Page 19: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (March 1999)

SATELLITE COMMUNICATION REPORT

Tug And Barge Industry Hits The Computer Age To Save Time And Money

Transporting barges filled with petro- leum products does not traditionally conjure images of a high-tech, advanced industry. In fact, the conservative nature of the maritime market as a whole is par- ticularly true for the tug and barge seg- ment.

This is changing, however, as econom- ics of the business have not only forced significant amounts of industry consoli- dation, they have also demanded that all companies embrace new and innovative products and systems designed to save time and money.

Reinauer Transportation is a family owned and operated business which has operated in the New York and Boston

Harbors, as well as along the

Chesapeake for 75 years. The company has invested in satellite tracking and communication software, but to date, it had done little to automate its account- ing or scheduling systems.

This changed in 1997, as the company worked toward improving its service to major oil companies as well as its small- er clients. The company hired Flash

Creative Management to develop a provided by the operations centers back to the vessels. Stratos sells time on the

MSAT satellite at a flat rate charge of about $1.19 per minute, enabling

Algoma Central to more closely control costs. "As a multi-network operator, Stratos provides a suite of satellite services based on our customer's own unique requirements," Adey explains. "As a result, we're able to provide the right service at the most competitive price.

For instance, Algoma needs a regional voice and data solution which is less expensive than our Inmarsat and Iridium global services."

Wayne Smith, Vice President and

General Manager of SSU, said they measure return on investment in the ves- sel traffic and scheduling system, and

WAN in three ways: improved employ- ee productivity; enhanced business activities; and improved customer satis- faction.

According to Smith, SSU is ahead on all three counts. "Staff levels have remained constant as growth of 25 per- cent was achieved during the last three years," Smith explains. "To put it all in perspective, SSU now averages gross revenue in excess of $10 million per employee."

Marc Hausman is a writer based in Silver

Spring, MD.

March, 1999 user-friendly, state-of-the-art opera- tions/tracking transportation system dubbed TBSS, which stands for Tug

Barge Scheduling System.

While fears and resistance among clients and workers was a challenge, the resultant web-based operations/tracking system allows for: better time, coordi- nation and movement management of the fleet; secured customer access to account information; creation of consis- tent terminology throughout an account; improved billing accuracy and better document and information management.

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Circle 273 on Reader Service Card

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Circle 290 on Reader Service Card

FN TAPE

ANTI-SPLASHING TAPE FOR SHIP'S ENGINE ROOM

Compliance with SOLAS Regulation n-2/15.2.11.(Effective July 1998)

FN Tape can prevent outbreak of fire caused by a splash of flammable oil various kinds (fuel oil/lubricating oil) in ship's ___ engine room by just taping on pipes and joints. ©

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