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Bulk Transport Leadership: Rick Calhoun
Drought and ensuing low river levels continue to affect the inland industry. Low water between St. Louis and Cairo, Illinois has threatened traffic on the Mississippi River since December. For months, dredging operations have slowed vessels at points along the river's course. Since December, a stretch at Thebes, Illinois, has been shut for much of each day as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers removes rock pinnacles.
The Articulated Tug Barge (ATB) Quandary
Inconsistent Rules Create Uneven Application of Standards. (Captain) Jeff Cowan explores the how and why of the safety gap that comes as a direct result. Oil tankers and cargo vessels face a number of oil spill prevention regulations especially along the U.S. coast. Surprisingly, many of the regulations governing T-2 and T-3 sized tankers which carry between 120,000 and 146,000 barrels of oil do not apply to the new Articulated Tug Barges (ATBs) that may carry as much if not more (400…
Purchasing Equipment or Services
The Devil is in the Details: a Contract Management System Can Save Your Company From Unwanted Surprises. Nine out of ten MarineNews readers operate a business that has a seemingly insurmountable number of logistical problems. Quite possibly, you are one of them. Your vessels are working a long way from the office, with crews that can’t be directly supervised, working on projects that change daily for customers that have different contractual and operating requirements.
(Sub) Chapter M Finally Surfaces
For inland operators, Compliance, Safety & Technology make for heavy river traffic as software providers descend on a rapidly approaching, potentially lucrative niche market.
The Mighty Teeny Mississippi
Just as the nation averted the fiscal cliff, it looks as if the inland waterways industries narrowly escaped its own fiscal waterfall. At press time, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers indicates that, despite record low water levels, the Mississippi River will be able to sustain navigation through the spring for towboats and barges. This is welcome news for shippers, operators and the U.S. economy that relies upon a robust export market facilitated by the waterways transportation system.
Avoiding Collisions with the North Atlantic Right Whale
Professional mariners have a unique responsibility as they transit the world’s oceans. Mariners see a part of this earth that the vast majority of humanity will never witness and, in turn, they become stewards of the ocean by following the numerous regulatory measures aimed at reducing the impact of shipping on the environment. These regulations include, but certainly are not limited to, the use of AIS to avoid collisions and harmful oil spills…
Power to the People
Passenger ferry and tour boat market segment has suddenly been revitalized and is on the verge of becoming hot. It is no secret: new vessel construction for the passenger vessel industry came to a virtual standstill in conjunction with the troubled economy. For many operators, just keeping the shingle hung, skilled crew at hand and something afloat at the other end of the mooring line has required the most scrupulous cost controls and strategy.
Salvaging Sandy
When Hurricane Sandy swept across the Caribbean, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States in late October 2012, the Category 2 storm eventually became the largest Atlantic hurricane on record.
Guarded Optimism for 2013 from U.S. Gulf Boatbuilders
Caveats and some doubts remain. Marine companies along the Gulf of Mexico will be busy in 2013 producing offshore vessels to meet expected growth in the region’s deepwater drilling sector over the next several years. Vessel repairs will be active too. Worker training will be stepped up to address a skilled labor shortage. And nearly three years after BP’s spill off coastal Louisiana, safety will remain a priority.
Gladding-Hearn Delivers with Repeat, Proven Business in 2012
When the long-time operators of the National Park Service passenger route from Key West, Florida, to Dry Tortugas National Park were looking to keep that contract…
Communications & Single Point Failures: What’s Your Back-up Plan?
How well prepared is your company for a natural disaster? How quickly could you get your operations up and running after the storm or other event hits? How about your vendors and suppliers? Emergency contingency plans (aside from vessel emergencies where oil has entered the water – that merits its own article and won’t be covered here) can start with a streamlined communications process. For emergencies ashore, how are you set up to handle business if the office is no longer accessible?
AWO’s Best Practices on Mariner Credentialing
American Waterways Operators (AWO), a 350-member trade association tells members to foster a cooperative relationship with the Coast Guard and to support the mariners, wherever possible. The American Waterways Operators (AWO), the 350-member trade association representing the nation’s tugboat, towboat and barge industry recently released recommended best practices to assist both companies and mariners in navigating the U.S. Coast Guard’s mariner credentialing and medical review process.
Harness the Energy: Deliver the Prosperity
A new year brings resolutions and renewed optimism for better times, and sometimes a wish for things to at least not get any worse. For the offshore energy industry, 2013 brings a combination of all.
The Nouvoyage Limousine Tender 33
Nouvoyage, LLC – a designer of amphibious craft for luxury and commercial market sectors – has introduced the Limousine Tender 33, the first-of-its-kind luxury amphibious yacht. While also working on military and commercial applications of its technology, Nouvoyage has analyzed marine sectors, with particular attention to the superyacht market in order to identify a compelling application for its amphibious platform.
VSTEP’s Nautis Desktop Simulation Trainer
VSTEP, a European-based developer of maritime simulators and virtual training software is offering a new option in Maritime Simulation with its Nautis Desktop Trainer. Designed to allow smaller maritime schools, corporate training departments and public educators access to dependable, affordable and portable simulation options, the product comes standard with three screens but can be configured for six or more.
Insights: H. Elder Brown, Jr.
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Fidelis Group Holdings LLC and Continental Underwriters, Ltd. For those in the marine insurance and underwriting communities, H. Elder Brown, Jr. needs no introduction. That’s because over the course of the past 27 years, Brown has taken Continental Underwriters Ltd. (CUL) from a small family business to one of the largest brown water marine underwriters in the United States.
By The Numbers: Tug Boat Market Report
Easily one of the more interesting statistical comparisons and compilations that reach our desk every year is the periodic Marcon International Tug Boat Market Report. We’ve examined this type of report before and it is worth doing so again. Chock full of data on the availability and make-up of tugs for sale here and abroad, the report also drills much deeper than that. We’ve highlighted some of the more interesting aspects of their latest effort (November 2012).
Gearing Up For U.S. Offshore Wind Power
Next year, developers hope to start building offshore wind turbines in the U.S., which is already a leader in on-land wind generation. As turbines spin off the coast in a dozen other countries, particularly the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany, global offshore wind capacity has expanded nearly six-fold since 2006. Most of these installations are in shallow water though winds are stronger out further. If the U.S.
The Challenge of Responding to Arctic Oil Spills
The U.S. Arctic is no longer the place it once was. The environment north of the Yukon River and beyond the vast Brooks Range is warming rapidly. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists predict that by 2020-2030, the Arctic could be nearly free of sea ice during the summer. Open seas will expand opportunities for maritime transportation, tourism, and oil and gas exploration in the region.
The Continued Pressing Need for Responder Immunity Enhancements
It has been over 2.5 years since the tragic incident involving the Deepwater Horizon occurred, resulting in the deaths of 11 and injuries to 17 men working on the platform and the discharge of approximately five million barrels of oil. The cleanup response required thousands of responders working several months to contain and clean up the spill under challenging conditions. In addition, immediately…