People & Company News

ABS Elects Carthew, Taylor to Board

Michael Carthew, President, Chevron Texaco Shipping and Dean Taylor, President and CEO, Tidewater Marine were elected to the ABS Board of Directors, by the ABS Council, following yesterday's Annual Members Meeting of the classification society in New York.

Shipway Appointed as President of BIW

General Dynamics announced the appointment of John F. "Dugan" Shipway, 60, as president of Bath Iron Works, reporting to Michael W. Toner, executive vice president of General Dynamics Marine Systems group. Shipway succeeds Allan C. Cameron, 57, who has announced his retirement. Cameron had been president of Bath Iron Works since 1996.

RCCL Founder Retires After 35 Years

Edwin W. Stephan, a founder and former longtime president and vice chairman of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., will retire from the Board of Directors following the company's May 20 annual meeting in Miami. Stephan, 71, guided Royal Caribbean at its birth more than three decades ago. In 1970, when the fledgling cruise line launched Song of Norway with an expansive pool deck, it was the first ship designed specifically for warm-weather cruising. It revolutionized the cruise industry; previous ships were built for point-to-point ocean transport with far less open space.

Lang Expands Management Team

Lang Manufacturing Company, a provider of cooking solutions, has appointed new sales managers for its national and international sales coverage. Kenneth Fader was named national accounts manager for the eastern region; Mark Pumphret as eastern regional sales manager, and Jon Walker as director of government contracts, marine & international sales.

Jamian Named Deputy MARAD Administrator

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta announced the appointment of John Jamian as the Deputy Administrator for the Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration. "John brings a wealth of experience to the Department. His leadership and team building skills will be invaluable in achieving the department's strategic goals, and will prove to be important assets as we meet the challenge of improving our nation's maritime transportation systems," said Secretary Mineta. "I welcome him aboard my team."

SAFE Boat Dedicated

Secure Around Flotation Equipped (SAFE) Boat 256610 was officially dedicated to use by U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Seward on May 17. The 25-ft. vessel, formerly assigned to Coast Guard Station Ketchikan, was delivered in August 2002 to AUXSTA Seward. The SAFE boat, like its sister vessel SAFE Boat 256611 assigned to the Auxiliary in Whittier, will primarily serve in a 40-mile radius from Seward, supporting the Coast Guard in search and rescue. Both boats are owned by the U.S. Coast Guard and operated by trained and qualified Coast Guard Auxiliary members. The addition of "Auxiliary Vessel 610," as it is known to the Auxiliary, will greatly enhance the capabilities of AUXSTA Seward. This fast boat is equipped with state of the art electronics and is well designed for small boat towing. Initially it will be operating a weekend safety patrol schedule during the boating season.

NCL Launches U.S. Flag Brand for 2004

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) announced its new U.S. flag brand NCL America under which all of its U.S. flagged, U.S. crewed ships will operate. In addition the company has developed its largest Hawaii deployment ever, with two NCL America ships sailing inter-island cruises and two NCL ships sailing Hawaii/Fanning Island itineraries.

Furuno offers New 1823C NavNet Radar

Furuno has added the 1823C to its line of award-winning NavNet series, a 10.4-in. color Radar/Chart Plotter with 2.2 kW, 15-in. radome. Designed to suit a wide variety of vessels, the 1823C is part of the NavNet series of Ethernet networked products. The 1823C presents true color radar images on a high resolution color LCD, housed in a rugged and waterproof case.

Hornbeck Offshore Reports 1Q Results

Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. reported that revenues for the quarter ended March 31, 2003 increased 20.3 percent to $27.3 million compared to $22.7 million for the same quarter in 2002. Operating income was $10.4 million or 38.1 percent of revenues for the first quarter of 2003, compared to $9.3 million or 41 percent of revenues for the same quarter in 2002. First quarter 2003 net income was $4.3 million, including a $0.7 million gain on disposition of a vessel, compared to $3.5 million for the first quarter 2002.

The primary reason for the increase in revenue was the increase in the size of the company's fleet by an average of 3.8 offshore supply vessels during the first quarter 2003 compared to the first quarter 2002. The company took delivery of a total of five new deepwater OSVs on February 20, June 13, August 11 and October 20, 2002 and March 17, 2003, respectively, all of which are 240E, 240ED or 265-ft. class OSVs. The $4.6 million net increase in first quarter 2003 revenue over the prior year quarter was comprised primarily of incremental revenue from these newly constructed vessels. Operating costs and depreciation expense increased by a combined $3.5 million, primarily related to the incremental quarter-over-quarter contribution of the five new, larger class OSVs. On January 28, 2003, Hornbeck sold a tank barge, the Energy 5502, to an unrelated third party for $1.65 million, which resulted in a gain of $0.7 million. There were no such dispositions of assets in the first quarter 2002. On February 28, 2003, the company purchased an 80,000-barrel double-hulled tank barge for $7.4 million. The purchase of the vessel, which was renamed the Energy 8001, was funded with a $7.4 million draw on Hornbeck's revolving credit facility. The amount outstanding under the revolver remained at $7.4 million as of March 31, 2003.

Todd Hornbeck, President and CEO, said, "Even though we continue to experience downward pressure on dayrates and utilization in our OSV segment, we had another quarter of strong financial results, primarily due to two reasons: continued fleet expansion in our OSV segment and strong winter-related activity in our tug and tank barge segment. This is the sixth consecutive quarter that we have delivered a newly constructed deepwater OSV into our fleet, a trend we expect to continue in each of the next three quarters. We also experienced a full quarter of the favorable effects of normal winter conditions on the Northeast tank barge market, a trend that may not be sustainable post-winter until current U.S. economic conditions improve."

On March 17, 2003, Hornbeck took delivery of the HOS Bluewater, the company's first 240ED class offshore supply vessel, and the first vessel to be delivered under its current eight-vessel newbuild program. The HOS Bluewater, which was delivered two weeks early by the shipyard, immediately commenced service under a spot time charter with a large independent oil and gas company to support its deepwater operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

On April 30, 2003, Hornbeck entered into a bareboat lease of a newly constructed 165-ft. crewboat, the HOS Hotshot. The vessel immediately commenced service under a spot time charter within the "pool fleet" of a major oil company to support its deepwater operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

Oceaneering Utilizes VitalLink 1200

Oceaneering International Inc recently purchased VitalLink 1200 from TeleMedic Systems for use in remote medical emergencies. VitalLink has been installed on board FPSO Ocean Producer providing the crew with access to 24 hour a day medical advice from International SOS. VitalLink 1200, packaged in a ruggedized water resistant portable backpack, has been designed for the non-medically trained operator.

Should a worker on the Ocean Producer become sick or injured, the unit is activated, and voice prompts and on-screen instructions guide the operator through the attachment of simply designed medical leads to the patient.

VitalLink 1200 automatically monitors the patient's blood pressure, pulse, blood oxygen, temperature and ECG and transmits these vital signs in real-time to International SOS through the FPSO Ocean Producer's satellite communications system.

Knight & Carver Offers Larger Facilities

Knight & Carver YachtCenter of San Diego announced a teaming agreement with Southwest Marine that provides Knight & Carver full use of Southwest Marine's dry-dock facilities to service vessels of virtually unlimited tonnage. Under the agreement, Knight & Carver will be able to use Southwest Marine's facilities for large-vessel haulouts, with Knight & Carver's work crews working at Southwest Marine on an as-needed basis. Southwest Marine's shipyard features five piers with a total capacity of over 2,800 feet, and two floating dry docks with the following capacities: 1) 400' x 66' and 4,000 long tons and 2) 568' x 105' and 22,600 long tons.

Chemoil/All Round Fuel Trading Debut New Barge

The 6,745 metric ton (mt) Maxima is now operational in Rotterdam. The Maxima represents the future for European bunker supplies. The double-hulled tanker barge was launched in Rotterdam of the Maxima. Jointly owned by bunker supplier Chemoil / All Round Fuel Trading BV (Chemoil/ARFT), fuel oil transportation company FTS/Hofftrans, and shipbuilder Breko Nieuwbouw under the name Maxima Tankers BV, the Maxima will begin operations on April 29.

ADT to Install Security at Port of Oakland

The Port of Oakland announced today the award of a $4.75 million maritime security enhancement contract to Florida-based ADT Security Services, Inc., a unit of Tyco Fire & Security. Under the contract, ADT will install an integrated security system using advanced technology to assist the Port of Oakland, the nation's fourth busiest container port, in its overall security assessment and improvement program. The contract is being funded through a 2002 seaport security grant award from the federal Transportation Security Administration.

SEA Appoints Joyce as Dean

Sea Education Association has named Dr. Paul Joyce as its new Dean. Dr. Joyce, who has been affiliated with Sea for most of his professional life, most recently serving as the organization's assistant dean for Pacific Operations and acting dean. Joyce obtained a BS and Ma from the University of Notre Dame, and went on to earn his Doctorate in Biological Oceanography from the Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island.

SeaWave Introduces Integrator 3.0i

SeaWave LLC, added the Integrator product line, the Integrator 3.0i. The Integrator 3.0i features a built-in Iridium voice and data modem that allows any vessel to combine Integrator's Least Cost Routing and SeaWave's signature Throughput Technology with the low cost service fees of the Iridium constellation creating a low cost, highly available communications system. The Integrator 3.0i's state-of-the-art technology may be installed as a stand alone system or combined to leverage your customer's existing communications system into one least cost routing network. The end result is the most powerful and affordable communication service available. The Integrator 3.0i provides global communications services and delivers your customers with one easy-to-read, consolidated billing statement.

21st Century Tech to Provide for Titan

21st Century Technologies, Inc. will provide additional special application magnets to Titan Maritime, Inc. for its Hot Tap drill system. Titan Maritime is a Florida-based salvage company with major operations in the U.S., U.K. and Brazil. "We are excited about our cooperation with Titan Maritime," says Arland Dunn, Chairman and CEO of 21st Century Technologies, Inc. "We are providing a portable platform for their drill system. This is a slightly different application than our best-selling patches SeaPatch and ProMag, and should therefore further broaden our market potential."

By using patented magnetic adhesion, Trident's magnetic patches, SeaPatch (for leaks in ships and underwater structures) and ProMag (for all other leaks) quickly and safely stop virtually any leakage. Whether the leak is on an open-ocean tanker, inland waterway bridge, railway tanker, remote pipeline or shore storage tank, Trident's versatile patches save time and money by stopping leaks before they get out of hand. "In addition to serving large corporations who want to prevent financially disastrous leaks, we are also getting increased attention from the homeland security related agencies. For example, if local fire stations decided to include our ProMag patches in the toolsets, this would dramatically increase their preparedness and ability to contain potential hazardous leaks arising from terrorist activities or other local accidents involving leaks. This is becoming a very important issue," Dunn says.

Polansky Joins Port of Greater Baton Rouge

John Polansky, Jr. has been hired as the new director of engineering and security with the Port of Greater Baton Rouge. His responsibilities include oversight of the Port Construction and Development Priority Program and supervision of the design and construction of projects, as well as ensuring environmental compliance of all port facilities. For the past 13 years, Polansky has been the director of maintenance, engineering and construction for Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District.

Armed Helicopters to Patrol Waterways

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge recently approved the use of the Coast Guard's Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) for armed specialized missions in our nation's ports and waterways. "The use of Coast Guard HITRON for armed aerial patrols will increase the level of security in our ports, provide an additional layer of defense, ensure the continued safe flow of commerce and deter possible acts of terrorism on our nation's key ports," said Secretary Ridge.

The Coast Guard has used HITRON helicopters and crews for drug interdiction operations in the Caribbean and southeast Pacific Ocean since August 1999. "HITRON pilots and crews are already trained in aerial use of force for drug interdiction, so it was a natural fit for them to meld into use for homeland security patrols," Ridge said.

HITRON operates under the Maritime Homeland Security Airborne Use of Force Policy. Members assigned to HITRON developed airborne use of force tactics in order to counter possible terrorist threats to the United States. "We stand poised to protect our country's ports and waterways as requested by the President or Secretary Ridge," said CDR Robert Palatka, Acting Commanding Officer of HITRON in Jacksonville, Fla.

Marzolf Flanges Save Time, Money

Marzolf two-piece back-up flanges are designed as an alternative to standard lap joint or Van Stone style flanges. The concept reportedly eliminates the problem or cutting off and rewelding stub ends, permitting quick, permanent replacement of failed one-piece rings. The units are made with self-positioning laminae, which interleave when flange halves are brought together to form a rigid solid ring equivalent for 150 and 300 pound service.