HARBOR SERVICES

FY 01 Civil Works Budget Proposes $4.06B Program

President Clinton's budget transmitted to Congress includes $4.06 billion for the USACE Civil Works program. In addition, the program will include $322 million in non-federal contributions and trust fund receipts. Funding in this request will be used to continue the development of the nation's water resources, the efficient operations, maintenance and management of the nation's navigation, flood damage reduction, and multiple-purpose projects, the equitable regulation of wetlands, and the restoration of important environmental resources such as the South Florida Ecosystem. The budget also begins to address some of the Corp's long-term water resources infrastructure main-tenance requirements. The budget includes a proposal to establish a Harbor Services User Fee and Harbor Services Fund (HSF). Under this proposal, fees would be charged to vessels transiting the harbors of the U.S. These receipts would be placed in the HSF and would be available the following fiscal year for appropriation to fund both construction and operation and maintenance of the nation's channels and harbors. The existing Harbor Maintenance Tax and Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund would be repealed, and the remaining balance of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund would be deposited in the new HSF. The budget proposes to appropriate $950 million from the fund in FY 01, with $250 million applied to port improvement construction and $700 million to fund operation and maintenance requirements.

Crowley Promotes Dugan To Manager Oil Transportation

Chris Dugan has been promoted to manager, Oil Transportation for Crowley Marine Services in Seattle. Dugan began his career with Crowley in early 1997 as manager of Customer Service in Long Beach, Calif., in the company's Harbor Services business unit. He was later promoted to the position of sales manager in the Bulk Petroleum business unit in Seattle. Dugan holds a bachelors degree in Marine Transportation from the United States Merchant Marine Academy and an MBA from Pepperdine

Foss Selects Saab AIS Transpoders

Foss Maritime is equipping its fleet of 43 tugs with Saab TransponderTech R4 Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) transponders. The installations are being performed by Pacific Radar. The Saab R4 was introduced to the marine market in 2003. This year, Saab announced a major upgrade to the R4 AIS product with the addition of an embedded IMO-compliant GPS receiver. The company has also introduced an airborne AIS solution for use in coastal surveillance and search and rescue applications

MRG Acquires Cook Inlet Tug & Barge

Marine Resources Group (MRG), a family of companies that operate tug and barge fleets throughout the United States, is expanding into the Alaska harbor services business. MRG announced that it is acquiring the assets of Cook Inlet Tug & Barge, based in Anchorage, which it will operate as an independent subsidiary, effective Jan. 1, 2011. The family-owned Alaska company, which traces its history to 1923, has 10 employees and operates three tugs and one barge.

Tesoro Recognizes Crowley's West Coast Harbor Ops

In recognition of Crowley Maritime Corporation's safe harbor ship assist and tanker escort operations on the west coast, Tesoro Maritime Company recently honored Crowley's harbor services team with safe work awards - one for each of the past four years - during a ceremony in Crowley's Seattle office. Crowley's Andrew Gauthier, port captain; Scott Hoggarth, general manager of harbor ship assist and tanker escort services; and tug crewmembers Abe Gueller

E.N. Bisso Selects MarineCFO Software

MarineCFO, a provider of software solutions to the marine transportation industry and a division of Verticalive Inc., announced that E.N. Bisso & Son, Inc., has chosen to implement the full MarineCFO Enterprise software suite, including personnel, pperations, maintenance, and vessel live. For over 100 years, E.N. Bisso & Son, Inc. has been a leading provider of harbor tug, offshore towing and heavy lift derrick services

Report Confirms Increased Assessments on Maritime Industry

U.S. ports got confirmation at its Annual Convention meeting from a just-released General Accounting Office (GAO) Report that both the number and the dollar amount of fees assessed on the maritime industry have increased since the last study was released in 1993. The GAO Report, Federal Assessments on the Maritime Industry, states 11 federal agencies collect 124 different fees and assessments on maritime commerce, for a total of almost $22 billion ($21 billion of which is collected by U.S

Growing the Ohio Fleet

Tom Moosbrugger and Steve Grantz share a common history as Ohio River boat men working in a variety of positions from deck to dispatch. In 1994, they used that experience, and an entrepreneurial spirit, to buy a small towboat fleeting firm in Evansville, Ind. a couple of hundred miles upriver from the Ohio's junction with the Mississippi at Cario, Ill. They operated the tow boats and a cleaning and repair yard as the newly formed Evansville Marine Services.

USACE Still Needs More Money, Says NWC

To properly do its job, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers needs at least $4.7 billion, said some speakers at the National Waterways Conference Budget Summit. On the other hand, some asked, should the USACE be responsible for waterways management at all? Although the budget proposed by the Administration for the USACE in FY 00 is "close" to what's needed; there is still a shortfall of approximately $700 million, said speakers at the National Waterways Conference (NWC) Budget Summitt

Foss Maritime Acquires Harbor Marine Group

Foss Maritime Company will acquire Harbor Marine Group Inc., a full service Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering consulting firm. Along with their existing suite of services, Foss can now offer full service logistics and project management to their domestic and international customers. The new line of business will operate under the Harbor Marine Group name as a division of Foss Maritime Company. Harbor Marine Group principals David Dumont and Elizabeth Reynolds have