Marine Log - June 2008 - (Page 2)

June 2008 Vol. 113 No. 6 John R. Snyder Editor ISSN 08970491 MARINELOG USPS 576-910 PRESIDENT Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr. amcginnis@sbpub.com jsnyder@sbpub.com editorial PUBLISHER & EDITOR John R. Snyder SENIOR EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Nicholas Blenkey nblenkey@sbpub.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Shirley Del Valle sdelvalle@sbpub.com nkitchen@msn.com psexton@sbpub-chicago.com wwilliams@sbpub.com pdesiere@sbpub.com The people thing hat’s going to be the biggest challenge for the marine industry in the next 12 months? You could make a case for any number of issues—rising bunker fuel and vessel construction costs, a tight market for marine equipment, increasing environmental regulatory and legislative pressure, or pirate attacks. One concern that isn’t going to go away is the mariner shortage. This is certainly reinforced by a recently released survey from the U.S. Maritime Administration. Called “Maritime Operator Survey Concerning Mariner Availability,” the survey polled U.S. flag operators regarding their ability to attract and retain new licensed officers and licensed/unlicensed deck personnel. While the survey isn’t without flaw, its results are insightful. Operators are expanding: According to the survey, some 48% of respondents indicated that they hired mariners in 2007 in excess of replacements, indicating that they were expanding their operations. Future demand for mariners: The survey also projects that there will be future demand for new mariners, with 51% of respondents indicating that they planned new hires during the period from 2008-2011. Difficulty hiring: One of the more telling answers was that 89% of respondents had tried to hire mariners over the last year. Of those, 71% indicated that they had had some difficulty. Requirement roadblocks: Some of the respondents commented that the CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Nigel Kitchen MARKETING DIRECTOR Peter Sexton W overall pool of mariners to choose from had declined due in part to increased licensing requirements such as STCW and TWIC. Respondents would like to see the documentation, license, TWIC, STCW and medical processes streamlined. A few of the respondents went so far as to say that the difficulties in hiring new mariners had hindered their ability to expand their operations and, in some cases, forced them to lay-up or sell vessels. Perhaps the best strategy to adopt is to swallow another operator. Houstonbased Gulf Mark Offshore’s pending acquisition of Rigdon Marine, for example, not only bolster its fleet with 28 new generation deepwater platform supply vessels, fast supply boats and crewboats, but also adds over 300 welltrained, qualified mariners. If you read “Innovation needed to meet crew shortage,” in this issue, you’ll realize that recruitment and retention is not just limited to the U.S.-flag shipping issue, but a global one. To attract and retain mariners, ship operators need to think about improving quality of life for their crews, including providing access to e-mail and the internet in order allow mariners to keep in touch with family and friends. In addition, the marine industry should also think about using social networks such as YouTube, Facebook and MySpace to reach out to a potential pool of future mariners. jsnyder@sbpub.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Wendy Williams ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Phil Desiere ART PRODUCTION MANAGER Todd Blanchard tblanchard@sbpub.com PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Mary Conyers-Brown NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR Roland Espinosa mbrown@sbpub.com respinosa@sbpub.com INTERNATIONAL SALES MANAGER Donna Edwards dedwards@sbpub.com SALES MANAGER, ASIA Susan Pulman SALES REPRESENTATIVE -KOREA Young-Seoh Chinn SALES MANAGER Jeff Sutley CLASSIFIED SALES Diane Okon CONFERENCE DIRECTOR Jane Poterala CONFERENCE COORDINATOR Michelle M. Zolkos CONFERENCE ASSISTANT Latima Meynard spulman@sbpub.com jesmedia@unitel.co.kr jsutley@sbpub.com dokon@sbpub-chicago.com jpoterala@sbpub.com mzolkos@sbpub.com lmeynard@sbpub.com A SIMMONS-BOARDMAN PUBLICATION EDITORIAL AND BUSINESS OFFICES 345 Hudson Street New York, N.Y. 10014 TEL: (212) 620-7200 FAX: (212) 633-1165 website: www.marinelog.com e-mail: marinelog@sbpub.com CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS: Call toll free (800) 895-4389, Monday-Friday 9 am—5 pm EST. 2 MARINE LOG JUNE 2008 YEARBOOK www.marinelog.com http://www.marinelog.com http://www.abb.com http://www.marinelog.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Marine Log - June 2008

Marine Log - June 2008 Contents Editorial Second Thoughts Update Inside Washington Innovation Needed to Meet Crew Shortage Optimism Abounds Despite Slowing Economy Can Shipping's Shopaholics Keep Up the Buying Binge? Can Congress Keep Navy Shipbuilding Off the Rocks? Fitting the Ultra-deepwater Pieces Together Generation Next Higher Demand, Higher Prices Demand Up For Large Combination Vessels The Dirty Truth About Emissions SSAS: Realizing Its Potential Fuel Saving Technology Newsmakers Tech News Contracts Events Buyer's Guide Website Directory ML Marketplace Tech Talk

Marine Log - June 2008

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