Page 10: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 1969)

Fluor Announces Second Step In Major Expansion Program To Cost About $20-Million Fluor Ocean Services, Inc., international off-shore engineering and construction division of Fluor Corporation, Houston, Texas, has an-nounced the second in a series of steps to be taken in a major equipment expansion pro-gram. Expenditures will be approximately do-minion. John G. Mackin, vice-president and general manager of Fluor Ocean Services, said this step will include development of new and more efficient construction equipment for specific use in the Gulf of Mexico. The new equipment will include two heavy derrick barges, a conven-tional pipelaying barge, two cargo barges, and two launch barges. Fluor previously an-nounced construction of an 80-foot-by-275-foot reel-type pipelaying barge. This new equipment supplements Fluor's existing Gulf fleet which already includes a spud barge, a dredge, a 150-ton derrick barge, and two crane barges and a reel-type pipelay-ing barge. The two new derrick barges?one 400 ton and one 250 ton?are scheduled to be opera-tional by spring of 1970. The third derrick barge, which has a 150-ton lift capability, was recently towed from Santa Barbara, Calif., where it was used by Ryan Contracting Com-pany, a division of Fluor Ocean Services. Fluor is augmenting its offshore pipelaying operations by converting an existing barge to a large-diameter (up to 36 inches) stovepiping barge. It is scheduled to be operational in April, 1970. A contract was previously awarded for construction of a reel-type barge capable of laying subsea pipelines up to 12-inch dia-meters in water depths in excess of 500 feet. Construction of this barge is on schedule and it will be operational in January, 1970. Swedish Yards Cautious In Accepting New Orders On Top Of Large Backlog Major Swedish shipyards have so many or-ders on hand that some of them are showing restraint in accepting new orders until they can better survey the development of costs of the near future, according to a report published in a Stockholm paper. Since the Suez Canal was closed two years ago, orders have remained remarkably stable and the boom is expected to continue when present tonnage on order has been delivered, leading shipbuilders say. They point out that a considerable amount of world shipping now is being replaced. Development partly is mov-ing towards larger units and partly towards specialized units, such as containerships. Eriksbergs Mekaniska Verkstad currently has 25 ships of 1.85-million dwt on order. They include seven 150,000-ton OBO (oil-bulk-ore) carriers and ten special tankers of 25,000 tons. The orders guarantee production until 1972. The Gotaverken shipyards, meanwhile, have the longest order book in their history with employment guaranteed until 1973. Orders total 4-million dwt, of which about half are 11 tankers of between 220,000 and 230,000 tons. Kokums, of Malmo, has orders totaling 2.3-million dwt, including four 250,000-tonners and six 210,000-tonners, while the state-owned TTddevalla shipyard is building tankers of 230,-0C0 tons each for Norwegian shipping com-panies. Pollution Federation Names A. F. Tripp Managing Director Arthur F. Tripp Jr., a retired executive of Esso Standard Eastern, Inc., an affiliate of Standard Oil Company (New Jersey), has been appointed managing director o^ International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation, Ltd., it was announced in London. The organization is the corporate entity for ths implementation of the Tanker Owners Voluntary Agreement Concerning Liability for Oil Pollution (TOVALOP). Mr. Tripp, who retired from Esso Eastern last year after nearly 25 years with the Jersey Standard organization, succeeds J. V. C. Mal-colmson, who is retiring. TO HELP PASS THE TIME on the Manhattan's voyage through the Northwest Passage, the American Merchant Marine Library Association presented the ship with 450 books specially selected for the crew. Shown above is Federal Maritime Administrator Andrew B. Gibson (right) presenting books to Sidney Wire, assistant general man-ager, Marine Department, Humble Oil & Refining Com-pany (left), and Capt. Roger A. Steward (center), the ship's master. Maritime Reporter/Engineering News HOSE-McCANN SIGNAL AND ALARM PANELS c# m ? % .... c ? m oc ('# t CiC C'C t fi-c« c* oc oc ...