal.

Once hired, though, shipyard workers are not necessarily subject to random drug testing, and employers may not be eager to check unless for cause. “If there’s an incident or an accident, or there’s a strong reason to believe that somebody’s under the in uence, then we test them,” said a Seattle-area shipyard

manager. When asked if he thinks any of the workers smoke pot from time to time, he responded, “Absolutely.” But he doesn’t want to risk losing good workers based on what they do during their time off. However, “If it’s a real safety concern, like dropping a crane load, that’s where there’s a hard line.”

In an emailed statement, another Washington-state boatbuilder, All

American Marine, Bellingham, said it is committed to a drug-free workplace “that balances our respect for individuals with the need to maintain an alcohol and drug-free environment.” The company also “has no intention of interfering with the private lives of its employees unless involvement with alcohol and other drugs off the job affects job performance.” The policy applies to everyone, including management.

solutions@sciencofast.com

Given the widely scattered legal landscape and the pervasive use of cannabis products, employers are increasingly frustrated by the status quo. The need for better testing is paramount. In a recent article in Forbes magazine reviewing cannabis legalization, Alonzo Martinez, senior contributor, concluded that “revisions to drug-testing panels are essential to align with state requirements and accommodate lawful marijuana use.”

Bernstein agrees. “I hear that new tests are being developed that will give much better information, and that’s what everybody is waiting for,” he said.

Suhash Harwani, senior science director at testing company Quest Diagnostics, wrote in an email that there are “emerging test methods to detect more recent use of marijuana,” but current testing can’t determine impairment. “Scientists and advocates are continuously discussing the ability to de ne what ‘impairment’ means related to marijuana use...There is currently no uni ed standard available to detect impairment for marijuana, including in blood.”

He said that his company is seeing more interest in saliva testing for marijuana and other drugs. Quest Diagnostics does offer “oral uid” tests, which can detect recent use of marijuana and other drugs, but so far urine testing is the only acceptable method on the federal level.

For professional mariners, the Coast Guard gets the nal word: “Unless and until the drug testing system changes, the best decision a mariner can make is to avoid using marijuana or any products derived from marijuana that may contain THC, such as [cannabidiol (CBD)] oil. The threat to maritime transportation and risk of career disaster are both too great to take the chance.”

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Cleaner Crossings

Ferry operators steer toward reducing emissions.

By Ben Hayden, Content Editor

According to the Coast Guard Commercial Vessel Compliance (CVC) Of ce, the U.S. passenger eet currently consists of 6,758 active vessels, including a wide range of vessel types, such as excursion boats, charter shing vessels, ferries, cruise ships, and water taxis.

While most passenger vessel types were discussed at this year’s MariTrends Conference in Savannah, Ga., hosted by the Passenger Vessel Association, many sessions focused on the increasing shift toward fully-electric and hybrid-electric propulsion systems in the ferry sector,

this, why we made decisions we did along the way, what we can look forward to,” he said.

San Francisco Bay Ferry operates as a public transit system, and its “zero-emission transition” has secured $252 million in public funding: $131.9 million from federal agencies, $76.9 million from the state of California, and $43 million from regional programs.

a trend that was also explored in last month’s issue of WorkBoat magazine.

A presentation about the San Francisco Bay Water Emergency Transportation Authority’s (WETA) Rapid Electric Emission-Free Ferry (REEF) Program, led by WETA executive director Seamus Murphy, outlined the agency’s efforts to decarbonize its eet and transition to zero-emission vessels, exploring the decision-making process and phased implementation approach.

“I’m going to talk a little bit about the experience that we had with our efforts to decarbonize the San Francisco Bay ferry system from an operator standpoint, how we thought about planning

Murphy noted that the ferry system also has an emergency-response function, transporting rst responders into San Francisco or evacuating people from the city if needed. The service is contracted to Blue and Gold Fleet, which operates seven routes, eight terminals, and 18 vessels, with two additional vessels currently under construction at Mavrik Marine, La Conner, Wash.

Murphy noted the Mavrik-built additions will be the last diesel-powered vessels to join the eet. “Everything that we add from this point, moving forward, will be zero-emission,” he said. WETA expects the 320-passenger vessels to be delivered in April and June of this year.

WETA has already implemented Tier 4 diesel engines, surpassing California Air Resources Board (CARB) requirements. However, new regulations require routes under three nautical miles to be

McAllister Towing

zero-emission by January 2026. With many new developments along the Bay Area waterfront requiring water transit, compliance with these regulations is crucial. “If we want to operate a new vessel on a route under three nautical miles, it must be zero-emission,” Murphy said.

The agency’s zero-emission plan consists of four phases. With current funding, phase one includes three 150-passenger battery-electric vessels, to be built by All American Marine (AAM), Bellingham, Wash., and up to three 400-passenger vessels awaiting contracts that are expected to be awarded in March.

The AAM-built 96'×26'×6' aluminum catamarans will be powered by two Hydromaster Series E L-drive azimuth thrusters, each rated at 625 kW (838 bhp), with the rst vessel delivery expected in early 2027. WETA decided on Wärtsilä for the vessel’s electri cation and systems integration, and Echandia will supply the battery systems from its new production facility in Marysville, Wash. The 13.8-ton Subchapter T vessel is projected to reach a speed of 24 knots. “We decided to take our time and spend about a year with Wärtsilä designing this system so that it would be well-integrated,” Murphy said.

Phase two will require additional funding, and phases three and four will depend on future energy storage advancements, Murphy said.

Four universal charging oats are also in development. WETA plans to award that contract in June 2025. Charging infrastructure will feature rapid megawatt chargers and grid-connected battery banks to ensure consistent power avail-

Passenger Vessels

ability. A lack of waterfront available for land-based charging infrastructure forced WETA to turn to charging oats, Murphy said. REEF program funding includes $75 million allocated to upgrading waterfront power infrastructure to supply 50 MW across multiple locations. “Hopefully that’s a one-time investment, and we can add enough to the waterfront to allow our service to grow over time,” Murphy said. The remaining funds will be used to procure and construct new battery-electric vessels and charging infrastructure.

The agency is also evaluating alternative propulsion technologies. In 2023, WETA leased and operated the Sea Change, a 100% hydrogen-powered passenger vessel built by All American Marine and owned by Switch Maritime. The six-month pilot program provided insights into hydrogen’s viability. “We learned the most about how ripe hydrogen is from a supply chain standpoint,” Murphy noted. Challenges

included cost uctuations, limited local hydrogen production, and the lack of green hydrogen. “It’s absolutely going to have to be green for us to be able to operate a vessel like this and call it a zero-emission service,” he added.

Murphy offered hydrofoil technology as another potential solution for energy ef ciency. The agency is modeling smaller hydrofoil vessels, similar to those developed by Ireland’s Artemis Technologies, he said. While hydrofoils could reduce energy consumption and operating costs, Murphy acknowledged that regulatory approvals from the U.S. Coast Guard would be necessary.

San Francisco Bay Ferry plans to continue testing new routes and technologies through pilot programs. “We’re planning to invest a signi cant amount of funds every year to be able to support this effort,” Murphy said. The goal is to integrate alternative propulsion methods while maintaining customer satisfaction and service reliability.

NORTHEAST

Eastern Shipbuilding Group delivered the 303'×52' ferry Long Island in December to the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Co., a subsidiary of McAllister Towing. The passenger and auto ferry will provide service between Bridgeport, Conn., and Port Jefferson, N.Y., across Long Island Sound.

“The Long Island has been engineered with the environment in

All American Marine is building a 108'×32'6" hybrid passenger vessel for Harbor Breeze Cruises.

VESSEL REPORT Passenger Vessels

mind. Technologically advanced Tier 4 engines will provide reliable propulsion with reduced emissions,” Fred Hall, Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Co. vice president and general manager, told WorkBoat. “In 2024, the company took over 500,000 vehicles off the highways on both sides of Long Island Sound thus becoming a substantial and integral part of transportation solutions in our area,” Hall said.

Designed by Gilbert Associates, Braintree, Mass., the ferry is powered by twin EPA Tier 4 Electro-Motive Diesel 12 ME 23B diesel engines, each producing 3,000 hp at 900 rpm and driving Reintjes WAF 3445 3.083:1 reduction gears delivering power to xed-pitch propellers. Two BERG MTT113 FPL bowthrusters, each driven by John Deere 6135 AFM85 diesels rated at 500 hp at 2,000 rpm are coupled to Reintjes WVS

234 1.50:1 reduction gears. Ship’s service power comes from four additional John Deere 6135 AFM85 diesel generators, producing 300 kW at 1,800 rpm. Steering controls are by Jastram Senesco Marine, North Kingstown, R.I., is nearing delivery on a pair of hybrid ferries — one for Maine State Ferry Service, and the other for Casco Bay Island Transit District (CBITD or Casco Bay Lines), Portland, Maine.

“They are the rst-ever hybrid ferries in the Northeast,” said Senesco Marine president Ted Williams.

BOSTON’S MARINE FACILITY

500-TON FLOATING DRY DOCK 50-TON TRAVEL LIFT COMMERCIAL DOCKAGE WATERFRONT SHOP SPACE

CRANE ACCESSIBLE PIERS TRUCK ACCESS LAYDOWN FUELING

In November, the shipyard christened and launched the 154'×38' Capt. Almer Dinsmore, the rst hybrid electric-diesel ferry in the state, capable of carrying 250 passengers and 24 cars between Rockland and Vinalhaven.

Gilbert Associates, Braintree, Mass., designed the Dinsmore, which features a BAE Systems HybriGen power and propulsion system, with a pair of 600hp Caterpillar C-18 diesels, 150-hp electric boost motors, and two Caterpillar C9.3 generators.

Senesco Marine is also nalizing a 599-passenger double-ended hybridelectric ferry, Battery Steele, designed by Elliott Bay Design Group. The 164' passenger-vehicle ferry can operate using a diesel-electric system, a fully batterypowered system, or a combination of both. Battery Steele will replace an existing diesel-powered ferry, the Machigonne II, a 36-year-old 122'×37' passenger-

The Capt. Almer Dinsmore under construction during a WorkBoat visit to Senesco Marine in May 2024.

Ben Hayden

vehicle ferry that services Peaks Island in Casco Bay. CBITD estimates an annual reduction of 800 tons of carbon dioxide emissions with the hybrid-electric propulsion system.

WEST COAST

Washington State Ferries (WSF) announced in October that three shipbuilders have expressed interest in constructing their five new 160'×53'×7.5' hybrid-electric ferries. The selected shipbuilders include Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, Freeland, Wash., Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Panama City, Fla., and Hanwha Philly Shipyard, Philadelphia. No construction contract had been awarded as WorkBoat went to press, though ABB was awarded a contract to serve as the propulsion singlesource vendor for the five new ferries.

WSF said the hybrid-electric ferries are part of the company’s $3.98 billion Ferry System Electrification plan. The plan aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 76% by 2040 and achieve zero emissions by 2050.

Most recently, All American Marine was awarded a 108'×32'6" hybrid passenger vessel contract by Harbor Breeze Cruises. The monohull aluminum vessel will provide harbor tours, whale watch cruises, and dinner events in and around California’s Los Angeles and Long Beach port complex.

The vessel will feature twin MAN D2862 EPA Tier 4 engines that drive fixed-pitch propellers via a remotemounted Reinjtes gearbox provided by Karl Senner LLC. Its propulsion system will include twin 250-kW electric-drive traction motors powered by a 588-kW BorgWarner energy storage system (ESS), which will provide an all-electric, zero-emissions mode for harbor tour operations. The Teknicraftdesigned monohull exceeds U.S. EPA Tier 4 emissions requirements via selective catalytic reduction and a diesel particulate filter coupled to a parallel hybrid battery propulsion system, supplied by ABB.

FEDERAL AID

In September, the U.S. Department

of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced grants totaling nearly $300 million from former President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law intended to expand and modernize the nation’s ferry systems.

In total, FTA awarded 18 grants in 14 states, which the administration noted “will support projects such as replacing old vessels with electric ships that reduce greenhouse gas pollution and im-

Passenger Vessels

prove air quality, expanding fleets, and building new terminals and docks. Of the 18 projects, eight are receiving federal support for environmentally friendly propulsion technologies, such as electric ferries and charging equipment.”

The administration hailed the law as the largest investment in public transit in the nation’s history, “speeding the adoption of low- and zero-emission technology.”

ON THE WAYS

CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT WORKBOAT YARDS

Hanwha Philly Shipyard floats out fourth multi-mission training vessel

Hanwha Philly Shipyard has launched the fourth of five new ships as part of the Maritime Administration’s (Marad) National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) program. The 525'1"×88'7"×21'4" newbuilds are specifically designed to serve as training vessels for the nation’s state maritime academies.

NSMV IV, to be named Lone Star State, was floated out from the Philadelphia shipbuilder’s facilities in late January. Over the coming months, interior outfitting work will be completed on board NSMV IV ahead of sea trials and scheduled delivery to the Texas A&M Maritime Academy in Galveston, Texas, later this year.

The first two NSMVs, Empire State and Patriot State, were delivered to SUNY Maritime College in 2023 and

Massachusetts Maritime Academy in 2024.

Interior outfitting work is underway aboard NSMV III, State of Maine, which is slated for delivery to Maine Maritime Academy this year. NSMV V, Golden State, is under construction and is scheduled to be handed over to California State University Maritime Academy in 2026.

Each ship in the series is equipped with four Wabtec 16V250MDC diesel electric propulsion engines producing 16,800 kW (22,500 hp) of total installed power plus a 900-kW (1,200 hp) emergency generator. Full speed is 18 knots.

Each NSMV is designed to house numerous instructional spaces, a full training bridge, and accommodations for up to 600 cadets to train in a maritime academic environment.

In addition, each vessel features

hospital facilities, a helicopter pad and the ability to accommodate up to 1,000 people in times of humanitarian need.

The NSMVs can also provide roll-on/ roll-off and container storage capacity for use during disaster relief missions.

The NSMV shipbuilding program is the first in the U.S. to use the vessel construction manager (VCM) model. This approach places responsibility for selecting and overseeing the shipyard with a government contractor, who applies commercial best practices to manage the project.

In 2019, Marad awarded TOTE Services a contract to serve as the VCM for the NSMV program. In 2020, Philly Shipyard was contracted to build the first two vessels. The next two vessels were ordered in 2021, with the fifth and final vessel following in 2022.

— Eric Haun

Texas A&M University

NSMV IV, Lone Star State, will service Texas A&M Maritime Academy.

All American to build hybrid-powered tour boat for California

All American Marine, Bellingham, Wash., has begun construction of a new 108'×32.5' hybrid-powered passenger vessel for Harbor Breeze Cruises in California for operation in the Los Angeles/Long Beach area. Designed by Teknicraft Design in New Zealand, the new monohull will accommodate up to 350 people on several decks and stadium seating on the bow.

With a 588-kW BorgWarner energy storage system, zero-emissions operation is anticipated for most inner harbor tours and special events. For longer runs (the boat will have limited coastwise authorization), additional power will be provided by two Tier 4 MAN diesel engines with selective catalytic reduction and a diesel particulate filter (DPF). As such, the new boat will exceed both federal and state air quality requirements. And because of its lowemissions profile, the new boat qualified for a subsidy from the Los Angeles Marine Emission Reduction (LA MER), a project funded by California Climate Investments, an initiative that uses cap-and-trade auction income to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The hybrid system features two drive lines turning fixed-pitch propellers. Each side has a 250-kW motor and a MAN D2862 Tier 4 engine rated at 882 kW (1,182 bhp) at 2,100 rpm, supplied by Northern Lights, Seattle.

“The parallel hybrid system allows each propeller to be driven by either the diesel engine, or by the e-motor, or by both combined,” Teknicraft’s Nic de Waal said. The electrical side of the system is provided by ABB Inc.

Daniel Zech of All American said all propulsion power will run through Reintjes PTO/PTI gearboxes from Karl Senner.

“If the trip for the day is whale watching and requires higher speed,” said Zech, “the CARB-compliant, Tier 4 MAN engines with DPF can be utilized. The power will come from the

engines, through the gearboxes, and into the shaft output. However, there may be an excess of available energy while operating in the lower range of this higher speed. In this case, the gearboxes are able to operate both the PTO [power take-off] and PTI [power take-in] simultaneously to provide both propulsive power as well as charging energy for the batteries.”

he electric motors and the diesel can work in conjunction to provide more power. “Finally, and even trickier for vessels this size,” said Zech, “is an additional clutch in the gearboxes that allows them to be uncoupled from the shaft output completely and provides a battery-charging-only mode. This allows the operator to use a Tier 4 engine with DPF to act as a generator and rapidly charge the battery bank while still remaining stationary. This option can be used while drifting for a dinner cruise, or if Harbor Breeze Cruises needs to park at a transient dock without bulk charging capabilities.”

Breeze Cruises' new 108' tour boat is expected to be launched this summer. other Teknicraft/All American boats, both catamarans and both primarily employed for whale-watching excursions. The new boat will be operated mostly in the harbor with larger numbers of passengers, so a monohull was considered the best option. “Given the multi-function mission profile and the slower-speed application,” said Zech, “the displacement hull shape of a monohull gave us the most versatility and the ability to carry the additional mass of the batteries and PTO/PTI gearboxes.”

The exterior design reflects “the client’s desire for the vessel to have sleek European-type styling to make it stand out from the typical vessels in the U.S.,” wrote de Waal. For that, Teknicraft turned to the Italian superyacht design firm Studio Sculli to create the concept styling of the exterior lines of the superstructure.

— Bruce Buls

When operating out of its home port, there is adequate shoreside infrastructure available now for overnight charging of the new boat, but future installation of increased charging capability for other vessels is part of the overall project, according to de Waal.

Harbor Breeze Cruises owns two

Chicago operator Wendella orders tour vessel from Burger Boat

Chicago-based Wendella Tours & Cruises has ordered an 89'9"×30'×7'3" passenger vessel with a draft of 5'6" from Burger Boat Co., Manitowoc, Wis., for scheduled delivery in the spring of 2026.

The new vessel will join a Wendella

Harbor

WAYS

BOATBUILDING BITTS

Brix Marine, Port Angeles, Wash., recently launched a new 41’ rigid hull inflatable boat (RIB) for commercial tour operator Hawaii Nautical , Kaneohe, Hawaii. Shipyard officials said the vessel, named Olohana, is designed to meet the demands of Hawaii’s marine environment with a focus on stability, speed, and operational efficiency. Built on a Naiad-designed hull, the 41' vessel is powered by triple Yamaha F300 outboards. Brix customized the vessel with black rub rails, web gates, updated hatches, and a custom collar color. Brix and Naiad worked together to create a “swim club” side door in the collar system, the first time ever deployed on a RIB.

The Pilots’ Association of the Bay and River Delaware has taken delivery of a new pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corp. It’s the pilots’ association’s fourth Chesapeake Class launch, and 11th pilot boat built by the Somerset, Mass., shipyard since 1957. With a deep-V hull designed by Ray Hunt Design, the new all-aluminum launch Pennsylvania measures 53.6'x17.8' and has 690 gal. fuel capacity. The boat is powered by twin Volvo Penta D16 diesel engines, each rated for

fleet that consists of nine active vessels, including four Subchapter T water taxis and five Subchapter K boats. These vessels, which have passenger capacities ranging from 95 to more than 300, host sightseeing tours, cruises and private events on Chicago’s waterways and Lake Michigan.

The new two-deck vessel was designed by Timothy Graul Marine

651 hp at 1,800 rpm. Top speed is over 25 knots.

The Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego is soliciting proposals to build a 125' hydrogen-hybrid coastal class research vessel (CCRV).

The Glosten-designed vessel will use hydrogen power for 75% of its operations, with diesel-electric generators for extended missions. Last June, the American Bureau of Shipping approved the vessel’s preliminary design. California has allocated $35 million to University of California San Diego for the vessel’s design and construction. Scripps noted the CCRV will include acoustic Doppler current profilers, seafloor mapping systems, midwater fishery imaging systems, biological and geological sampling tools,

Design and SeaCraft Design, both based in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. The steel newbuild will be a sister to four of Wendella’s existing K-class vessels.

The new boat order comes amid growing local demand, said Andrew Sargis, director of sales and chief of operations at Wendella. “We are building a new vessel to meet both increasing demand at our current locations, as

well as increased demand at new river developments slated to open in the next two to four years,” he said.

The new boat will also provide added operational flexibility, allowing for more rotations in and out of Wendella’s shipyard, where the company’s vessels are rehabbed following their operating seasons, Sargis said.

Because Wendella operates yearround, including through the cold winter months, the new vessel will — like its sisterships — have a full climate-controlled cabin. Powered by twin Volvo Penta D13 diesels, the monohull will be capable of speeds up to 10 knots. Its capacities include 1,000 gals. of fuel, 500 gals. fresh water, and 600 gals. waste.

Wendella has yet to choose a name for the new vessel, so it is being referred to as CV110 until a name is selected. The keel was scheduled to be laid at Burger’s yard in February, and Wendella anticipates placing the boat into service as soon as it is delivered next year.

— E. Haun

41' RIB features “swim club” side door in the collar system.

Brix Marine

Burger Boat Co.

Wendella Tours & Cruises’ new passenger vessel will help the Chicago-based company meet growing demand for sightseeing tour and dinner cruises.

In 2024, BAE Systems received a $212 million contract from the U.S. Navy for the modernization of the amphibious transport dock USS Green Bay (LPD 20). Under the docking selected restricted availability (DSRA) contract, BAE Systems will drydock the 684' vessel at its San Diego shipyard. According to a BAE statement, the shipyard’s em-

info@northern-lights.com 1 (800) 762-0165 and drone support. Research focus areas include fi sheries, harmful algal blooms, El Niño storms, atmospheric rivers, sea-level rise, ocean acidifi cation, and oxygen depletion zones.

ployees and industry partners will perform upkeep work on the underwater hull, repair its system of ballast tanks, preserve its amphibious well deck area, and refurbish the living spaces for sailors and Marines onboard.

St. Joh ns Ship Building, Palatka, Fla., will build a 150'x60'x8' spud barge for Hal Jones Contractor, Jacksonville, Fla. The new barge will support Hal Jones’ marine construction and operations, the Americraft Marine-owned builder said. The barge is scheduled for delivery in July.

Retaining the outstanding features that built LUGGER’s reputation, our propulsion engines have proven themselves to be renown leaders in the marine industry.

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54' pilot boat launched for Delaware Bay Pilots.

Gladding-Hearn

150' spud barge will support construction operations.

St. Johns Ship Building

Power Point

By Ken Hocke, Senior Editor

According to NASA, the word propulsion “is derived from two Latin words: pro meaning before or forwards and pellere meaning to drive. Propulsion means to push forward or drive an object forward. A propulsion system is a machine that produces thrust to push an object forward.” Put said machine in a boat instead of a

rocket and marine propulsion is created.

Of course, boats have been using propulsion methods to push forward a lot longer than rockets have. And boats can do something propulsion systems on rockets can’t do: Pull an object backward.

Volvo Penta

Propulsion transforms a floating hull into a workboat.

Volvo Penta's IPS propulsion is commonly installed aboard CTVs.

RIVER RUNNERS

Towboats that run product in barges along U.S. waterways are unlike any other type of workboat. They haul thousands of tons of product loaded into barges that they push out ahead of them. It’s the towboat that controls where the tow is going, whether the tow is made up of a single barge or 26 barges or whatever number.

Tow control on the Mississippi River can be more challenging than on other waterways because of the river’s size, current, its locks and dam systems, and heavy traffic.

Propulsion for these boats comes from a combination of engines, gears and propellers or Z-drives, all of which can be bought separately or in a package.

Chem Carriers, Plaquemine, La., is an inland marine liquid transportation company that currently operates between Corpus Christi, Texas, and New Orleans. Chem Carriers’ current fleet consists of 13 towboats, 52 inland tank barges, and a 174-barge capacity fleeting service located at mile marker 207 on the Lower Mississippi River.

The company recently replaced the Z-drive units in two of its retractable pushboats — the 86.4'x30'x10' Capt. Frank Banta Jr. and the 78.7'x28'x10' Capt. Robert J. Banta. The refitting was done at Verret Shipyard, also located in Plaquemine.

Chem Carriers chose Twin Disc’s Veth Z-drive rudder propellers for the upgrade.

“We provided a pair of VZ-900 Zdrive units capable of a continuous-duty rating of 1,298 hp,” said Andy Walker, vice president operations at Sewart Supply, the Twin Disc distributor in Morgan City, La., that supplied the rudder propellers for the refits. The drives in each pushboat are connected to twin S12R Mitsubishi diesels each producing 1,260 hp at 1,600 rpm.

Walker said the Veth Z-drive allows for maximum maneuverability through full 360° thrust vectoring, meaning there’s no need for a reverse clutch. In addition, the Veth Z-drive offers a compact design and flexibility in the

placement and mounting of the boat’s engines, helping to reduce engine noise.

“These units have a compact design featuring an integrated hydraulic clutch and steering system, reducing the number of hoses and equipment throughout the engine room,” said Walker. “Its compact design really helps in engine room space, making it easier to service them and to work around them.”

Each unit comes with a custom enclosed foundation box built to allow the unit to drop into the existing outer well in the boat. The heavy-duty lower gearbox includes a 1,700-mm propeller with nozzles designed for high thrust at low speeds. “The props and nozzles allow the boat to increase thrust at lower speeds,” said Walker. “The Veth units can handle the wear and tear of the inland waterway market.”

Veth prides itself on its ability to mate its drives to any hull design, said Walker. “And we can make up to any engine out there.”

Walker said the Z-drives, controls,

pilot station, and the rest of the equipment for the refit are only part of the whole process. “Service and support are vitally important,” he said. “A boat sitting at the dock is costing its owner money. We deliver and maintain the equipment throughout. Sewart Supply is the best at reliable service and support. You can count on us to get you back up and running.”

Thrust is only part of the answer when it comes to getting a tow up and down the river. Rudders control the steering of the vessel. A boat that has excellent propulsion but poor steering isn’t much good. The two must work in conjunction to safely and efficiently move barges up and down the waterway.

CT Marine is a naval architect/ marine engineering firm located in Edgecomb, Maine. The firm has developed what it calls its TwinDIFF system, which has been engineered primarily to maintain foil lift rather than block the water.

Chem Carriers choose Twin Disc’s Veth Z-drive rudder propellers to upgrade two of its towboats.

Sewart Supply

“The rudders are placed behind the props operating at different angles,” said CT Marine’s owner Christian Townsend. “This gives the boat more maneuverability, good side thrust, and a 10% to 12% fuel savings.”

The TwinDIFF package includes rudder trunks for the hull, the completed rudders, hubs, linkage, hydraulics, “anything to do with steering,” said Townsend.

CT Marine has installed its TwinDIFF system on more than 25 vessels so far and is ready to market the system worldwide. “This is the year that we are really pushing it,” said Townsend. “We are going to start in-house production in 2025 with turn-key TwinDIFF flanking and steering systems.”

Operators that are currently using the TwinDIFF system on their boats include Tidewater Barge Lines, Vancouver, Wash.; Ingram Marine Group, Nashville, Tenn.; Cenac Marine Services, Houma, La.; Hines Furlong Lines, Paducah, Ky; American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL), Jeffersonville, Ind.; Marquette Transportation and Towing Co., St. Rose, La.; Express Marine Inc., Dresher, Pa.; Kirby Corp.’s Higman Barge Lines, Channelview, Texas; and the Army Corps of Engineers.

In 2020, C&C Marine and Repair, Belle Chasse, La., delivered the 170'x50'x11'6" towboat Scarlett Rose

Furlong to Hines Furlong Lines. CT Marine and Hyperion Marine Group, Portland, Maine, designed the vessel and included the TwinDIFF system with CT28SL Kort nozzles with Easy Flow strut and CT inland propellers.

Main propulsion comes from three Tier 3 Cummins QSK60-M diesel engines producing a total of 6,600 hp. The mains connect to the TwinDIFF system through Reintjes WAF 1173 H/V reduction gears with a reduction ratio of 7.429:1.

Besides the fuel savings, Townsend said his TwinDIFF system gives any boat the ability to drive the head of the tow and flank less, the means to remove shaft and prop without dropping the rudders, less vibration, and 25% better steering force over conventional rudder systems. “I can convert any boat on the river to TwinDIFF,” said Townsend.

The TwinDIFF system doesn’t use Zdrives on inland towboats even though they are popular with other designers. “Z-drives coming south on the river are superior, but, going north, a 6,000-hp boat with a 90" prop, you have to drop the diameter of the prop by 20%,” said Townsend. “Z-drives can’t go upriver like the conventional shafts and props.”

CT Marine’s TwinDIFF system is also part of the propulsion package for the 200'x50'x12'6" towboat Mariner built by C&C Marine and Repair and delivered to ACBL at the end of 2024.

Main propulsion for the 11,000-hp towboat comes from twin Caterpillar C280-12 diesel engines connected to Hung Shin 5-bladed propellers through Reintjes WAF6755 marine gears.

CT Marine handled the steering and controls.

ACBL officials said the Mariner is the largest towboat built in the U.S. in 50 years. Townsend said Mariner is the largest twin-screw towboat ever built for the rivers. “We have spent four years and probably 24,000-plus hours of engineering on this project,” he said.

CREW TRANSFER VESSELS

One of the first actions taken by President Donald Trump as he began his second term in office was to declare an energy emergency. The declaration is designed to streamline permitting and expand drilling for oil and gas, while ending federal leasing for wind energy, including offshore wind farms.

“The golden age of America starts right now,” Trump said after taking the oath of office in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20. Trump said he will “reverse all the betrayals…From this moment America’s decline is over.”

Trump declared a “national energy emergency…We will drill, baby, drill.”

For now, the withdrawal will not affect rights under existing leases in the withdrawn areas, but the Trump administration is requiring “a comprehensive review of the ecological, economic, and environmental necessity of terminating or amending any existing wind energy leases, identifying any legal bases for such removal.” That will bring “a report with recommendations to the president, through the assistant to the president for economic policy.”

All that said, work continues on existing offshore leases. Part of that work is the construction and operation of crew transfer vessels (CTV) that carry people to and from the offshore windmills that are the heart of the industry.

In regard to propulsion on CTVs, Volvo Penta’s Integrated Performance System (IPS) packages are very popular. The engine manufacturer sells the packages as fully integrated, designed

CT Marine

CT Marine’s TwinDIFF steering system on Carver Marine Towing’s 90'x32'x13'5" towboat

Erin Elizabeth

to perform in various conditions, provide high maneuverability and productivity, and optimize fuel ef ciency.

“It’s a plug-and-play system with an easy install process and a reduction in fuel use compared to traditional inboard shaft engines,” said Dave Brown, Volvo Penta's director, marine diesel sales. “IPS allows the boat to safely go out in a rougher sea state, safely put the vessel up against a piling, and hold it there without cavitation.”

Brown said there are 14 IPS-powered CTVs working in U.S. waters off the East Coast or currently under construction at American shipyards. “We have a great torque curve,” he said. “They have to run the boats slower off the East Coast because of the right whale restrictions. At 40% throttle, you get 95% torque.”

Senesco Marine, North Kingstown, R.I., late last year launched a new Jones Act-compliant CTV for its sister company, WindServe Marine. The new vessel, WindServe Spartan, marked the nal boat of a six-vessel contract with WindServe. The aluminum catamaran was designed by BMT, Houston, and measures 95'x30' with a 5'6" draft.

Compared with the rst four CTVs, the WindServe Spartan has an engine control room that is extended by 6' to allow for conversion to hybrid power.

“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,” Ted Williams, Senesco’s president, told WorkBoat

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 position and heading despite strong winds and current.

“Volvo’s got a really good support network here in the U.S. — tech and parts and service,” said Brown. “We also have great distributor partners along the

East Coast if an event occurs.”

Blount Boats, Warren, R.I., delivered the 98.4'x36.7' CTV Guarder to American Offshore Services (A-O-S), Providence, R.I., at the end of November. It has capacity to accommodate 24 passengers.

The hybrid-ready newbuild is the third G-class series CTV delivered to A-O-S in 2024.

The company is a partnership between Swedish CTV operator Northern Offshore Services and U.S.based investment firm Orion Infrastructure Capital

Main propulsion comes from a combination of Volvo Penta D13 diesels and four Volvo Penta IPS 1050 propulsion drives, two in each hull. The fully integrated system includes Volvo Penta’s GPS-based dynamic positioning system and integrated

joystick controls. All subsystems are connected by Volvo Penta’s Electronic Vessel Control data network.

“We have a signi cant market share,” said Brown.

The legendary RANCO controller, a transformer, and contactors are all you need!

No expensive, prone to failure, printed circuit boards!!

Every chiller is "stand alone" no remote control boxes or integration with anything!

The 98' CTV Guarder, built by Blount Boats for American Offshore Services, is equipped with Volvo Penta diesels and IPS drives, and is hybrid ready as well..

BOATS & GEAR Engines

Methanol in the Mix

New diesel engine options are coming this year.

By Michael Crowley, Correspondent

Marine diesel engines have gone through numerous innovative turns since being created by Frédéric Dyckhoff and Adrien Bochet in 1903 in France. Key advancements include the introduction of turbocharging in 1925 and fuel-injection pumps in 1927.

Recent innovation has been driven by concerns over the health and climate impacts of diesel fuel emissions. As a result, there has been a push to integrate a second, cleaner-burning fuel into standard diesel engine systems that, when used for combustion, produces fewer greenhouse gas pollutants. These efforts are contributing to the gradual development of dual-fueled workboats, both in the U.S. and globally.

The latest alternative to the traditional American diesel-fuel power package comes from Caterpillar newly introduced dual-fueled CAT 3500E with methanol as the second fuel. The CAT 3500E will be available in both 12-cylinder (up to 2,550 hp) and 16-cylinder (up to 3,386 hp) con gurations. They are designed to deliver 100% of the power of the existing CAT 3500 diesels installed aboard tugboats, inland towboats, and offshore support vessels.

So far, Caterpillar is the only company in this country known to have matched up methanol with diesel in a combustion engine.

In preparation for a dual-fuel option, “[Caterpillar] looked at fuel capabilities and power densities,” said Will Watson, the company’s marine product direc-

tor.

“Methanol gives us the closest to being like diesel”

But, if the goal is to maximize total emissions reduction, you don’t want to ll a boat’s fuel tank with just any type of methanol. “The true bene t will come from green methanol,” said Watson, noting that a good portion of the methanol available today is not considered green. “You are not going to get the full lifecycle bene t [with conventional fossil-based methanol].”

Green methanol is produced from renewable sources or carbon capture, offering a lower carbon footprint. Compared with conventional methanol, which is derived from fossil fuels (primarily natural gas), green methanol often has a cleaner combustion pro le, producing fewer

pollutants.

CAT

for power density. Thus, with the two fuels closely matched, a boat’s “tank sizing [for methanol] and the amount of fuel needed on board is close” to being the same as diesel.

Another advantage, Watson said, is that there’s not an overwhelming learning curve once a vessel owner adopts methanol as a second fuel. “The beauty of the fuel path we are going down, it’s probably the most ef cient learning curve,” he said. It’s “not introducing huge amounts of differences of what owners, operators and mechanics are used to on today’s internal combustion engine. [The dual-fuel 3500E] is still an internal combustion engine.”

“The

ef learning said.

“not introducing

Watson noted that Europe and parts of Asia are ahead of the U.S. in developing the infrastructure needed to use green methanol for vessel propulsion. But even

Caterpillar’s

3500E is the newest player in the dual-fuel market, matching methanol with diesel. Caterpillar photo.

SHORING UP SUPPLY

By Eric Haun, Executive Editor

Avery

small portion of the global commercial vessel fleet currently runs on alternative fuels: just 0.89% of vessels, or 3.37% in terms of gross tonnage (GT), according to the classification society DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform. However, the tides are turning as vessel owners, operators and charterers seek solutions to reduce their environmental footprint. Of all vessels on order, 17.43% (43.86% in GT) are being built to be powered by alternative fuels, DNV data show. Among these fuels, liquefied natural gas is leading the pack by a wide margin, followed in order by methanol, liquefied petroleum gas, hydrogen and ammonia.

Methanol burns more cleanly than diesel, resulting in lower emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter. Methanol is also readily available in ports worldwide, including in the eastern and southern U.S., where the fuel is commonly transported as a cargo.

“The U.S. is the country with second-highest production capacity in projects for e-methanol and bio-methanol, after China. There are also a few projects in Canada, so there is ongoing activity in North America,” said Kristian Hammer, senior consultant and AFI lead at DNV.

Dedicated methanol bunkering facilities do not yet exist in the U.S. — there isn’t a need yet — but because the fuel is commonly transported, some infrastructure is in place to support bunkering when the demand is there.

Today, most of the demand is driven by the large, oceangoing fleet. Danish shipping giant A.P. MollerMaersk, for example, is investing heavily to build dual-fuel, methanol-capable containerships while also building out a green methanol supply chain to one day bunker these new vessels. According to DNV, 0.23% of the global fleet can run on methanol, while 13.68% of ships currently on order will have the capability to do so.

in those parts of the world, and certainly in America, what’s needed for a successful energy transition is more active infrastructures. “A lot of our discussion has been around the preparation and the readiness and the flexibility to accept the fuels when they become available,” he said. “The key thing is to be ready for it.”

Currently, there is no engine in the U.S. certified for dual-fuel use, Watson believes. Caterpillar’s 3500E has received DNV certification for a methanol-ready engine. “We are in the development process of bringing it to production,”

’s

entered service in 2024 as the world’s first large methanol-enabled vessel. Greater adoption of the fuel in the oceangoing sector could help workboat operators transition to using it once engine technologies are available.

“Order uptake for methanol-fueled vessels and actual bunkering will increase the need for dedicated bunkering infrastructure and options in relevant ports,” Hammer said, “as well as ensure transportation and availability of methanol in these areas. Hence, oceangoing vessels will push for infrastructure and availability to be developed driven by the uptake.”

These efforts may ultimately support the workboat sector down the line as methanol engine technology advances and more market players begin to consider the fuel as an option for dredgers, crew transfer vessels, tugboats, and other harbor vessels.

For workboats, methanol, like diesel, is easy to carry, but it is less energy-dense, meaning more of the fuel is required. Another drawback is that it’s significantly more expensive, and renewable methanol is even pricier, though costs are expected to come down over time as supply chains mature. “Further tightening of regulatory and commercial drivers and incentives” is needed to help drive down prices, Hammer said.

said Watson. “That’s an early step in the journey to have production, which then comes with full certification.”

What type of workboat will the first dual-fuel CAT 3500E be powering? In all probability, it will go down in a tugboat’s engine room, for as Watson has noted in a previous article, the CAT 3500E has been optimized “to achieve high methanol substitution rates over a wide range of load factors, including the low load ranges that tugs operate in much of the time.” That reduces the greenhouse gases that might otherwise have been pumped into the

atmosphere, while providing the power a tug requires.

That first tug with a dual-fuel-powered CAT 3500E will be built at a Damen shipyard in Europe and will likely operate in the area it was built. “We plan to provide an engine in 2026,” said Watson. “Don’t know if it’ll be operational in 2026, but definitely in the next 18 months it will be in the water.”

“The tug segment, that’s where the focus has been,” he added. “Once we get this done, we’ll go onto other platforms.”

Maersk

Ane Maersk

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Factory

PORT OF CALL Employment, Equipment & Services

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THE FUTURE; UNDERWAY.

The cutting-edge of commercial marine meets a 45-year maritime industry tradition at The International WorkBoat Show. As the maritime industry embraces innovation, The WorkBoat Show remains at the forefront, driving progress and propelling the industry forward.

Join us in December alongside Underwater Intervention to experience the dynamic synergy between the commercial marine and subsea industries.

LOOKS BACK

MARCH 1965

• A bill that would establish a cabinet-level Department of Transportation (S. 1122) has been introduced by New Jersey Sen. Clifford P. Case. Except for minor changes, the bill is identical to the senator’s S. 1417 which was introduced in the last session of Congress. In outlining his bill, Case said that the newly created department would be responsible for all forms of transporta-

tion, including the waterways.

• In an attempt to reduce the cost of dredging operations, the Corps of Engineers District in Portland, Ore., purchased two Army surplus LSD landing barges and had them converted for use with the Corps’ dredges Multnomah and Wahkiakum

• Humble Oil & Re ning Co.'s newest pushboat was launched at Main

MARCH 1985

MARCH 1975

• The Port of Houston is spending nearly $17 million to build two giant container wharves measuring 2,000 lineal feet, two electric container cranes to serve them, and a new access road and storm sewers for its LASH container ship facility at Barbours Cut, 25 miles from the Gulf of Mexico.

• Acquisition by Tidewater Marine Service Inc. of the 25 vessel eet of the International Offshore Services group of companies was consummated recently. According to John P. Laborde,

Iron Works Houma, La. The 75', 125 gt. vessel will work in New Orleans.

• Marinette Marine Corp., Marinette, Wis., has been awarded a contract by the Naval Sea Systems Command for the construction of the two torpedo weapons retrievers (TWRs). Marinette had previously been awarded eight vessels of this class in 1983. Value of the new contract is put at $7 million. The 120'x25'x12', 2,000-hp, twin-screw TWR has an approximate displacement of 213 tons and accommodations for 18

personnel. The steel-hulled boats have a running speed of 16 knots and a range of 1,700 nautical miles.

• Broading its base as a shipbuilding force in New England, Washburn & Doughty, Woolwich, Maine, recently purchased the Edward T. Gamage Shipyard, East Boothbay, Maine. The addition of the Gamage yard now allows Washburn & Doughty to expand into aluminum vessel construction.

Tidewater chairman and president, the acquisition price was $28.9 million.

• The Maritime Administration has opened its fourth national radar school. Located in Toledo, Ohio, the school is staffed by Marad and Coast Guard personnel and is similar to the three existing radar schools in New York, New Orleans, and San Francisco. The school is open to quali ed union and non-union seamen as well as civil service and railroad employees.

Onboard this vessel is equipped with two REINTJES WVSFA 442 UP Hybrid-Ready, Reverse Reduction Gearboxes with V-drive Offset.

These specialized gearboxes allow for a wide array of operating modes:

• Diesel Only Mode

• PTO Mode, Transit (with propeller shaft engaged)

• PTO Mode, Dockside (without propeller shaft engaged)

input

• PTI Mode (electric motor input only, powered by batteries for Zero Emissions, or generators)

• Boost Mode (combining both electric motor and diesel engine inputs for increased thrust)

SHIPYARD: