Page 61: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 1993)

Minimum Standards Set By

Ship Insurer Group

New rules on minimum operat- ing standards have been set by Stan- dard Steamship Owners' Protection & Indemnity Association (Bermuda)

Ltd. due to the recent dramatic in- crease in maritime accidents.

The Standard Club is expecting that members have written proce- dures to follow on the expected per- formance of officers and crew and on the operation and management of each ship. The Standard Club cur- rently provides liability coverage for about 3,000 vessels.

The Standard Club has compiled a list of recommended publications cov- ering international industry stan- dards that ships should make avail- able to its crew. Other standards set by the club are that each ship should have a regular maintenance sched- ule, a safety policy as well as a safety officer, and a contingency plan to cover major casualities.

Presently, the club claims that approximately one-quarter of its members do not have guidelines or procedures for its crew concerning the testing of navigation equipment, staffing the engine room and bridge, and checking cargo hatches, among other important and necessary tasks.

Members of the Standard Club include J. Lauritzen A/S, Blue Star

Line Ltd., Carnival Cruise Lines Inc., and Canada Steamship Lines. ' club cites the poorly maintained; aging fleet crewed by unqualifiei disloyal workers as reasons for teriorating operational standari

Hollywood Marine Earns

ISO 9002 Certification

Houston-based Hollywood IV rine, Inc. became certified to 1

ISO 9000 series of internatioi quality standards. The certificati was awarded by AB S Quality Eva ations, Inc.

Hollywood Marine is one of t largest tank barge companies in t

U.S. Its 600 employees operate fleet of more than 225 tank barg and 100 towboats serving the peti chemical, LPG, black oil and sh bunkering markets.

ABS Quality Evaluations, Ir. and its quality mark are part of tl 130 year tradition of the worldwi<

American Bureau of Shipping, or of the world's leading marine class fication societies and a longstandir proponent of quality assurance i the marine industry.

Decommissioning

Proposed For

Great Lakes Icebreaker

The Coast Guard's icebreake

Mackinaw (WAGB-83), based ii

Cheboygan, Mich., will be decom missioned at the end of next year' icebreaking season, pending ap proval of the Coast Guard's fisca year 1994 budget by Congress.

At 290 feet, and displacing 5,34( tons, the cutter Mackinaw is th< largest Coast Guard vessel on th<

Great Lakes.

The decision to decommission the 50-year-old Mackinaw is based on the age of the vessel, its annual operating costs, and the need for engineering and habitability up- grades, an option which would cost approximately $15 million.

The annual operating cost of the

Mackinaw is approximately $5 mil- lion, including $2.2 million in salary and benefits for the 75 person crew, and about $500,000 in fuel costs.

The remainder of the $5 million is required for general operating ex- penses.

The Mackinaw, built in Toledo,

Ohio in 1944 at a cost of $10 million, was commissioned to keep the ship- ping lanes open on the Great Lakes during the winter months.

As the Coast Guard introduced five new 140-foot Bay Class cutters on the Lakes in the 1980's, it became apparent that they could accomplish the icebreaking mission nearly as well as the Mackinaw at an annual operating cost of $900,000 per ves- sel. They are able to break ice in about 95% of the situations encoun- tered by the Mackinaw, but more efficiently.

Circle 186 on Reader Service Card

COMSAT EARTH SIMONS OFFER YOU

A WORLD OF SERVICE NO ONE ELSE CAN.

No one measures up to our commitment and unrivaled experience in maritime communications

COMSAT is number one in every category of maritime satellite communications. You even dial 01 to reach our

Southbury, Santa Paula and new Hirkish IOR earth stations. • We're the only Inmarsat service provider to give full, // 4-ocean region coverage, for seamless connections and simple billing procedures. • Our Southbury station is the only Inmarsat station Cov- ering both the AOR-East and AOR-West for instant com- munications in the busy Atlantic region. • COMSAT has the only operators dedicated ro mobile communications, and offers free time and charges, free operator assistance, and free assistance in 140 languages. • COMSAT provides more value-added services than any other Inmarsat service provider: —56 Kbps Data Service —Compressed Video —MARIPRESS™ News Service —Specialized Phone Services —Special billing packages to save you money —SeaMaiP Electronic

Mail Services / • Competitive Rates

Don't be fooled by misleading comparisons. We offer off-peak rates as low as $6.94 per minute with no hidden landline charges. Do a real rate comparison and ^you'll find that our pricing is very competitive with all the Inmarsat service providers. We are the lowest in many areas. We offer off-peak reductions, volume discounts, and incentive programs custom-designed for savings. And remember—you get what you pay for!

When you need the most experienced, reliable and versatile provider of maritime communications, turn to number one, COMSAT For additional information, contact

COMSAT at 1-800-424-9152 (in the U.S.) or 1-301-428-2379. % COMSAT.

Maritime Services

COMSAT Maritime Services 22300 COMSAT Drive

Clarksburg, MD 20871

FAX: 1-301-601-5950

TELEX: 229717 136 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News