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EDITOR’S NOTE ithin this edition, Allan Leatt, the new Chief Executive of the International Marine Con- tractors Association (IMCA) opines about the offshore oil and gas industry, saying that as oil neared its recent heady apex, “… industry had probably become less ef? cient than at $20

W oil, when you had to be very ef? cient and disciplined or you were out of business.” The lesson there, of course, is that when times get tough – and certainly, the world of workboats is inextricably linked with the health of global energy – the smarter companies who learn to adapt to the realities of the ongoing business climate are those that will not only survive, but also prosper.

One way to encourage prosperity, says Leatt, is to ensure that the ef? ciencies that become criti- cal at a $40 per barrel threshold are the same ones we keep when oil (some day) climbs back above [email protected] $100. Another way, of course, is to embrace and pursue innovation, new trends and better equip- ment, all of which adds up to a more economical – and better – way of doing business. Sure, the front end investment can sometimes be scary, but amortizing those costs over time for the backend payout is the ultimate reward.

In this, our ? nal edition of 2015, we examine the best of new trends in boatbuilding and the innovative products that made their debut in the past 12 months. The scope and depth of these ves- sels and equipment is impressive. They show great innovation and beyond that; the willingness of industry to invest smartly in the future. Those investments might take the form of improved safety (always a concern when money is tight), environmental improvements intended to meet regulatory requirements (or better yet, just because it is the right thing to do), and/or products that improve the bottom line by improving operational ef? ciencies.

All of these efforts start at the proverbial ‘drawing board,’ or as vessel designers might say: the

CAD/CAM screen. It is here where great advancements have been made over the last decade; short- ening modeling times, simplifying the enormously complicated calculations that go into building the perfect boat and, at the end of the day, producing more accurate predictive models of how the ? nished product will perform on the water. Demonstrating that point aptly is MarineNews West

Coast-based contributor Kathy A. Smith’s look at two Canada-based ? rms, collaborating together on design and software. The story begins on page 42.

A glance in the Radar to see what is over the horizon in 2016 predictably yields a lot of sea clut- ter and not a whole lot of certainty. Hence, I will only make one prediction as we approach the end of the 2015 sea passage. What I do know is that the regulatory hammer, unlike the economy it oversees, won’t take time off to weather a softened business cycle. In particular, the so-called sub- chapter M towboat rules are looming – on a steady bearing with decreasing range. No one knows de? nitively when they will come. That said; I know that they will.

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Joseph Keefe, Editor, [email protected]

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