Marine News Articles
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on March 2014Unconventionally lowering costs, safely and improving the bottom line. That’s the Victaulic way. In the towing segment of the marine industry, sometimes it does seem that boats are under perpetual repair. A tugboat that’s tied up in maintenance and not able to work is a lost revenue opportunity. A
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on March 2014Vessel operators seek protection by hedging fuel needs. It’s easier than you might think. Some workboat operators defend themselves against higher diesel prices by buying futures contracts, while others purchase fuel at prices fixed in advance from their suppliers. Others, perhaps less-savvy and/o
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on March 2014The Columbia/Snake River System defines shortsea shipping, and promises much, much more. Lewiston, Idaho, is perhaps best known to tourists as the turnaround for a Columbia River cruise or the jumping-off point for a trip to Hell’s Canyon, North America’s deepest gorge. For anyone transporting ca
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on March 2014‘No man is an island.’ Today, the interconnectivity of business can drive opportunity, but those same interactions can significantly affect us and our businesses. Today’s marine businesses have to manage and prepare for the actions of “the other guy” as much as they have to manage their own operati
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on March 2014The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently released its annual “Top 10 Most Wanted List” of Transportation Improvements for 2014. New this year was the issue of passenger vessel safety. Between 2000 and 2010, several accidents involving passenger vessels occurred. Additionally, NTSB in
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on March 2014On January 17, 2014, Congress averted another government shutdown with a “just in time” delivery of an Omnibus Appropriations bill. Thankfully, some good news for the inland waterways also has arrived; Just in Time! The recent Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014, or Omnibus bill, has brought a
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- Beating the Bye-Bye Bonus Blues page: 18
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on March 2014A changing tax landscape doesn’t have to mean bad news – at least not just yet. A Changing Landscape Historically, bonus depreciation has had a significant effect on construction of new vessels, allowing businesses to initially expense 30 percent, occasionally 100 percent and most recently 50 perc
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on March 2014Ben Billings serves as President & CEO of the Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA), a nationwide trade association headquartered in New Orleans that represents more than 200 member companies. OMSA’s membership includes approximately 100 firms operating more than 1,200 vessels that provide tran
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on February 2014Late last year, an innovative project to design and build the world’s first LNG fuelled escort tugs became a reality when the Borgøy was handed over for sea trials by builder Sanmar in Tulza Bay near Istanbul. For the Christening at the Sanmar Shipyard in Tuzla, representatives from the Turkish shi
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on February 2014Waterjet manufacturer HamiltonJet recently got great news when four HT900 waterjets were selected for Incat Crowther’s latest project – a first-of-type 70 meter Catamaran Fast Crew Boat for operations in the Caspian Sea oil industry in Azerbaijan. When completed, this vessel will be the world’s larg
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on February 2014The initial implementation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Vessel General Permit (VGP) is now theoretically astern of the marine industry, but unlike any other new regulatory effort, this one has numerous unintended consequences, many of which remain “submerged” and und
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on February 2014The barging industry has the answer. It’s nowhere near as complicated as it seems. As shale gas production continues to ramp up across the United States, millions of gallons of wastewater is created through the process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. That waste, referred to as shale gas ext
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on February 2014Texas Marine Unit Uses Yellowfin-built Shallow Water Vessels for Border Patrol missions. Menaced by Mexican drug cartels, the Texas Department of Public Safety operates a fleet of six shallow-water vessels it commissioned in late 2011 and 2012 to patrol its borders. The agency purchased the boats
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on February 2014A recent white paper by marine data analytics software provider ESRG outlines the way forward for operators who embrace the latest in technology. Today, only a minority of vessels are positioned to capture industrial internet benefits. That said; almost every new-build ship will have technology buil
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- From the Editor's Desk page: 6
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on February 2014As appears in the February edition of Marine News Now clear of the holidays and into an already exciting 2014 on the waterfront, we find ourselves plowing ahead with the proverbial bone in our teeth. That’s because, beyond my questionable nautical metaphor, there are big things happening for the
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- On Patrol with the U.S. Coast Guard page: 32
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on February 2014Building programs continue, spanning the full range of missions, despite budget concerns. Amidst all the talk of Beltway budget cutbacks and sequestration, the U.S. Coast Guard is quietly investing approximately $30 billion in major acquisition projects to modernize its physical assets. The proces
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- Is Your Crew Really Prepared? page: 29
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on February 2014If you think training is expensive; try ignorance. In the ensuing years following the Exxon Valdez disaster, the maritime industry has made great strides in training mariners to prepare for, respond to and mitigate a multitude of emergencies aboard vessels. For example, the environmental performanc
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on February 2014In the May 2013 issue of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News, Dennis Bryant published a provocative article titled Rebuilding the Presumption of Preemption. Pointing to recent examples of state overreach in the maritime field like California’s ocean-going vessel fuel standard that extends seaward 2
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on February 2014The Maritime Labor Convention of 2006 became effective on 20 August 2013: Are the authorities ready? Consider that MLC 2006 Regulation 1.2-Medical certificate. Standard A1.2 states that “a competent authority shall require prior to beginning work on a ship, seafarer’s hold a valid medical certifica
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on February 2014The job’s not over until the paperwork is done. Done correctly. When an accident occurs on one of your vessels, an accident investigation is necessary. As safety is our primary concern, it is important to determine what happened, how it happened and how we can prevent it from happening in the futur