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March, 2008 Moran Tug Service Signs Contract with Cameron LNG January, 2008 Moran Commences Operations in Two North Carolina Ports January, 2008 Moran Acquires a Tugboat Simulator from MarineSafety International April, 2007 Once Again, Moran Towing of Texas Receives the OSPRA Award January, 2007 Continued Growth for Moran LNG ship-docking services December, 2006 Moran Towing and Compania Maritima Pacifico Sign Long Term Marine Services Agreement November, 2006 Paul R. Tregurtha Voted "Maritime Man of the Year" by Massachusetts Maritime Academy November, 2006 Moran's Participation in U.S. Coast Guard Demonstration Earns Citation for Merit October, 2006 Expansive Tugs Area Maritime Company Adds Boats to its Fleet News Article Archive |
December, 2004 Q&A A talk with Edmond J. "Ned" Moran Jr., senior vice president, Moran Towing Corp., New Canaan, Conn. Interviewed by Kathy Bergren Smith Article from WorkBoat Magazine December 2004 Issue www.workboat.com WorkBoat: Moran recently launched two new tractor tugs with more firefighting capability than some municipalities. How have the vessels changed since you began at Moran? Ned Moran: When I started more than 30 years ago Moran was just beginning to build 3,300-hp twin-screw tugs that could either do harbor work or tow on the coast. These tugs were replacing the single-screw tugs built after the war. We were also building the 4,700-hp pure coast boats that could only tow. A 3,300-hp harbor boat was a pretty big deal at the time. It was also pretty big in size, at least length, with 105 feet being the smallest. Now, for a newbuild, it is hard to imagine our thinking about anything less than a 5,000 hp ASD that is much over 90 feet. When we think about the 13 Z-drive tugs we have built since 1996, we have spent a lot of time focusing on the design as it relates to safety of our sailors and our customers' equipment. Creature comforts, visibility, winches, and fenders are all subjects that get a great deal more attention than they did in the past. Today's tugs have so much more maneuverability due to their smaller hull size combined with the Z-drive technology. The positions they can take on the ship and in their ability and speed to go from one position to the next, it's just amazing. We find that this agility and speed allows us to do a better and safer job. As there is no comparison between the capability of today's tugs and the prior ones, there is also no comparison to the cost of today's assist boats versus those of the '70s. The capital that is required to build today's modern tugs, either harbor or coast, is vastly different from the past. The business is becoming much more capital intensive. Today we spend as much on deck machinery and main engines as we spent on the entire tug 30 years ago. Capital, and access to capital, will become more of a determinant of success as we look toward the future. WB: How have environmental issues transformed the culture of the towing industry? Moran: When I think about this component I think about the profound difference in care we take about the marine environment today as opposed to what we, all of us, did when I started. Obviously, OPA '90 was the change agent. It can be cited as a government program that really worked. The oil spill statistics speak for themselves. In this area, like boat design, we think about the safety of our people on the water even more today than we did previously. In prior years, weather conditions, equipment reliability and the specifics of an assignment were assessed intuitively when accepting a job. Now a more sophisticated risk assessment and planning approach is conducted and this results in our declining work that a less rigorous approach might have accepted. In the past we would look for reasons to convince ourselves that it was OK to take on some difficult assignments in questionable conditions. We never even have those conversations today. We say no a lot more now than I can remember in the past. We spend a lot of time convincing our people that saying no is a good thing when we consider safety. I don't remember that many "no's" in the past. In the old days we praised the guy who just got it done, often against the odds. Today we praise the man or woman who works out all the intricacies to make the job safe or who says "no" to a truly unsafe operation. WB: Compare today's Moran customer to those from your operations days. Moran: We have fewer of them and they are larger as they have consolidated over time. As a result it's much more competitive than it was before. The customers are more focused on what we do. They vet us. They look for quality and are demanding of continuous improvement. Their focus has made us better and as a result we are safer because of it. They get a much better product than they did 30 years ago but I'm not sure if they recognize the increase in capital that is required to serve their needs in today's environment. At the end of the day we are safer, more reliable, and offer a better service. WB: How do you feel about the Coast Guard's move toward more rigorous safety inspections? Moran: We believe that the new safety inspection regime that will be implemented by the U.S. Coast Guard will benefit everyone. American Waterways Operators members have already done most of the heavy lifting to get ready for the new inspection program by implementing the Responsible Carrier Program. Certainly there will be some improvements to the current RCP, but I have confidence that it won't be a great hurdle for AWO members. Our goal will be to anticipate what the Coast Guard wants at the end of the process and for us to be in full compliance before the new regulations go into effect. AWO plans to be an active participant as the regulation process moves along. It's all part of the continuous improvement process. |
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50 Locust Avenue | New Canaan, CT 06840-4737 USA | Tel: 203.442.2800 |
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