Page 50: of Marine News Magazine (February 2014)

PEOPLE & COMPANY NEWS Casey, WhitÞ eld Honored by WCI U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and Congressman Ed WhitÞ eld (R- KY) will receive the 13th Annual Waterways Council, Inc. Leadership Service Awards on February 12, 2014 in Washington, DC. Senator Casey is a long-time champion of AmericaÕs in- land waterways, and original sponsor of the ÒReinvesting in Vital Economic Rivers and Waterways ActÓ of 2013 (RIVER), S. 407. Rep. Ed WhitÞ eld was elected to Congress in 1994 as the Þ rst Republican to represent Ken- tuckyÕs First Congressional District. An ardent supporter of the nationÕs waterways, Congressman WhitÞ eld is the original sponsor of ÒWaterways are Vital for the Economy, Energy, EfÞ ciency, and Environment ActÓ of 2013 (WAVE 4), H.R. 1149. Kirby Purchases Tank Barges Kirby Corporation announced the purchase of the stock of Coastal Towing, Inc., the owner of 37 inland black oil tank barges, for approxi- mately $19.3 million in cash, subject to post closing working capital ad- justments. Kirby has been operating the Coastal tank barges since Octo- ber 2002 under a barge management agreement. Kirby also announced the purchase of 21 tank barges from Cy- press Barge Leasing, LLC for $15.0 million in cash. Kirby has been leas- ing the barges since 1994 when the leases were assigned to Kirby as part of KirbyÕs purchase of the tank barge ß eet of The Dow Chemical Company. Both the Coastal and the Cypress pur- chases were Þ nanced through KirbyÕs $250 million revolving credit facility. Joe Pyne, KirbyÕs President and Chief Executive OfÞ cer, commented, ÒKir- by always prefers to own rather than lease whenever possible due to the tax advantages of ownership.Ó Carpenter Promoted at AWO The American Waterways Operators (AWO) announced that Jennifer Car- penter, AWOÕs Senior Vice President Ð National Advocacy, has been promoted to the new position of Executive Vice President, effective immediately. ¯rbeck-Nilssen New Maritime president in DNV GL Knut ¯rbeck-Nilssen has been named president in DNV GL Mari- time. He will be member of the Ex- ecutive Committee and operate out of Hamburg. ¯rbeck-Nilssen holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Heriot-Watt University and he also has an undergraduate degree from Oslo Polytechnic in Civil Engineering from 1987. AWO Urges Common-Sense in Fighting Great Lakes Invasive SpeciesResponding to the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study re- port released in January by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, American Waterways Operators President & CEO Tom Allegretti reiterated the tugboat, towboat and barge industryÕs understanding of the need to prevent the movement of invasive species be- tween the two watersheds by utilizing a comprehensive set of science-based control measures that protect the free ß ow of waterborne commerce that is vital to the regional and national economies. ÒWe appreciate the de- tailed work that the Corps has done to lay out options for solving this com-plex problem,Ó Mr. Allegretti stated. ÒWe believe it is clear from the GLM- RIS report that one of the alternatives, physical separation, is neither eco-nomically feasible nor will it be effec-tive at eliminating all identiÞ ed path- ways for the spread of invasive species, including Asian carp.Ó He continued, ÒThe GLMRIS report has given Con- gress a great deal of information to consider, and AWO looks forward to working with other stakeholders as part of a constructive dialogue to Þ nd a path forward that beneÞ ts the envi- ronment and the economy.Ó SignetÕs Promotes Dahl, Invests Signet Maritime is investing $7.2m in infrastructure improvements to their Pascagoula, Miss., shipyard, Sig- net Shipbuilding & Repair (SS&R) to support an increased workload and future growth. In addition to the re- cent acquisition of the 150-ton crawler crane, the shipyard facility moderniza- tion includes the dredging and renewal of a 1000-foot waterfront bulkhead, a new fabrication shop, expanded dry- dock and concrete base for vessel re- pairs, and improved sand blasting and painting area. SS&R specializes in the PyneNilssenCarpenterCaseyWhitÞ eldJanuary 2014 50 MNMN FEB14 Layout 50-59.indd 50MN FEB14 Layout 50-59.indd 501/17/2014 10:45:45 AM1/17/2014 10:45:45 AM