Page 6: of Marine News Magazine (April 2014)

SUBSCRIBESubscribe to the print or electronic edition of MarineNews at www.marinelink.com/renewsubscr/Renew04/subscribe.html or e-mail Kathleen Hickey at [email protected] DAILY NEWS via E-MAIL Twice every business day we provide breaking news, tailored to your speciÞ cation, delivered FREE directly to your e-mail. To subscribe visit http://maritimetoday.com/login.aspx POST & SEARCH JOBSJob listings are updated daily and help match employers with qualiÞ ed employees. Post a position or keep abreast of new employment opportunities at http://www.maritimejobs.com ADVERTISE MN offers a number of print and electronic advertising packages. To see our editorial calendar and advertising rates, visit www.marinelink.com/AdvRates/Rates.asp Online Resources EDITOR?S NOTEEven if, as Marcon International?s Bob Beagle says, barges are the workhorses of the towing industry, then the pushboats that propel the 38,000 (documented and undocumented) deck, hopper, tank, crane and miscellaneous purpose barges to their destinations are the heart and soul of the most ef cient ? and greenest ? means to move cargo known to man. This month, we take a close look at what?s developing for both types of hulls; in terms of design, markets, boatbuilding and everything else in between. There?s something happening on all fronts. The second quarter of 2014  nds North American shipyards and the service and manufacturing sectors that support them still roaring along. But, it?s not just production ? it?s also about innova- tion. For example, Robert Allen?s design for an inland pushboat based largely on local requirements sheds new light onto how front end design work ultimately impacts the maximum utility of any hull. That it involves inland rivers and a shortsea formula makes it all the more compelling. The story begins on page 26. Slightly off course for this edition, but no less important, the Robert Allen designs also foretell the efforts underway in South America to ramp up inland ef ciencies in advance of a post-Panamax world. That?s just a tiny window into efforts going on south of the equator to make it more eco- nomical to bring grain and other raw materials to market via various inland rivers. This should serve ? although I fear it will not ? as a wake-up call for federal and state of cials, North American grain interests and anyone else who makes their living on the Mississippi and other important inland riv- ers. He who gets his product to market quicker wins. And, the race is on. I?m not saying that there aren?t good things happening right here at home. For one thing, AEP River Operations is perhaps betting that I?m wrong on the domestic inland situation as they barge right into the liquid transport markets in a big way. AEP has just taken delivery of the  rst of 20 high-end tank barges ? all scheduled for production at Jeffboat in 2014 ? that will propel them from already being one of the real river giants in terms of bulk transportation, but also a force to be reckoned with downstream in the tank barge markets. Already, there is pressure on this sector with shippers ? current and future ? competing for a  nite supply of units. AEP might just be stepping in at just exactly the right time. Looking just over the horizon, this month?s OP/ED entry from the Offshore Service Vessel Dy- namic Positioning Authority (OSVDPA) is pointed reminder that the offshore industry, cha ng as it already is under the weight of any number of new regulatory burdens, also isn?t sitting on its collective hands waiting for someone else to improve their performance. By itself, it constitutes a terri c warm up for our Offshore Annual in May. That said; oil & gas stakeholders will soon see that it means so much more. [email protected] Keefe, Editor, [email protected] Download our AppsiPhone & Android6 MNApril 2014MN April14 Layout 1-17.indd 6MN April14 Layout 1-17.indd 63/20/2014 11:34:54 AM3/20/2014 11:34:54 AM