Marine Log - November 2008 - (Page 60)

TUGS&BARGES replacement vessels for single-hulled tankers that will no longer be permitted to trade. A charter on any of the ATBs (regardless of class) consists of the charterer (oil company) paying a day rate for the vessel plus fuel costs. The day rate for an ATB with a nine-man crew is more attractive than the day rate for a tanker with 15 men. PAVING THE WAY FOR THE FUTURE These vessels have certainly created large shoes for any future vessel to fill but rest assured that the bar will continue to be raised. “We will continue to move towards new technology to reduce costs to our customers,” said Collar. “We have learned many lessons in the life of these ATBs and we have incorporated changes with each new build. Perhaps the most challenging task of all is that of continuous improvement. We know that we must continue in our operations evolution to stay competitive – and you can bet we will.” “We have created and filled a niche with these vessels,” remarked Taylor. ICE CLASS TANKERS “These vessels are important to Crowley and important to our customers. They are a passion that we will share for many years to come.” “Hats off to Crowley and its people who were passionate about this ATB program,” said Van Duzer. “Knowing their depth of knowledge and commitment to the fleet and crews of these ATBs made Shell comfortable that this would be a success. When I retired from Shell in 2003, I was comfortable that the decision I made to trust Crowley was the right one.” The ATBs have made quite an impression on the customers who charter them, Crowley as the company that owns them and the crews that operate them. This ‘never-gonna-work vessel’, has certainly helped the skeptics to see the light. The fleet all combined has moved a total of 147,825,635 bbls from their launching through May of 2008 and has had ZERO spills. Some of this is attributed to David DeBruler, marine superintendent and longtime Crowley employee. DeBruler is an expert in cargo transfer operations. His knowledge in setting up the barges and training the tug crew in cargo transfer operations has been one of the keys to Crowley’s safety record. These ATBs exceed environmental regulatory requirements by being the first class of barges built, documented and maintained to the requirements of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) SafeHull as well as meeting all Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) international standards. In addition, crewing levels on their ATBs exceed USCG requirements. Crowley also utilizes an employee reward system, while corporate management keeps an open channel for feedback from employees and their union. This adds up to a team effort focused on spill prevention and vessel safety. The net result of all these efforts is that Crowley has set the model for operation of ATBs in all of its trade lanes. ML Reprinted from Connections, The Crowley Magazine, Issue 1 2008 60 MARINE LOG NOVEMBER 2008 www.marinelog.com http://www.noxudolusa.com http://www.jmsnet.com http://www.noxudolusa.com http://www.marinelog.com

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

Marine Log - November 2008 Contents Editorial Second Thoughts Update Inside Washington Looking Back at 130 Years Generation NeXt What's Ahead? Media Kit 2009 Defying the Naysayers Rampant Piracy Takes Shipping Hostage The Last Chapter of the New Carissa International Workboat Show Preview Newsmakers Tech News Contracts Events Website Directory ML Buyer's Guide ML Marketplace Marine Salvage

Marine Log - November 2008

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