OFFSHORE MARINE TOWING

Attorney’s Fees not Recoverable in action in rem

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled that attorney’s fees may not be recovered in an action in rem. In the instant case, plaintiff salvor successfully removed defendant yacht from a grounding after the owner signed a Standard Form Marine Salvage Contract. When the owner did not pay the salvage claim, the salvor brought suit in rem against the yacht. The action was then referred to arbitration, as provided for in the contract. In addition to awarding salvage, the arbitrator also assessed attorney’s fees against the yacht. On review, the court held that attorney’s fees are not part of a salvage lien. Offshore Marine Towing v. MR23, No. 04-15126 (11th Cir.) (HK Law)

Francois Named CEO of Delta Towing

Hercules Offshore, Inc. has appointed Larry Francois as Chief Executive Officer and President of Delta Towing effective August 20. Delta Towing, a subsidiary of Hercules Offshore, operates a fleet of 96 marine vessels, including 42 inland tugs, 18 offshore tugs and 36 crew boats, as well as 60 barges, including 30 deck barges, 17 shale barges, four spud barges and one offshore barge in the Gulf of Mexico. Larry has over 30 years of industry experience, most recently serving as Sr

Titan Leads Fire Call for MRA

At just after 0100hrs EDT July 22nd, 2002 the M/V Patriot, a 710-ft., 35,000-ton tanker was in the Florida Straits off West Palm Beach, having sailed from New York bound for Texas, when alarms on the bridge informed the crew that they had a fire in the engine room. The general alarm was sounded as the crew dressed and made their way through smoke and heat to muster forward of the vessel's accommodation structure.

Hvide Marine Certified For Safety

Hvide Marine's subsidiary, Hvide Marine Towing, has been granted certification in the American Waterways' Operators' (AWO) Responsible Carrier Program. RCP is a voluntary program outlining strict standard of conduct and compliance for the towing and barge industry, addressing quality and safety systems for operations and management. Certified since 1997, Hvide Marine Towing's certification verifies the harbor and offshore towing company's continued compliance with the safety standards outlined

Fairmount Tugs Deliver FPSO Pazflor

A specialized team lead by Fairmount Marine has completed successfully the tow, mooring and positioning hook-up of the floating production storage and offloading unit (FPSO) Pazflor offshore Angola. Earlier Fairmount’s powerful tugs Fairmount Expedition, Fairmount Glacier and Fairmount Alpine have towed FPSO Pazflor from Korea to Angola. After arrival offshore Angola the 30 man team of Fairmount Marine connected the FPSO Pazflor to its moorings

Fairmount Sherpa Delivers Rig in Egypt

Fairmount Marine’s tug Fairmount Sherpa has towed the semi-submersible drilling rig Noble Paul Romano from the Gulf of Mexico to Egypt. The tow was over a distance of close to 8,000 miles. When contracted by Noble Drilling the Fairmount Sherpa just has completed the installation of FPSO Skarv, offshore Norway. Fairmount Sherpa was mobilized first to Rotterdam for supplies and bunkers before it sailed to Jamaica for a rendez-vous with Noble Paul Romano

Crowley Reorganizes its Marine Services Subsidiary

Crowley Maritime Corporation announced that has reorganized its Crowley Marine Services subsidiary into three distinct operating groups – ship assist and escort services, petroleum services, and energy and marine services. Steve Peterson, senior vice president and general manager, is now managing energy and marine services and will relocate from Jacksonville to Seattle. Rob Grune, vice president and general manager, is managing ship assist and escort services and Bruce Barto

WorldWise Marine Launches Propulsion Optimization Program

WorldWise Marine, part of the Offshore Ship Designers group, has launched a propulsion and power optimization program, OPROSYS, which evaluates the best propulsion and power generation packages for emergency towing vessels.

Fairmount Alpine delivers rig Ocean Yorktown in Gulf

Fairmount Marine’s tug Fairmount Alpine has delivered the semi submergible drilling rig Ocean Yorktown safely in Brownsville, US, after a 5,400 miles tow from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Fairmount Marine was contracted in July by Diamond Offshore, a leading deepwater drilling contractor headquartered in Houston, to tow the semi submersible drilling rig Ocean Yorktown to the Mexican Gulf region. At that moment Fairmount Alpine just finished a special survey in Durban,

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