Johann Sigurjonsson News

Shaver Transportation of Portland, OR, operating vessels within the Columbia River region of the Pacific Northwest for over a hundred years, has selected Rapp Marine as the supplier of the two heavy-duty load handling winches on their latest tugboat. Rapp Marine has almost two decades of experience of designing and delivering rugged winches for workboat market, and has been around as a company for over a hundred years as well. The latest tugboat to the Shaver Transportation fleet is designed by Jensen Maritime of Seattle, WA and is under construction at Diversified Marine of Portland, OR.

The group’s business in the United States is organized under the parent company, Rapp Hydema U.S. Inc., a holding company with three wholly-owned subsidiaries that are controlled from the headquarters in Seattle. Rapp Hydema Northwest operates a workshop and local production. Rapp Hydema AK is the service arm of the Alaskan office and runs an engineering yard in Dutch Harbor. Rapp Hydema Subsea (Houston) is responsible for the offshore market. The Rapp Marine Group has developed advanced machinery and equipment for the marine and offshore oil industries worldwide for more than 100 years.

Rapp Hydema formed a new affiliate company, Rapp Hydema Canada Marine Incorporated. The new company will be associated with manufacturing and servicing of company’s lines, including winches and LARS (launch-and-recovery systems). Expanding government research vessel contracts brought about an expansion of both staff and facilities in nearby Seattle most recently, with both a new crane company (Rapp Hydra Pro) and 3,200-sq. ft. warehouse added. At the same time, “there has been increasing demand for Rapp after-market hydraulic servicing in the Vancouver, BC area,” saidRapp U.S.

Rapp Hydema has been supplying deck machinery to research vessels since 1977, but this global market recently became especially significant for the group. In 2002, in what would be a watershed project, Rapp Hydema was chosen to outfit the NOAA Fishery Survey Vessel (FSV) Oscar Dyson class of vessels. The first four ships in the class were being constructed at VT Halter Marine Shipyard. “That NOAA research vessel contract provided us with excellent exposure,” said Johann Sigurjonsson, President of Rapp Hydema U.S.

Rapp Marine Group recently acquired Hydra Pro Seattle, a crane manufacturing firm. Possessing both American Petroleum Institute (API) Spec 2C and ISO 9001:  2008 certifications, Rapp Hydra Pro is a rarity in the crane community. Hydra Pro also manufactures A-Frames, cylinders and other associated machinery. Hydra Pro’s clientele includes customers the offshore oil industry, the U.S. military, and various other marine subsectors, including ROV-handling. Kurt Manchester is the new Hydra Pro President; he has over 25 years of manufacturing experience.