Page 35: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 15, 1977)

American Club Triples Tonnage In Five Years

FIRST SCR TUG/SUPPLY BOAT CONTRACT SIGNED — Halter

Marine Services, Inc. of New Orleans, La., will begin construction soon of the first two offshore tug/supply ships to be equipped with an SCR (Silicon Controlled Rectifier) diesel electric propulsion sys- tem. The two 216-foot vessels will be built for Acadian Marine Serv- ices, Inc., New Orleans, for a wide variety of operations, from off- shore rig support to feeder-container service. From left to right, are:

Capt. Rudy Vorenkamp, executive vice president, Acadian Marine;

Prieur Leary, president, Acadian Marine, and Joseph H. LeBlanc Jr., executive vice president, Halter Marine Services.

United States Lines

Names Capt. Yarborough

Assistant Marine Supt.

Capt. Edwin K. Yarborough has been named assistant marine su- perintendent, United States Lines.

The appointment was announced by Kenneth W. Gundling, vice president-marine, at New York,

N.Y.

Captain Yarborough was pre- viously safety director, marine, at the Lines' New York office.

He joined United States Lines in 1947. He served as port security officer aboard the S/S United

States and S/S America, and also as chief cargo officer for United

States Lines from 1959 to 1971.

He was cargo operations repre- sentative and supervisor from 1971 to 1976.

He has served as an expert witness to admiralty courts, and his special interests are marine architecture and ship design. Dur- ing World War II, he commanded merchant vessels, as he did sub- sequently during the Korean Con- flict.

United States Lines operates a fleet of 38 modern vessels, includ- ing 16 high-speed, high-capacity containerships in its 15,000-mile,

Tri-Continent Service between

Europe, the East and West Coasts of the United States, Panama,

Costa Rica, Hawaii, Guam and

Far East and Southeast Asian ports. The company also has 14 fast general cargo vessels en- gaged in chartered services in the trans-Atlantic and trans-Pa- cific areas. Eight feeder-vessels serve ports not on the primary trade routes, both in Europe and the Far East.

Varo Names Johnson

Marine Coordinator

L.C. Johnson

L.C. (Bert) Johnson has joined

Varo, Inc. as marine searchlight field representative for the inland waterways, Gulf Coast and Great

Lakes areas. In this capacity, Mr.

Johnson will be responsible for coordinating the company's sales and service activities to the ma- rine industry.

Mr. Johnson has been involved in sales and service of marine communications and navigation equipment for the inland water- ways and offshore marine indus- try since 1970. Prior to that, he served with the U.S. Air Force for more than seven years, where he worked in the military elec- tronics field.

Varo, Inc. entered the marine searchlight field in 1975, after 13 years' experience manufac- turing searchlights for the U.S.

Army. The company is currently the world's largest manufacturer of Xenon searchlights, in addition to its position as a major manu- facturer of night vision devices and semiconductor components.

For a brochure describing Varo searchlights, write to Kenneth I.

Clifford, Varo, Inc., P.O. Box 828,

Garland, Texas 75040.

Robert J. Blackwell, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Maritime Affairs, third from left, touches off laughter just before beginning of luncheon celebration of the 60th Anniversary of The American Club at the Whitehall Club in New York City.

Left to right are: T.J. Smith, president of Farrell Lines Incorporated and deputy chairman of The American Club; Rear Adm. William M. Benkert, Chief of Maritime

Safety, USCG; Mr. Blackwell; J.H. Cassedy, president, Shipowners Claims Bureau, and Adolph B. Kurz, president, Keystone Shipping Company and chairman of The

American Club. In 1973, the Club opened membership to non-American shipowners.

It is the only nonprofit, mutual P&l Club in the United States. In the center is a reproduction of the new logo designed for The American Club, and is symbolic of the Club's forward-looking approach in the P&l industry.

By tripling the ship tonnage it provides with mutual protection and indemnity insurance over the past five years, The American

Club has served up a "jolting re- minder to all that American en- terprise can successfully compete in the international market place."

The statement was made by

Robert J. Blackwell, Assistant

Secretary of Commerce for Mari- time Affairs, before 55 persons attending the 60th Anniversary luncheon of the American Steam- ship Owners Mutual Protection and Indemnity Association at the

Whitehall Club, New York City on September 8.

Appearing as guest speaker,

Mr. Blackwell said: "We at Mar-

Ad are pleased that you are con- tinuing to provide American ship- owners with a strong, progressive and competitive alternative in the international P&I market."

The Commerce Department of- ficial said: "This most certainly will benefit members of the Club and other shipowners, as well by helping to maintain a balance in

P&I rates."

Mr. Blackwell observed that the Club had come from behind in achieving its success. He recalls that shortly after joining the

Maritime Administration in 1970, he was advised by that agency's marine insurance staff that "all was not well" for U.S.-based P&I agencies.

Most, including The American

Club, had lost substantial tonnage to increased competition by Brit- ish clubs, and some U.S. P&I underwriters went out of business (The American Club is the only mutual P&I club in the United

States).

Mr. Blackwell then pointed out that The American Club bounced back from a tonnage of one and a half million tons in 1970 to achieve its present tonnage of over 5,000,000 tons this year.

Guest speaker Rear Adm. Wil- liam M. Benkert, Chief of Mari- time Safety, United States Coast

Guard, told those present that

The American Club's increased emphasis on loss prevention par- alleled the Coast Guard's increas- ing emphasis on preventing ship accidents at sea and in the na- tion's ports.

Other honored guests attending the anniversary luncheon were

Kesley H. Green, Director, Office of Marine Insurance, Maritime

Administration; Capt. George N.

Wood, United States Coast Guard;

Robert T. Young, president,

American Bureau of Shipping;

Francis T. Donohue, chief, Prop- erty Bureau, New York Insurance

Department, and George Fosket, assistant chief, Property Bureau,

New York Insurance Department.

Blount Marine Corp.

Contracts To Build

Fishers Island Ferry

Blount Marine Corporation of

Warren, R.I., announces the sign- ing of a contract with the Fishers

Island Ferry District for a new ferry. The 132-foot by 33-foot by 8-foot vessel will replace the Mys- tic Island on the run between

New London, Conn., and Fishers

Island, N.Y. The vessel will carry 210 passengers, three trucks, and 17 cars. She will be powered by two GM 12V71N engines and will cruise loaded at 13 knots. The new ferry will join another Blount vessel operated by the Ferry Dis- trict, the Olinda.

October 15, 1977 39