Industry News You Need To Know

Many companies in the marine industry contributed products and staff time in support of relief activities following the Haitian earthquake. For example, in late January, a group of Nautique employees traveled to Fort Pierce, Florida, to donate goods and spend the day assisting Missionary Flights International unloading trucks and sorting donations for the relief effort.

Within two hours of the catastrophe, Global Satellite of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, donated satellite telephones to Trilogy International, Haiti’s cell phone provider, for use by first responders. Icom America, of Bellview, Washington, sent 150 communication units from the Marine, Aviation, and Amateur Divisions to Mentone Communications Education Association, Inc., a foundation operating with the Southern Baptist Relief Convention and the American Red Cross.

In Maine, Lyman Morse Boatbuilding sent two ZeroBase solar power generators, each capable of producing 3500 watts, and a number of groups organized a used sail drop-off during the Maine Boatbuilders show to collect sails that could be used for temporary shelter. The sails were sent to Miami where the Shake-A-Leg Foundation, which helps children and adults with physical and developmental challenges learn to sail, partnered with Haiti-life.org to get the sails on a freighter.

Marina Yacht Haven Grande in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., organized a fundraising concert January 23rd with all proceeds donated to the American Red Cross.

International Shipping Partners, working with the U.S. Coast Guard and Lloyd’s Register North America quickly un-mothballed a small cruise ship called Sea Voyager, ex-Cape May Light, so she could be put into service as accommodations for World Program Staff engaged in relief efforts. The recommissioning and certification followed two weeks of intensive effort.

As demand continues to grow for Seakeeper’s advanced line of Gyro Stabilization Systems, the company has brought on ComMar Sales to handle the East Coast, South, Gulf Coast and Florida markets. Founded in 2002, Seakeeper is the world leader in internal gyro stabilization technology. For more information, contact Seakeeper at 410-326-1590; seakeeper.com.

After a flood destroyed Ellis Boat Harbor in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the Parks and Recreation Department had no choice but to rebuild. It called upon Iowa-based Pier Genius to replace all 60 short finger slips in the marina.?Pier Genius installed wood-free BestDeck hybrid decking. Maintenance-free, it has a 20-year warranty with an expected 40-year life. The company recently purchased a high school in Woden, Iowa, that closed due to low enrollment last year and transformed it into its manufacturing facility, indoor showroom and sales/training center.
The new facility includes a pond for research and development and material durability testing. The entire building will be completely operated by wind, solar and geothermal powers by 2015. For details, contact Pier Genius Inc., 641-357-1096; piergenius.com.

Lloyd’s Register is to play a major role in a two-year program to test the suitability of bio-diesel for use in powering marine engines. The feasibility study will take place aboard the Maersk Line container ship, Maersk Kalmar. Collaborators in the project with Maersk are Lloyd’s Register’s Strategic Research Group and a consortium of Dutch subcontractors. The project is being funded in part by the Dutch government and coordinated by Maersk Maritime Technology.

?The bio-diesel FAME (fatty acid methyl esters) used for the test will be based on sustainable crops grown in temperate regions or reused oils. Initially, the scope of the tests will involve using a blend of between 5% and 7% biodiesel, with the blend percentage being steadily increased. In theory, FAME can be used in pure form as an engine fuel, however it has a number of issues to be studied and overcome, including: storage stability, adverse reaction of materials to it, susceptibility to microbial growth, poor cold flow properties, and variation of supply quality world wide.

Steiner Shipyard in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, has acquired a Travelift 400C mobile boat hoist, thanks in part to a Small Shipyard Grant from the U.S. Maritime Administration. The Small Shipyard Grants program is administered by the Office of Shipyards and Marine Engineering in Washington D.C.

According to Steiner, the 400C is an important part of its diversification and expansion plans.

“In this business, you have to have an edge to remain competitive,” said owner Russell Steiner. “Our current 300-ton Travelift, which we’ve had since 2001, was instrumental in helping us build and maintain vessels up to 150 feet. The grant through the stimulus package meant we were in a position to forge ahead with our expansion plans at a time when many businesses are standing still,” he added.

A pair of the nation’s greenest ferries have recently been launched by the Water Emergency Transportation Authority, an agency created by the state of California and Bay Area municipalities to develop and operate a waterborne transit system connecting communities on San Francisco Bay. The vessels feature eco-friendly propulsion that includes a compact pollution-control unit and powerful but clean-running MTU Series 2000 marine engines.?Actual emissions are nearly 97% below EPA emission standards for Tier 2 marine engines, easily surpassing the transit authority’s 85% requirement for an emissions level one-tenth that of any other ferry operating in California waters. Pacific Power Products Company of Ridgefield, Washington,?designed and supplied the package.

The Sea Ray Group, which consists of the Sea Ray and Meridian Yacht brands, announced the signing of 21 new dealers, in the U.S., Europe, Middle East and the Caribbean and Latin America. “We strive for constant improvement in customer satisfaction and support by utilizing our global resources to advance and preserve the health of our global dealer network,” said Rob Parmentier, president of the Sea Ray Group.