Subchapter K Rules News

Offshore wind developer Vineyard Wind on Monday announced it has signed a contract to charter a crew transfer vessel (CTV) from Massachusetts-based marine transportation company Patriot Offshore Maritime Services.The 88.5-foot (27-meter) aluminum CTV will be built at Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding in Somerset, Mass. for mid-2023 delivery. Based on an Incat Crowther catamaran design, with a beam of 29.5 feet and draft of 5.6 feet, it will be capable of carrying up to 24 technicians…

As the novel coronavirus and its impacts continue to spread across America, U.S. shipbuilders, by and large, continue to build. While most yards have been deemed essential to marine transportation and/or national security and have been able to maintain operations, the situation at and around every shipyard is different, and there are several builders across the country that have had to temporarily suspend activity. In either scenario, it’s far from business as usual for America’s…

This month, listen in as Sean Fernstrum weighs in on how his firm arrived at its enviable market position, what comes next, and why.Sean Fernstrum is a third-generation owner of R.W Fernstrum & Company. He graduated from Michigan Technological University in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Scientific and Technical Communications. After college, he came home to Menominee, Michigan and began working as a Technical Writer at R.W. Fernstrum & Company. He has been President of the company for the last 8 years.

The U.S. Coast Guard’s 2018 Domestic Annual Report on Flag State Control.The U.S. Coast Guard’s 2018 Domestic Annual Report contains statistics regarding inspections and enforcement of regulations on U.S. flagged vessels. The report includes deficiency and detention rates for each type of inspected vessel, as well as performance metrics for Recognized Organizations that perform work on the Coast Guard’s behalf. The data contained in this report was compiled by the Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance (CG-CVC) using information from the Coast Guard’s Marine Information Safety and Law Enforcement (MISLE) database system.For the first time, the coast Guard is presenting information reflecting the entire U.S.

The U.S. towing and tug business is 5,500 boats, more than 31,000 barges with an estimated total impact on U.S. GDP of $33.8 billion.“At a macro level, the bigger ships are causing downward pressure on the ship assist business because there are fewer ship calls given the increased capacity of these vessels. However, certain ports have seen tremendous growth, based on strategic location and infrastructure investments that have attracted these larger ships and been a net plus for these areas.”Kate Fuhrman…

Harken Industrial to manufacture and distribute C-Hero Man Overboard Rescue System.The USCG (SubM) option boats are required to perform a MOB drill for the USCG at the time of COI. In 137.215 (4) a surveyor has to examine systems in support of drills and training to ensure that it operates as intended. In response, the C-Hero MOB system can be an incredibly simple and affordable solution to that challenge. C-Hero founder Shane Smith, worked for more than 30 years as a tug captain performing coastwise towing, pushing barges on the rivers, and ship docking on San Francisco Bay.

The evidence and industry subject matter experts both say ‘yes.’In its recently released SAFER SEAS DIGEST, Lessons Learned from Marine Accident Investigations (2017), the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reports investigating numerous accidents across all modes of transportation where a properly implemented safety management system (SMS) could have prevented injuries, loss of life, or material damage. That document spans analysis of casualties across the full spectrum of all manners of marine craft, blue water and brown, foreign and domestic.Different authorities and subject matter experts (SME) differ on how they might explain a SMS, but it all adds up to one thing. But, what is a Safety Management System?

Alabama-based Tug and Barge Solutions (TBS) announced that more than 100 vessels now use  Ivy Marine's Towing Safety Management System and audit services, powered by Helm CONNECT software.Founded in 2012 by tug captain turned ISM/ISO auditor Pat Folan and towing vessel operators Steve Wilson and Patrick Boles, TBS has been helping towing vessel operators achieve compliance with the US Coast Guard (USCG), International Safety Management (ISM), Tanker Management and Self-Assessment (TMSA) and other standards for more than five years.Starting with operators on the US Gulf Coast and along the Intracoastal Waterway, TBS has steadily expanded to serve vessel operators throughout the US.

In an era of increasingly complicated regulations and sophisticated technologies disrupting the workboat sector, one piece of the equipment – the Keel Cooler – remains as possibly the most important and at the same time, the simplest piece of hardware on the water. Likewise, much the same way as it was more than 70 years ago, Fernstrum remains the standard. For today’s workboat sector, the most pressing issue facing operators is arguably comprised of meeting and paying for the advent of so-called ‘Tier’ emissions standards. The American subset of 5,500 towboats additionally faces the subchapter M towboat rules and new requirements for hardware installation and physical construction. The one thing they shouldn’t have to worry about is engine cooling solutions.

Pat Folan, a partner at Tug & Barge Solutions, weighs in on all things tugboat – with a focus on Subchapter M. Pat Folan is a partner in Daphne, Ala.-based Tug & Barge Solutions, a company that focuses on Subchapter M compliance for towing companies. The company also performs surveys of towing vessels and barges, manages safety management systems for towing companies and trains people on towing vessels and in offices. A professional mariner, he has operated towing vessels from Maine to Corpus Christi, Texas, including the Alabama Rivers, Lower Mississippi, Great Lakes and Erie Canal.

Anyone plying the Great South Bay between the shores of Long Island and Fire Island know that the fleet of Fire Island Ferries is a ubiquitous site, shuttling people, pets and supplies from the mainland to the barrier island oasis just five miles away. The scene is a familiar one, too, for Rhode Island boat builder Blount Boats, which has built quite a few of these ferries, and announced today the contact with Fire Island Ferries to build a new 85-ft. aluminum ferry boat for service between Bay Shore and Fire Island on Great South Bay.

Helm Marine Software’s product team leads burdened brown water workboat operators out of the wilderness – and confidently into compliance. Four to six forms a day and that’s before Subchapter M rules take effect. That is how many forms Helm Marine Software’s product team figures a typical inland vessel must deal with, every day. Their research shows that OSV companies have around 100 different forms to complete and Dry Bulk companies have around 70. Skip the forms, and under Subchapter M, vessels without Certificates of Inspection (COIs) won’t be fined. They will also be tied up at the dock.

We recently came across a very interesting report issued to Congress by the United States Coast Guard. The May 2012 study might seem dated, but that’s hardly the case. Actually, it’s a telling description of what can go wrong, why and perhaps, a blueprint for how to go forward and fix things. That’s our take, in any event. The Report chronicles oil spills from all vessel types, including the towing industry, tank ships, the offshore industry, freighters, and fishing vessels. Section…

Blount Boats completed the 85’ Fire Islander in September 2013. The 382-passenger, 2 deck, all aluminum commuter boat will operate between Bay Shore Long Island and Fire Island on Great South Bay, Long Island, New York. The triple screw vessel is powered by Detroit Series 60 Tier II diesel engines, 600 hp each at 2,100 rpm with 2:1 ZF 550 reduction gears. At a displacement of 43.6 tons, she cruises at 19 knots at 70% of her horsepower load at full complement and 24 knots lightship at wide open throttle with very little wake.

Amelia Island, Florida: At the second annual Workboat Exchange, held in April at the Ritz Carlton Hotel on beautiful Amelia Island, Florida, about 160 marine buyers and sellers alike got a full taste of the best food, weather and accommodations that the Sunshine state has to offer. At the same time, they also got a full dose of reality when it comes to the eventual implications of the subchapter M rules. Maritime attorney and consultant Gary English led the attendees through a comprehensive primer on who will be impacted, why, and what it is likely to cost inland marine operators to comply.

ADM Bob Papp’s Coast Guard tenure continues to be one of low profile victories, calm leadership and an emphasis on doing what is right for the Coast Guard. U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Bob Papp delivered the 2013 State of the Coast Guard (SOCG) Address at the National Defense University at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C. on February 27. Adm. Papp assumed command of the Coast Guard in May of 2010, he had the unenviable task of following perhaps the most charismatic leader the Coast Guard has ever had. The high profile Thad Allen, dubbed by the mainstream media as “the rock star” Commandant, also more earned his reputation by firm leadership over the course of more than one highly visible crisis after another.

There has been a decided uptick in activities from Japan’s ClassNK in the last 18 months, as it continues to drive its world-leading tonnage numbers ever higher. Led by Chairman and President  Noboru Ueda, ClassNK has been making moves to extend its influence globally, including a big push for growth in the U.S. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News was able to visit with Mr. Ueda to discuss the society’s strategy going forward. We have watched with great interest the activities of ClassNK over the past year, as it has expanded its reach into the U.S.

For inland operators, Compliance, Safety & Technology make for heavy river traffic as software providers descend on a rapidly approaching, potentially lucrative niche market. Is there a panacea for subchapter M? Pending USCG Subchapter “M” (SubM) regulations will eventually require towing operators to implement safety standards and use safety management systems, or alternatively, allow for an annual Coast Guard inspection regime. The new rules are expected to allow towing vessel organizations to customize their approach to meeting the requirements, while providing oversight using audits, inspections, and reviews of safety data. As many as 5,000 vessels and their operators will eventually feel the impact of the so-called subchapter M rules.

Germanischer Lloyd, Baker Lyman Sub-Chapter M Alliance brings affordable, turnkey TSMS solutions – and compliance – to towboat operators. When a family-owned, Gulf Coast based marine firm known primarily as a Chart Agent branches out into the world of maritime software, that’s big news. When a global, U.S. Coast Guard recognized vessel classification society acquires a world class survey and engineering firm to form a fully integrated technical consulting company, that’s arguably even bigger news. And, when those two entities – Baker Lyman (BL) and Germanischer Lloyd (GL) – this summer announced a strategic partnership intended to provide a turnkey…

Environmental standards come with a mess of acronyms that can be difficult to comprehend. I’ll demystify four of those acronyms here. The first two; EEDI and SEEMP, were coined by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and are aimed at monitoring and reducing vessels’ fuel usage and thus green house gas creation. The third, ECA, was also created by the International Maritime Organization and includes a focus on particulate matter emissions. The final acronym, ISO 14001…

Connectivity and Communications Complete the Package. The complex task of operating any marine enterprise isn’t getting any easier. Financial, regulatory, operational, environmental and human resource pressures all increase over time. In the brown water, workboat world, these problems are exacerbated by the sheer number of smaller operators struggling to catch up with business requirements that have become increasingly sophisticated, and over a very short period of time. Keeping track of the new subchapter “M” rules…

Innovation and New Building are Key Movers for this Gulf Coast Bulk Transportation Provider. Gordie Keenan, Higman's vice president of training told MarineNews in January, “We have 54 inland towboats, the majority of which are rated at 2,000 horse power, and 116 inland tank barges. Today our vessels are bigger with more horsepower, pushing more barrels, than ten years ago.” The company carries a myriad of crude oils and refined products for its clients on a fleet of barges and inland towboats that has doubled in number over the last ten years.

The Redlinger and the Elton, both 60-ft Hysucraft (hydrofoil supported catamarans), are survey vessel sister ships designed and built for the United States Army Corps of Engineers. They are serving the Portland Oregon district. Redlingers mission is in Portland along the Columbia River. Eltons mission is in Astoria and out to the Columbia Bar. The vessels have a top speed of 35knots with a cruising speed of 30 knots at 80% power. They can survey at up to 15 knots but typically their work is done at 10 knots. The vessels are designed by Viking Fast Craft Solutions, LLC., Staunton Ill.