Page 49: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2019)

GMR: Regulatory Mandates Drive Business

Gulf Marine Repair (GMR) in Tampa, FL, is a ship repair yard specializing in the repair, modi? cation and conversion of ocean-going commercial vessels, USCG cutters and large yachts. The largest part of its business relates to Jones Act tug-barge units (ATBs) transport- ing re? ned petroleum products. GMR has four ? oating drydocks with lift capability from 1,500 – 10,000 tons.

According to John Gallagher, President of GMR, the market was quiet for about six months stretching the last quarter of 2018 into the ? rst quarter of 2019, but “business has picked up in Q2 2019 and GMR is very busy now. The biggest challenge in the past few months has been where to berth the vessels coming into the yard.” As any ship repair yard will attest, ? nding berths of future work is a good problem to have, and looking forward Gallagher is “cautiously optimistic that coming 12 months will continue to be busier due to new regula- tory requirements.” “The requirement for addition of

BWTS ... has added signi? cantly to the amount of work in the ? ve year special survey work pack- age for most ATB units. The new

Photos: Courtesy Gulf Marine Repair

Subchapter M regulations are also generating more work on tugs.”

John Gallagher, President of GMR

While recent environmental regulation has been a big driver for yards globally, Gallagher said “the require- ment for addition of BWTS ... has added signi? cantly to the amount of work in the ? ve-year special survey work package for most ATB units. The new Subchapter

M regulations are also generating more work on smaller tugs.” As in any shipyard, continual investment is need- ed, and GMR is no exception. GMR recently acquired its 4,500-ton ? oating drydock, the AW Hendry, to allow docking of the larger tug units for the bigger ATBs (over 250,000 bbl). GMR is also adding a new 10,000 sq. ft. building to expand its pipe shop and machine shop capabilities for the growing work on BWTS. Recent signi? cant jobs include work on the MV Charleston , a 250 x 49-ft. Norfolk Dredge, as well as a number of tug/ barge units, including: Moran New Hampshire (425- x 78-ft, barge) and the tug Scott Turecamo; Moran Mont- ville (418- x 75-ft. barge); Ismas Bahia de Tampa (472- x 80-ft. barge) and the tug Betty S. Most signi? cant was the docking of the 600-ft. container ship MV Capt Da- vid I Lyon in May-Jun, one of the largest vessels to go on GMR’s Scotia Drydock. (pictured below) www.marinelink.com 49

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