Vera Bisso News

A new 105 ft., multi-purpose, double-hull tug, Vera Bisso, has been launched by Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., of Lockport, La., for E.N. Bisso & Son, Inc., of Metairie, La. Similar to other tugs built by E.N. Bisso & Son during the 1990s, Vera Bisso is designed for dual applications. Its initial focus will be on ship assist work along the Mississippi River, for which the vessel possesses exceptional maneuverability. However, with its sturdy build, Vera Bisso is also capable of performing offshore work. According to Walter Kristiansen, president of E.N. Bisso & Son, the vessel's design resulted from comments solicited from company workers, as well as colleagues. "We started with a blank piece of paper for this tug," said Kristiansen.

Why is a story on a new 105-ft. tug leading off the propulsion performance products section? Because the Vera Bisso, a new 32-m multi-purpose, double-hull tug, being built at Bollinger Shipyards’ Lockport, La. yard for E.N. Bisso & Son, Inc.— offers some interesting propulsion system enhancements to improve and broaden its capabilities. Similar to other tugs built by E.N. Bisso & Son during the 1990s, Vera Bisso is designed for dual applications. Its initial focus will be on ship assist work along the Mississippi River, for which the vessel possesses exceptional maneuverability. However, with its sturdy build, Vera Bisso is also capable of performing offshore work. According to Walter Kristiansen, president of E.N.

To say the Gulf of Mexico maritime business had a down year would be a major understatement. But rags-to-riches-to-rags experience of the past has resulted in a consolidated, resourceful group of companies poised to pounce on the next market upturn … which should be very soon. The business trends of consolidation and globalization that have largely defined the late 1990s have touched every level of business in the U.S., including the Gulf of Mexico maritime industry. Companies that had largely depended on "business as usual" are generally out of business today. The result: a resilient industrial base that is poised to prosper in good times and bad. "Business is bad right now, as the oilfield is our primary source of business," said Ralston P.

The only logical reason the sustained high price per barrel of oil has not already been dubbed "OIL BOOM 2000" is the fact that hindsight is 20/20. Companies that operate, build and supply vessels for the fickle oil patch have seen schizophrenic markets of days past bring industry goliaths to their knees. There remains a reserve among Gulf of Mexico area companies regarding prospects 2000 and beyond, but there is a growing feeling the business - which has largely been dismal since the end of 1997 - is set to embark on one of those notorious end runs that will fill area yards with healthy backlogs for years. The reason for the "look before you leap" attitude is also largely rooted in changing business dynamics which have effectively altered the way in which the world does business.