Page 16: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (February 1973)

Lykes And Mechling

Enter Agreement For

River Barge Operation

In a further effort to provide fast, safe and dependable service to ship- pers served by the vast Mississippi

River System, Lykes Bros. Steam- ship Co.L, Inc., has entered into an agency agreement with A.L.

Mechling Barge Lines, Inc., Stew- art A. LeBlanc Jr., vice president of Lykes SEABEE Division, has announced.

The pact calls for Mechling to coordinate all of Lykes SEABEE barge fleet activities along the Mis- sissippi, Arkansas, Ohio, Tennes- see, Cumberland, Illinois, and Mis- souri Rivers; to handle customs de- tails, and to arrange for towage and prompt dispatch of SEABEE barges.

Under terms of the agreement,

Mechling will use some of its own towing vessels along with the tow- ing services of other major com- mon carriers to assure, at all times, the best interests of SEABEE barges involved. Mechling will not handle any cargo solicitation, Mr.

LeBlanc said, with members of the

Lykes organization totally respon- sible for this phase of the SEA-

BEE System. "Lykes Lines through its inter- modal SEABEE System is vitally involved in this whole new era of transportation on the Mississippi

River System," said F.A. Mechling, executive vice president of the barge line. "Lykes, with SEABEE and its unique barges, is providing a service not heretofore available to the inland shipper engaged in international trade. "Today, the manufacturer or oth- er exporter can load his products into the SEABEE barge right at his riverside plant site and not have to worry about such things as rehandling prior to arrival at its overseas destination. The reverse holds true for importers."

Mr. Mechling said his firm has noted growing interest among in- land shippers in the intermodal concept exemplified by the Lykes 'SEABEE System. At one recent industrial conference in -Illinois, said to be the nation's leading ex- porting state, Mr. Mechling said a great deal of conversation was cen- tered upon the SEABEE barge- type intermodal carrier in foreign commerce. "Many of these people—manu- facturers and shippers—have not involved themselves with the tre- mendous export market before, be- cause they felt it was just too much trouble," Mr. Mechling related. "But now, even the various port directors are interested in the

Lykes concept and are promoting it," he added. "It's the newest thing—the thing o'f the future."

The Mechling firm was chosen by the Government to move its mammoth Saturn rocket boosters from Huntsville, Ala., to the John

F. Kennedy Space Center launch- ing site at Cape Kennedy, Fla. One such booster recently rocketed the

Apollo 17 astronauts to the moon.

Four Large Tankers

Ordered From Hitachi

Hitachi Zosen has announced that it has received orders for four tank- ers, ranging from 227,700 to 400,000 in deadweight tonnage. Hitachi, one of the top Japanese shipbuilding com- panies, said terms of the contracts called for the shipowners to pay in yen.

The firm said orders for two oil carriers, both 400,000 dwt, came from

Esso Tankers Inc. A third 279,000- dwt tanker came from the San Fi- nancing Trading S.A. of the Andre- adis Group of Greece. A fourth 227,700-dwt tanker came from the

Iranian National Co.

All the vessels will be completed between 1975 and 1976.

R.G. Cobleigh Assoc.

Formed In New York

The formation of the firm of R.G.

Cobleigh Associates Inc. and its lo- cation in Suite 1228, 17 Battery

Place, New York, N.Y. 10004, has been announced i}y its president,

Ronald G. Cobleigh.

The firm will specialize in pro- viding a broad range of financial services to the maritime industry.

Ship builders, ship owners and operators, we want your insurance business.

R.B. JONES _ »

INSURANCE Vi

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