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EDITOR’S NOTE e arrive at yearend with the maritime industry in a period of change, with many sectors in ? ux, and the way we do business rapidly changing along with it. The ? rst word that comes to mind to describe all of this might just be ‘disruption.’ Now, disruption is a

W much overused word in today’s business lexicon, but this is one time that it is, quite simply, a perfect ? t. Stay with me: I do have a point.

It was explained to me a couple of years back that, in order to understand what was happen- ing on the water, you needed to ? rst understand what happened to the automobile industry in the 1970’s. Recognizing the dangers of lead, the federal government banned the use of it in gasoline. As it was phased out, this created a problem for car manufacturers. That’s because the lead that was so bad for the environment also provided the necessary internal lubrication for the [email protected] very engines that depended on gasoline for propulsion. It was a huge problem, ‘disruptive,’ if you will. Eventually, industry got through it and today, you are still able to sit in traf? c, gnash- ing your teeth for hours in your morning commute.

Fast forward to present day, or if you like, project into the future to IMO’s so called ‘2020 deadline.’ In this case, industry is being asked – no, told – to lose all but a fraction of the sul- phur that they collectively use within today’s most commonly used marine fuels – diesel and heavy fuel oil. And when all of that sulphur departs the mix, it’ll take with it – you guessed it – the critical lubricity that it provides. As with the auto industry in the 1970’s, today’s mari- time stakeholders will no doubt rise to the challenge, as well. That might entail nano-thin internal ceramic coatings for engines, additives to the fuel itself, or any one of a number of other solutions.

That’s all very interesting, you might say, and then ask, “What does the lubricity of engine fuel have to do with this edition?” Not a whole lot, actually. But, in terms of a disruptive event, it’s pretty big. And, within our narrative (starting on page 28) outlining the Top Stories of 2018, we ? nd that there have been more than a handful of disruptive events that demand our attention. For example, the destructive hurricane that destroyed much of the Florida panhandle also sees Eastern Shipbuilding Group clawing its way back to its full capabilities. And, when the

Coast Guard’s subchapter M towboat rules ? nally arrived in July, I can think of more than a few inland operators who would characterize that event as something that’s ‘disruptive.’ Within that story are another eight equally disruptive subplots.

On a more positive note, this edition also announces the MarineNews Top 10 Workboats of the Year; each unique in its own way and each destined to create change on the water. Who says so? I do. And, if that’s not ‘disruptive,’ then I don’t know what is.

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Joseph Keefe, Editor, [email protected]

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