Page 6: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 2, 2005)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be repro- duced or transmitted in any form or by any means mechani- cal, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publishers.

Founder: John J. O’Malley 1905 - 1980

Charles P. O’Malley 1928 - 2000

Maritime Reporter/Engineering News is published monthly by Maritime Activity Reports, Inc. Mailed at

Periodicals Postage Rates at Waterbury, CT 06701 and additional mailing offices.

Postmaster send notification (Form 3579) regarding undeliverable magazines to Maritime

Reporter/Engineering News, 118 East 25th Street,

New York, NY 10010.

Publications Mail Agreement No: 40024966

Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to

Circulation Dept. of DPGM 4960-2 Walker Road

Windsor, ON N9A 6J3

Publishers are not responsible for the safekeeping or return of editorial material. ©2004 Maritime Activity

Reports, Inc. 118 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 477-6700; fax: (212) 254-6271

ISSN-0025-3448

USPS-016-750

No. 1 Vol. 67

Subscriptions: One full year (12 issues) $28.00 in U.S.; outside of U.S. $52.00 including postage and handling. For subscription information, con- tact: Dale Barnett, fax: (212) 254-6271; e-mail: [email protected]

MARITIME

REPORTER

AND

ENGINEERINGNEWS

Member

Business Publications

Audit of Circulation, Inc. 32 Marine Propulsion Directory 37 Buyer’s Directory 40 Ad Index 41 Ship’s Store 42 Classifieds

Pictured on this month’s cover is a computerized rendition of Seabridge’s new RoRo ferry, as the

U.S. short sea shipping market sparks innovation.

Coverage of this, and more Passenger Vessel cov- erage, starts on page 20.

Editor’s Note www.marinelink.com [email protected]

On the Cover

Circle 201 on Reader Service Card

Coming in Maritime Reporter & Engineering News

February 2005

Tanker Technology • Training & Education Marine Electronics: The Modern

Bridge Coatings & Corrosion Control Products Maritime Security Systems

Italy ... PLUS: Bonus Distribution @ Underwater Intervention 2005

March 2005 The Cruise Shipping Edition with bonus distribution @ Seatrade Cruise Shipping 2005 - Miami

April 2005 The Offshore Edition

Offshore Industry Annual Clean Marine Fuels The Interior Design Guide

Maritime Security: Port & Ship Systems Canada ... PLUS: Bonus Distribution @

OTC 2005 — Cruise & Ferry 2005 — Ports 2005 — SeaCargo Americas 2005 www.marinelink.com 6 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News

L ongtime readers of Maritime Reporter know by now that, above all else, I like to find and deliver a good story. Whether discovered at a small, family-owned business in the Bayou, or in a more corporate setting across the ocean, this industry offers an abundance of interesting characters and companies, each with a unique plot twist in the con- stant battle to make a living in an ever-changing, ever-challenging business environment.

Admittedly, most of the really good stories come with the disclaimer: “but you can’t print that”, which I always honor, but in general I’m amazed to continually find top editorial ideas, often right in my own backyard.

Such is the case this month, which in my opinion contains several worthy articles. I had the opportunity last month in New Orleans to spend some time with Larry Rigdon, owner of Rigdon Marine. The story of the creation of

Rigdon Marine is a great one, if for no other reason it contains several key fac- tors that make a story good, including: heated competition, political intrigue and capitalistic success. In the end, though, it is a simple story, a man and a company identifying and fulfilling an industry need, in this case filling it with

Bender-built, state-of-the-art, DP-2 capable Platform Supply Vessels.

On another day, not one mile from my office in Manhattan, I spent the time with Captain Greg Hanchrow, Director of Marine Operations for Spirit

Cruises. While Captain Hanchrow was adamant that the story not be about him, I defy anyone to spend the day talking shop with him and not walk away enamored with the marine business. He entered the business at a young age and has seen the “maritime life” from many different vistas, and his and Spirit’s story are one of perseverance and success.

Finally, Dennis L. Bryant of Holland & Knight, a long-time and highly valued contributor to our pages, presents the latest developments on the emerg- ing National Cargo Security Strategy in his usual straight-forward manner. His article emphasizes the fact that no matter how much ground has seemingly been covered in the effort to keep shipping and U.S. shores safe from further terrorist attack, there is still much work to be done, and funds to be spent.

And the story continues ...

MR JANUARY 2005 #1 (1-8).qxd 1/6/2005 4:09 PM Page 8