Page 36: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 1984)

A WO Perspective (continued from page 38) increasing user taxes on waterways transportation could damage the coal industry in the "eastern inte- rior basin" and increase electricity rates. "A 10c per gallon (barge fuel) tax would increase electricity rates about 2 percent, a 34

It is the barge industry which holds down the price of the kilowatt.

Clearly it is in the national interest to keep utility rates at low levels to stimulate production, making

American goods more attractive to other countries by making them cheaper to produce.

Without question it is also in the individual consumer's interest to pay lower utility rates, enabling him to have more discretionary buying power.

Look at export coal. In 1982, the

U.S. exported 105 million tons of coal. During 1983, total U.S. coal exports equalled only 76.9 million tons at a value of $4.07 billion.

According to the Department of

Commerce, through May of this year, coal exports have exceeded the 30 million ton mark and are running ahead of last year, but only slight- ly-

There are several reasons for de- clining U.S. coal exports. Canada,

Australia, South Africa, Poland and increasingly, Columbia, have been able to capture large shares of the export market due to lower produc- tion costs and lower transportation costs. Transportation costs of U.S. coals account for 30-50 percent of the price of U.S. export coal. Here is where the barge industry is able to have a positive impact toward re- ducing the total price of this impor- tant commodity.

History reveals that where rail- roads have to compete directly with barge lines to haul coal traffic, miraculously, the rail rates are re- duced to meet the barge competi- tion.

According to published Tennes- see Valley Authority statistics, the rate for shipping coal by rail from

Coalmont, Tennessee to Birming- ham, Alabama, is $20.10 per net ton where the railroads face no competi- tion from the waterways. The iden- tical shipment costs $15.14 per net ton where waterborne competition comes into play, a difference of $4.96 per net ton. Such water-com- pelled rail rate reductions range from 40-110%, and using the rail industry's own estimate, force the railroads to charge almost $1 billion less per year—industry wide—for shipment by rail.

These are only two examples of two issues in a jungle of federal forays, many of which are misguided and based upon no information or misinformation. Again, our own fail- ing. To paraphrase Jack Kenne- dy, "ask not what your government can do for you. Be damn sure your government knows who you are and what you can do for it." 16-Page Alfa-Laval

Brochure Describes Its

Full Capabilities

Alfa-Laval Inc., Ft. Lee, N.J., has published a new 16-page full-color brochure describing its activities and the kinds of technologies in which it is involved, including cen- trifugal separation, energy manage- ment, process systems, biotechnolo- gy and dairy farm management.

The brochure, subtitled "Serving

America with Technology for a

Changing World," gives a detailed description of products and systems manufactured by Alfa-Laval's two major components in the U.S., the

Agri Group based in Kansas City and the Industrial Group based here.

Alfa-Laval, Inc., is the U.S. sub- sidiary of the international Alfa-

Laval Group, based in Sweden and a world leader in process systems and equipment for a broad range of ma- rine, industrial and bioengineering applications.

For copies of the brochure,

Circle 51 on Reader Service Card on the

Main propulsion for merchant ships, container- carriers, passenger-boats, supply vessels, tug boats.

Ratings up to 10.000 hp per engine. ^Auxiliaries and emergency sets 50 and 60 cycles from 150 kW up to 4000 kW

Low fuel consumption, easy maintenance, full availability of spare parts, efficient service, standard heavy fuel treatment units.

M/S Abeille Normandie 'Shown on the picture) and its sister ship M/S Abeille Provence 16 000 hp tug boats, are amongst the biggest used in Europe for towage and salvage assistance

POYAUD BORE 135 and 150 mm

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SACM BORE 175, 195 and 240 mm

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Circle 285 on Reader Service Card 40 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News