Keefe, Joseph
Editor-
07 Oct 2019
VDRs for Inland Vessels? Does It Make Sense?
It just might. And, you’ve got options.The Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) carriage requirements apply to all passenger ships regardless of gross tons or year of build, and to all cargo ships 3000 gross tons or larger built after 2002. A simplified VDR (S-VDR) is allowed on older ships built before 2002. The performance standard was updated in 2014. That said; a full type-approved VDR is not a requirement for inland vessels under 3,000 GT.
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11 Jul 2019
Shipping Losses Lowest This Century as New Dangers Emerge
The Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty AGCS) Safety & Shipping Review 2019 provides a unique and in-depth look at the emerging risks facing international shipping stakeholders.Large shipping losses are now at their lowest level this century having declined by over 50% year-on-year, according to Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE’s (AGCS) Safety & Shipping Review 2019. The annual study analyzes reported shipping losses over 100 gross tons (GT).
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01 Jul 2019
PROPULSION: ‘Power’ to the People
Interstate-McBee brings affordable aftermarket replacement parts to a marine sector thirsting for new ways to bolster the bottom line. As freight rates, subchapter M and the advent of EPA Tier IV requirements all impact the market, an affordable overhaul of an existing engine is one way to find real relief. A recent report, entitled “Impact of Updated Service Life Estimates on Harbor Craft and Switcher Locomotive Emission Forecasts and Cost-Effectiveness…
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25 Jun 2019
BY THE NUMBERS
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.
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21 Jun 2019
Eye in the Sky for Inland INTEL
Genscape Maritime’s Vessel Coverage of U.S. Inland Waterways offers new perspectives and a leg up on the competition. In today’s transportation markets, information is everything.It was back in 2016 that Genscape announced the complete integration of more than 400 terrestrial AIS antennas in North America, providing an impressive level of data accuracy and visibility into ship movements in the U.S.
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20 Jun 2019
SHORTSEA CRANE OPERATIONS: Lifting a Port to Prosperity
A Liebherr LHM 420 Crane is at the heart of a rapidly expanding shortsea shipping success story. Reliability is the key for a port that’s turned the corner, with nowhere to go but ‘up.’Way back in January of 1996, I moved to Richmond, Virginia from Houston, Texas. Still very much in the maritime business as a cargo surveyor and ship expeditor, the Port of Richmond intrigued me, every time I drove past it on I-95.
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19 Jun 2019
USMI: 35 Years and Going Strong
Spanning 35 exciting years, USMI’s core values of Family, Integrity and Quality have served the firm and its military customers well. The next 35 promise to be just as compelling.Little more than one month ago, on April 16, 2019, Gulfport, MS-based United States Marine Inc. (USMI) celebrated its 35th anniversary of continuous Department of Defense production, with hopes of many more years to come.
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18 Jun 2019
Exceptional (Market) Reach Lifts a Crane Retrofit to Success
The New York State Canal System, Advance Marine and MelCal Cranes all enjoy a reputation for versatile applications in challenging conditions. It’s no wonder that their recent deal to replace an aging maintenance crane was also a similarly good fit.When Advance Marine recently delivered a telescopic boom crane to New York State Canals, the decision regarding which type and brand of crane to select wasn’t made in a vacuum, nor was it made lightly.
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18 Jun 2019
Report: The U.S. Marine Market
A ‘work in progress,’ the North American brown water, shallow draft sectors have experienced a tumultuous year of evolution, changing market conditions, a rapidly shifting regulatory environment and new opportunities. Anything but boring; and within the pages of Maritime Reporter’ & Engineering News’ Annual Yearbook, Joseph Keefe, editor of sister-publication MarineNews, takes a deep dive into the issues driving the domestic waterfront.Workboat EmissionsMore than one year ago…
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13 Jun 2019
Seawork: Aptly Named, Well Worth the Visit
Southampton, United Kingdom: It has been quite a few years since I last touched down in the UK; longer still for a visit on a maritime business trip. And, I don’t cross 'the big pond' casually for one these events. This morning, Seawork 2019 in Southampton is not yet over but if the past two days have been any indication at all, then the entire event will be regarded as a rousing success for all involved.There is something for everyone here.
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28 May 2019
MN100 2019: on the horizon
Is your company a Top 100 performer? The application period for this year’s MN100 edition is officially open and underway! Only those who apply can be considered for inclusion.The MN100, always our August print edition, is our annual look at the best 100 firms in the MarineNews, brown water, workboat space. There will never be a better time for you to tell MarineNews just why your firm is one of the best in the business.
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14 May 2019
Risk Management on the Inland Waterways Evolves
The subchapter M towboat rules, safety management systems, and an emerging culture shift on the inland waterways brings with it a fresh look at how to manage risk. Is it time for P&I clubs to return to brown water? And should inland operators welcome them home?A mass exodus from the inland marine sector by P&I clubs in the mid-1990’s was precipitated by many things. Today, these very same vessels have been put under the subchapter M regime, and most are adapting SMS as a culture in the process.
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17 Apr 2019
BOATBUILDING: What’s in Your Workboat?
Moose Boats rises to the challenge of building its biggest vessel ever. That’s an important step forward for this growing California shipyard. Equally impressive is what’s inside that rapidly developing hull and why those features were chosen.The U.S. boatbuilding scene is a changing landscape of waterfront manufacturing that constantly evolves to meet the inevitable peaks and valleys of demand. Nowhere is that reality more apparent than at California-based Moose Boats.
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05 Apr 2019
Shipyard Coatings: Green is the Best Color
VT Halter’s new state-of-the-art blast and pain facility, already paying dividends for the shipyard’s bottom line and the environment alike, is poised to lift your bottom line with improved coatings and reduced corrosion.When it comes to marine coatings, preparation is everything. If that’s the case, then Gulf Coast-based VT Halter has all the boxes checked when it come to making sure that every vessel…
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28 Mar 2019
The Enduring, Iconic U.S. Flag ATB Model
The view from the Bouchard Boardroom and … beyond.The roots of the now familiar and reliable articulated tug and barge (ATB) business are deep and stretch all the way back to the 1800’s. Along the way, various patents to connect a tug and a barge with a secure mechanical connection were filed. The concept began to gather momentum in the late 1960’s when Edwin Fletcher with ARTUBAR, and the Bludworth…
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14 Mar 2019
DAPI 101: Outreach and Enforcement
Even as the minimum Random Drug Testing Rate is raised to 50 PCT, the Coast Guard wants its mission to consist of 90% outreach and just 10% enforcement. Really.The domestic waterfront got some less-than-happy news when the U.S. Coast Guard announced that the calendar year 2019 minimum random drug testing rate had been set at 50 percent of covered crewmembers. It’s safe to say that nobody is happy about it…
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20 Feb 2019
Round the Clock Business Demands Seamless Comms
Network Innovations and its inland waterways connectivity solution eliminates “dead spot” coverage woes. And, not a moment too soon.The bane of inland operators – or at least one of many – has always been the dearth of reliable and economical vessel-to-shore communications. Even in America’s heartland where cellular coverage is routinely billed as seamless, so-called ‘dead spots’ persist. Sometimes…
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28 Jan 2019
Inland Docking Infrastructure 101
When it comes to docking and protecting your most valuable assets, there is no room for compromise.In relation to the sea, there is no room for compromise. That’s the philosophy that SF Marina Systems has brought to the design and manufacturing of concrete floating structures, stretching over 100 years of design history, research and development. These “Storm Proven” systems have evolved over time…
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21 Jan 2019
Safety Management Systems: A Good fit for Passenger Vessels?
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.
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11 Dec 2018
Outfitting the Modern Workboat
MetalCraft Marine’s 10 Meter Interceptor model is a formidable workboat. Defined by the sum of its myriad parts, it really can be seen that ‘the equipment makes the boat.’ This month, we ask "What's in Your workboat?"In a business where there is rarely any shortage of pretty boats, cutting edge designs and equally impressively performing workboat tonnage, it is also true that the real value to any design is cemented by the very equipment that makes it run.
