Page 38: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 1995)

Washington D.C Report (Continued from page 31) egies in domestic waters.

Senator Olympia Snowe (R-

Maine) has introduced an amend- ment to these terms regarding clo- sure certification criteria for NWS offices, which has been approved by the Commerce, Science and

Transporation Committee. The

Snowe amendment adds the crite- rion of looking at the possible im- pacts of closures of older Weather

Service offices on rural communi- ties.

Maritime Security Program

Headlines Reform Efforts

On August 9,1995, S.B. 1139, the

Maritime Reform and Security Act of 1995, was introduced by Senator

Trent Lott (R-Miss.). It is de- signed to establish a Maritime Se- curity Program (MSP) which would retain an active, privately-owned,

U.S.-flagged and U.S.-crewed ves- sel presence in U.S. foreign com- merce, as well as provide for sealift capabilities in time of national emer- gency. The terms of the MSP pro- gram include the allotment of $100 million per year for 10 years, for the support of approximately 47 ships, with each vessel receiving $2 mil- lion annually. This bill also termi- nates the existing operating-differ- ential subsidy program, removes existing operating restrictions on participating U.S. flag vessel op- erators, and reforms the Title XI loan guarantee program.

Another maritime measure, S. 810, the Coastal Barrier Resources

System Fairness Act, introduced on May 16,1995, by Senator Strom

Thurmond (D-S.C.) and Senator

Ernest F. Hollings (D-S.C.), re- ceived attention at a recent Senate committee meeting. The bill man- dates that the Secretary of the

Interior remove from the Coastal

Barrier Resources System a tract of land in South Carolina that was added to the system without notice to the county in which it is located.

Bender Wins $ 1.6 Million

Contract

Bender Shipbuilding & Repair of

Mobile was awarded a $1.6 million contract for the drydocking and deactivation of the S/S Cape Jacob.

The drydocking and deactivation package, which includes hull pres- ervation, propeller and shaft ex- amination, and piping system drain- ing and cleaning, ultimately com- pletes with a dead ship tow back to the National Defense Reserve Fleet in Beaumont, Texas.

Controls Unlimited Chosen

For Nine Vessel Contract

Controls Unlimited Inc., based in Long Beach, Calif., was recently awarded contracts for the design and installation of an intrinsically safe pumproom Lower Explosive

Limit monitoring and alarm system for nine vessels. The system has

U.S. Coast Guard and ABS Ameri- cas approval for installation on

American flagged tankers. Con- trols Unlimited remains the autho- rized repair facilities of Denison

Hydraulics (marine), Scana

Skarpenord Cargo Master tank gauging and hydraulic control sys- tems, and Hermetic portable gaug- ing tapes by Tanksystems.

Singmarine Subsidiary Gets $6 Million Contract

Aluminum Craft (88) Pte. Ltd. (Aluminum Craft), a subsidiary of

Singmarine Industries Ltd., won a contract worth $6 million for the construction of two monohull fer- ries. The contract is with Pengine

Boat Services Pte. Ltd., one of

Singapore's largest ferry operators.

The two monohulls are scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of

Circle 398 on Reader Service Card ror more than O years Bender

Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc. has forged new ground in ship- building. The innovative team at Bender has brought a tradition of quality to a long list of vessels including casino riverboats, passenger vessels, offshore supply vessels, patrol boats, shrimp boats, oil rigs, factory trawlers, oil spill recover)' vessels and tuna seiners.

This list continues to grow as

Bender meets the challenges of modern shipbuilding with versatility and innovation. When a landlocked location presented obstacles to building America's largest casino riverboat last year,

Bender mobilized an entire shipyard to build the vessel on-site, on-time and on-budget.

Any vessel. Any challenge.

Bender is the clear choice for your next project.

BENDER

SHIPBUILDING & REPAIR CO., INC. 265 South Water Street • Mobile, AL 36603

P.O. Box 42 • Mobile, AL 36601

Phone: (334) 431-8000

Fax: (334) 432-2260 40 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News