Page 48: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 2015)

OFFSHORE ENERGY “As far as the volume of layoffs and the number of companies unable to survive in the ‘80s, we have not reached that level of seriousness yet, but the concern is very real that we may be in the early stages of this downturn.” – Ben Billings, President of the Offshore

Marine Service Association cheap, and, Bennett says, it’s something you don’t do Dodging Downtime for a month or less. You cold stack vessels you expect The Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) to be off market for a while, eliminating labor, operat- is focused on making sure regulations are “ef? ciently ing and maintenance costs. managed and administered in such a way that they

Bennett doesn’t see the point of having two vessels do not wind up jeopardizing already thin margins or working part time. jobs already at risk,” explains Ben Billings, President, “I’d rather have one boat working 80% of the time OMSA. than two boats working 50% of the time.” It’s more For example, a vessel might have dif? culty acquir- ef? cient, and cuts down on duplication of effort, la- ing an inspector. If, as a result, it is required to be tied bor costs and maintenance issues. He’d cold stack the up in dock for a longer period of time, and forced to vessel nearest its mandatory inspection date in order forego additional revenues during an already tight to avoid having a 1- or 3-year contract interrupted by time, “it would be an issue,” says Billings. “The mandatory dry dock time. availability of inspectors to reduce time at the dock is always a challenging issue for everyone involved be-

Tidewater, Inc.’s Dean Edward Taylor plows full steam ahead.

48 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • APRIL 2015

MR #4 (42-50).indd 48 MR #4 (42-50).indd 48 4/1/2015 4:10:51 PM4/1/2015 4:10:51 PM