Raina Clark News

Women’s Maritime Shipping Group Meets at Seattle Maritime Academy: Sept. 23; WISTA USA Pacific Northwest Visits Training Vessel E.L. Bartlett. The Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA) USA Pacific Northwest Chapter is gathering aboard Seattle Maritime Academy’s Training Vessel, E.L. Bartlett, on Sept. 23 at 3:00 p.m. Following a presentation on the academy’s programs and graduate placement, the WISTA USA Pacific Northwest Chapter will convene its quarterly business meeting. All are welcome.

I asked a friend at Seattle’s Pacific Maritime Institute (PMI) if she thought someone like me could successfully complete just one maneuvering task in their tug simulator after a couple hours of training. Ten years ago I’d run a cutter aground in San Francisco Bay when my Officer Candidate class was let loose in the Coast Guard Academy’s simulator, but that was the extent of my shiphandling experience, real or virtual. As a testament to her optimism, my friend scheduled me in PMI’s Z-drive tug simulator last January under the instruction of Captain Jeff Slesinger…

Hudson, Wis., on the border of Minn., with a population just over 12,000, is home to Konrad Marine, a manufacturer of stern drives for commercial applications such as patrol boats, fishing vessels and water taxis. “We do the design right here in Hudson,” owner and founder Ken Konrad said. “I’m a mechanical engineer myself. Konrad, a local to the area, saw some of the world before returning to his stomping grounds to build his business. “After graduating from high school I went to college for a little while and dropped out.

On Friday, March 11, Jeff Ruby’s Waterfront restaurant, situated on a barge on the Ohio River, broke loose from its moorings and began floating down river, with diners trapped onboard, toward the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge. According to local media the barge floated 85 feet downriver and was saved from hitting the bridge by a mooring cable that was still attached. The restaurant is two miles from where McGinnis Inc. keeps its Cincinnati fleet, but some of the company’s towboats were already working in a dock just upriver from the restaurant. The MV Susan E McGinnis arrived on the scene first.

MarineNews spoke with industry experts to get an overview of the passenger vessel market as it stands today, including a legislative update and business leaders’ insights on pricing, ridership and vessel construction and renovation. Actions in Congress this year provided a mixed bag for passenger vessel operators. Because of the new tax law, private operators will be able to take advantage of an immediate 100% depreciation deduction for capital investments made in 2011. Also,…

A new maintenance company with no shipyard experience takes a struggling repair yard, converted from an old cannery, and transforms it into a success story. Alaska Ship & Drydock (ASD) is on its way to achieving its vision of becoming the maritime support center for the North Pacific and Arctic Oceans. The yard’s story is tied to the economic development in Southeast Alaska and its turning point came with the construction of the MV Susitna, the first ice strengthened twin hull ferry, commissioned by the Office of Naval Research.

MarineNews spoke with Dean Rosenberg, CEO of PortVision, about the company’s role in the coordination of the Deepwater Horizon spill response in the Gulf of Mexico. PortVision is a web-based service that uses data from the Automated Identification System (AIS), mandated by the IMO and the U.S. Coast Guard, to provide shore-side users with real-time vessel tracking as well as historical reporting. “The main purpose for AIS, why it was mandated, is for collision avoidance,” Rosenberg said.

Don Horton of North Carolina started his career on barges during World War II at the age of 10. His father, mother, sister and brothers all worked on U.S. merchant marine coastwise tugs and barges during the war. In 1942 his eldest brother, William Lee Horton, Jr., was killed when a German U-boat attacked his tug, nine miles of the coast of Virginia. The Merchant Mariners Act of 1988 granted veterans status to merchant mariners who served during WWII. However, the small group of merchant mariners who served on tugs and barges…

MarineNews spoke with Rick Biben, Chief Executive and President of Gibbs and Cox, Inc., about his background in the industry, the state of the naval design market, how his company is investing for the future and technological and design advancements in the field. What is your background in the industry? After college (Bryant University, 1972, BS Management) I went into the U.S. Peace Corps (Ecuador, 1972 – 1975) for about three years. I left the government and entered the contractor community in 1979. I was with Syscon Corporation from 1981 through late in 1999.

In the vessel construction market, small boat builder All American Marine of Bellingham, Wash., and RIB builder Wing Inflatables of Arcata, Calif. both reported a satisfactory 2010 in their niche markets, with good reasons to be optimistic about 2011. Bollinger Shipyards, a major builder in the offshore market also had a good 2010, but is bracing for the impact of the drilling moratorium going into 2011. Meanwhile, new yard, Argosy Boat Company, of Pierre Part, La., is still working to establish itself as a diesel-electric, Z-drive towboat builder.

MarineNews spoke with Jennifer Carpenter, Senior Vice President of National Advocacy for the American Waterways Operators (AWO), about the organization’s strategic plan, how it is going about increasing public awareness for the industry and what you can do to help. What is AWO 21? AWO 21 is AWO’s strategic plan, approved by our Board of Directors in October 2009, which lays out our vision, mission, values, goals, and objectives. In other words, it describes why AWO is here, what AWO members care about, and how we’re going to spend our time and our money as a trade association.

MarineNews spoke with Crowley Maritime Corporation executives for the company’s take on current markets and the outlook for the future. “Due to the global economic downturn, Crowley has experienced a decline in business, specifically in liner container shipping,” said Tom Crowley Jr., Chairman of the board, President and Chief Executive Officer at Crowley Maritime Corporation. “The company, however, has been able to mitigate those declines by offering additional value-added services and more robust logistics and technical services solutions.

In the MarineNews Yearbook edition we looked at how the past year has treated the tug, tow and barge, the offshore and the passenger vessel markets, and we ask industry experts about the outlook for 2011. While tragedy struck the offshore markets and the recession continues to impact many companies, business leaders also have good news to share. In the tug, tow and barge market, both Donjon Marine Co. and Mobro Marine seemed to agree that diversification is a powerful asset when dealing with turbulent economic times.

Last August Raina Clark began the story of her eight day trip on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers on the towboats Theresa Wood and Thomas E. Erickson, both chartered by AEP River Operations and owned and by Marquette Transportation. She described the working lives of the crew, how the relationship between the boats and the lock facilities has changed since 9/11, a river boat captain who built his crew into a tightly knit team and the uniqueness of the Upper Mississippi. In this third and final installment…

In early July, Raina Clark, Managing Editor for MarineNews, spent eight days on the Upper Mississippi and the Illinois Rivers on towboats — the Theresa Wood and the Thomas E. Erickson. Both vessels are chartered by AEP River Operations and owned and operated by Marquette Transportation. Raina traveled first aboard the Theresa Wood on the Mississippi River from Winfield, Mo. to Guttenberg Wis. Then she crossed the state of Illinois to catch the Thomas E. Erickson southbound on the Illinois River from Pekin, Ill. back to the confluence of the Mississippi River.

In early July, Raina Clark, Managing Editor for MarineNews, spent eight days on the Upper Mississippi and the Illinois Rivers on towboats — the Theresa Wood and the Thomas E. Erickson. Both vessels are chartered by AEP River Operations and owned and operated by Marquette Transportation. Raina traveled first aboard the Theresa Wood on the Mississippi River from Winfield, Mo. to Guttenberg Wis. Then she crossed the state of Illinois to catch the Thomas E. Erickson southbound on the Illinois River from Pekin, Ill. back to the confluence of the Mississippi River.

If towboats and barges hurtled passed the average American on their way to work every morning, the industry would be better known. If commuters had to deal with failed locks the way they have to deal with congested freeways, political support for the river industry’s infrastructure would be easier to come by. Instead, towing vessels and their crews go about their work in relative obscurity. The general public sees towboats and barges as historic relics from Sam Clemens’ time and less so an integral part of the modern American economy.

Westport Shipyard of Westport, Wash. recently launched its Global Response Cutter (GRC-43) prototype, constructed of a composite material the company believes to be the future of boat building. The launching of the 143-ft vessel also marks the yard’s return to commercial boat building. Westport Shipyard began in 1964, building commercial fishing vessels for the Northwest fleet and the occasional pleasure boat. In the early 90s Westport built the high-speed ferries for the Catalina service, but shortly afterward the company segued over to serving the yachting industry exclusively.

Marine News is launching its new Executive Corner, providing workboat industry executives with a place to be heard. This letters-to-the-editor section will feature readers’ opinion pieces on industry topics such as legislation, finance, industry tradition, innovation and any other issue that motivates you to speak your mind. Send your submissions, anywhere from 50 to 500 words, to Raina Clark, MarineNews managing editor, at [email protected]. Please include your name, title, company and daytime phone number.

Marine News is launching its new Executive Corner, providing workboat industry executives with a place to be heard. This letters-to-the-editor section will feature readers’ opinion pieces on industry topics such as legislation, finance, industry tradition, innovation and any other issue that motivates you to speak your mind. Send your submissions, anywhere from 50 to 500 words, to Raina Clark, MarineNews managing editor, at [email protected]. Please include your name, title, company and daytime phone number.