Page 54: of Marine News Magazine (June 2014)

PEOPLE & COMPANY NEWS cent of all vessels on order. ?Through sound technology investment, a focus on best-in-class service and a com- mitment to the mission of ABS, the organization was able to continue its growth across all market segments,? said Wiernicki. NOAA certiÞ es more printing agents for paper nautical charts The availability of paper ?print-on- demand? nautical charts continues to expand, as NOAA?s Of ce of Coast Survey added three more printing companies to its roster of certi ed agents for paper charts. This brings the total to ten companies autho-rized to sell NOAA nautical charts that are printed when the customer orders them. Iver C. Weilbach & Co. A/S, Granville Printing, and East End Blueprint have joined previously an- nounced printing agents East View Geospatial, Frugal Navigator, Marine Press, OceanGra x, Paradise Cay Pub- lications, The Map Shop, and Wil- liams & Heintz Map Corporation. DNV GL boosts Role of Simulators in DP Training DNV GL has introduced a new rec- ommended practice for the training of dynamic positioning (DP) opera-tors. The new standard is based on the latest training and certi cation prin- ciples and de nes the role that simula- tors can play in giving candidates bet-ter and more ef cient training. Given the differing duration and frequency of DP operations, the rec- ommended practice (RP) does not de- ne a universal sea-time requirement expressed in days. Instead, learning goals are used to de ne the training experiences required. Simulator train- ing can reduce sea time requirements by up to 50 percent. Major players in the offshore industry collaborated on the development of the new RP which covers competence development, sea- time / onboard competence building, competence assessment, certi cation and re-certi cation.Crawler Crane Dedication Ceremony International Ship Repair & Ma- rine Services, Inc. (ISR), recipient of a $980,260 federal grant from the U. S. Maritime Administration, recently celebrated the award with an event in Tampa. The grant has helped to fund a new, American made, 275-Ton Mani- towoc crawler crane. This new crane has strengthened the company?s over- all productivity. Co-Keynote Speak- ers at the recent dedication ceremony included Congresswoman Kathy Cas- tor, Senator Bill Nelson, and George H. Lorton, International Ship Repair CEO and President. Wheelabrator Celebrates One Million Safety Hours Wheelabrator Group reached a ma- jor milestone during the  rst quarter of 2014 with 1,000,000 hours with-out a lost time incident. Over 200 Wheelabrator employees and guests marked this special event during a safety luncheon at their LaGrange fa- cility, March 13th. Featured speakers included, among others, Robert E. Joyce, President & CEO of Norican Group (parent company of Wheela- brator and DISA).LakesÕ Ice Halves Ore Trade in April Heavy ice formations on the Great Lakes continued to slash iron ore ship- ments in April. Shipments totaled only 2.7 million tons, a decrease of 52 percent compared to a year ago. Load- ings slumped even more ? 53.3 per- cent ? when compared to the month?s long-term average. Lake Superior?s ice was so challenging that the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards had to convoy freighters the entire month. It was not until May 2 that the U.S. Coast Guard allowed vessels to proceed across Lake Superior unescorted. The ice  eld off Marquette, Michigan, barred lakers from loading at the port until April 13. Through April, the Lakes iron ore trade stands at 6.2 million tons, a de-crease of nearly 43 percent compared to both a year ago and the long-term average for the January-April time- frame. The Coast Guard concluded icebreaking operations on the lower Great Lakes, Monday, more than four months after it started, Dec. 15, 2013. This year?s combined icebreaking ef- fort lasted signi cantly longer than last year?s, which ran from Jan. 3 through March 23, 2013. Turner AlwayWood Wiernicki June 201454 MNMN June14 Layout 50-59.indd 54MN June14 Layout 50-59.indd 545/20/2014 10:16:39 AM5/20/2014 10:16:39 AM