Self-Cleaning Filter System Cuts Maintenance Costs
A routine oil and filter change in the tight quarters of the engine room onboard a boat is normally a messy and awkward job. Buckets of used lube oil and filter cartridges must be lugged up the narrow galley stairs for disposal and new oil and filters must be carried down the stairs, all in the short time while the boat is in dock for maintenance. Boston Harbor Cruises found that Alfa Laval's Eliminator, an automatic self-cleaning filter system installed in combination with Cummins' Centinel system in its high-speed catamarans, saved $2,100 per engine per year in oil, filter and labor costs. With a total of three boats, each with four engines, equipped with the Eliminator, Boston Harbor Cruises save a total of $25,200 per year.
When is a Deckhand not a Seaman?
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled that a deckhand might not be a seaman for purposes of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and that the issue is a question of fact. In the instant case, plaintiff sued her employer, a commuter ferry, for failure to pay overtime as required by the FLSA. Defendant employer moved for summary judgment, contending a deckhand is a seaman and that seamen are exempt from the FLSA overtime requirement. The trial court granted the motion and plaintiff appealed, contending that she merely took passenger’s tickets, loaded and unloaded passengers, and ensured the safe exiting of passengers. The court held that regulations promulgated by the U.S.
