April 2008
Gulf Craft has built an unconventional crew boat for Seacor Marine. The 165-foot catamaran with waterjet propulsion will have a top speed of 42 knots, making it the fastest workboat in the Gulf of Mexico. By Larry Pearson
Great Lakes Traffic Report
The United States and Canada have completed a joint report on the future of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. The report maintains that this inland waterway has significant growth potential if the locks and channels are properly maintained and developed. By Richard Aichele
NTSB Pushes USCG on Mariner Fatigue Regs
The National Transportation Safety Board is pushing the Coast Guard to adopt more rigorous rules to ensure that mariners get enough rest. The NTSB says that current efforts by the Coast Guard to address the fatigue issue are inadequate.
By Leah Flumerfelt
LNG Terminal at Risk
A proposal to build an LNG terminal in Fall River, Mass. is in serious jeopardy because of Coast Guard concerns about the safety of the route tankers would have to navigate to reach the terminal. Ships would have to make two sharp turns to pass through two bridges that are only about 1,100 feet apart. By Jim Austin
Maritime Training Expands to High Schools
To address the current shortage of trained mariners, industry leaders are trying to encourage the creation of maritime training programs in secondary schools.
By John Snyder
American Tugboat Review Update
Tugboat companies are trying to mitigate the dramatic rise in fuel costs by converting some of their vessels to bunker fuel. By Greg Walsh
New Tug for E.N. Bisso
E.N. Bisso’s newest tug is a 4,000-hp z-drive built by Eastern Shipbuilding in Florida. Called Josephine Ann, the assist tug will operate on the lower Mississippi River. Photo Spread By Brian Gauvin
Training: Simulators Move Forward Again
Today’s simulators do a great job of recreating weather conditions, the handling characteristics of specific vessels and the defining characteristics of ports and waterways around the world. Now efforts are being made to capture the operational characteristics of two crucial elements in most towing operations: winches and their lines. By David Tyler
Maritime Casualties
Casualties on Mississippi, the Savannah River, in the Gulf, in Alaska and Massachusetts. Full coverage.
War Pay
It is a widely believed that when a mariner’s ship was sunk or when the mariner was taken prisoner during World War II, his pay stopped. Not true, according to a historian. By Charles Dana Gibson
The Human Element HUMAN ELEMENT
Human error is a factor in about four-fifths of maritime accidents. There are lessons to be learned on how to reduce these mistakes by looking at other industries. By Geoff G.
Elegant Charter Operation: Pacific Yellowfin
The 114-foot Pacific Yellowfin has humble origins. It began life in 1943 working for the U.S. Army as a small cargo vessel. Today it is a charter vessel that offers its guests elegant guest quarters and international cuisine as it cruises along British Columbia’s dramatic isle-studded waterways. By Alan Haig-Brown
Column: Capt Kelly Sweeney
Kelly Sweeney says we should support efforts to move cargo off of highways and railroads and onto vessels but not by weakening the provisions of the Jones Act.
