New Demands on Pilot Boats
The tightening of port security in the United States has impacted practically every vessel that operates in U.S. harbors. That includes the small, often-forgotten pilot boats that transport state licensed pilots to vessels entering a harbor or waterway. With recently imposed security measures mandating large ships wait further outside a harbor or waterway, pilot boats in some cases must travel twice as far before the pilot transfer can take place, according to Winn Willard of C. Raymond Hunt Associates, Boston, Mass., designers of pilot boats with 25 years experience in the field. Gladding Hearn, Somerset, Mass. is one of the busiest shipyards in the nation.
GEO Shipyard Delivers Seismic Vessel
As noted elsewhere in this issue, evidence abounds of a pickup in oil and gas exploration, drilling and production. The latest example is the delivery of a seismic vessel to a company that was incorporated in 2003 specifically for geophysical work. The company is Global Geophysical Services, Inc., of Houston, Texas. The company went to Geo Shipyard, New Iberia, La. for a 70 x 22-ft. catamaran-style seismic source vessel. "In the past, we specialized in seismic boats and our company name is derived from our concentration on geophysical vessels," said David LeCompte, president of the company. The vessel is equipped with a pair of large compressors enabling it to operate air guns that gather seismic data from the Gulf of Mexico.