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22 • MarineNews • January, 2006 TUGBOAT ALLEY major event of 2003, the Port Mobil explosion on the Arthur Kill. For besides spill-containment, the Empire State has extensive fire-response equipment too. Most modern tugs do, sometimes more advanced than official municipal fire- boats, with such perks as full immersion systems. Their ability to respond was shown anew two weeks before the record was published in August, in a fire near Consta- ble Hook at the mouth of the Kill. "It could have gone south very easily," said K-Sea's Capt. John Egan, whose tug Coral Sea pumped water on the fire while the Odin removed a threatened tank barge from the vicinity. At least four more tugs responded, and it's no affront to say that the City's Gov. Alfred E. Smith, the near- est fireboat, arrived later — the tugs had been closer. Capt. Egan forbade his crew to enter the fire — "that's for the profes- sionals. But what truly impressed me was that everyone had their equipment, and deployed it quickly and effectively. Don't know if that would have been true ten years ago." There are new regulations about fire- fighting equipment, and the abilities of crews to use it, which makes the popula- tion of Tugboat Alley more than just boat- men. They're a de facto volunteer fire department, a posse of unsworn deputies whose ability to respond to unexpected emergencies has been demonstrated more than once since the turn of the century. The question about them the record might ponder is, how come, at the end of their two weeks, so many get on airplanes to go home? The Daily Plan "Every day, it seems," states the record from last August, "a new plan is unveiled, whether in Williamsburg, or Red Hook, or the East Side of Manhattan. Each features the harbor as a backdrop, a placid lake on which docked sailboats bob. And each plan, glorious and ambitious as it is, smooths away some of the jaggedness, the accidental design, that used to character- ize a dirty and noisy and dangerous work- ing port." Tugboat Alley is a product of design, sometimes proactive, sometimes reactive, as the dynamics of shipping altered the port. With containerization came contain- erports, which need to sprawl. The Port Authority set up its big ones at a north- eastern railhead of the continental United States, on the banks of Newark Bay. What a good way to lay-out an international, intermodal transportation infrastructure. Placing an armada of tugs at the conflu- ence of Newark Bay and the Kill Van Kull reads like planning, though it had a pre- requisite: shipbuilders like Bethlehem Steel would have to close down. That cer- tainly made a lot of North Shore space available. According to the same newspaper of record in an edition of November 2004, the Port Authority a year ago was strain- ing with an eruption of growth from increased trade with Asia, in the age of Panamax and Post-Panamax ships. Isn't that intelligent too, to transport the car- goes all the way from Asia in one vessel, and skip the Pacific-coast offload to transcontinental rail? That's 3,500 new longshoremen jobs alone in the Port of ! T L A N T I C - A R I N E ) N C L O C A T E D I N - O B I L E ! L A B A M A I S A L E A D E R I N S H I P R E P A I R A N D S H I P B U I L D I N G 7 E A R E K N O W N T H R O U G H O U T T H E W O R L D F O R T H E l N E S T I N E X P E R I E N C E D T R A I N E D P E R S O N N E L A N D H I G H Q U A L I T Y W O R K M A N S H I P 7 E A R E C U R R E N T L Y S E E K I N G A $ I R E C T O R O F / F F S H O R E " U S I N E S S $ E V E L O P M E N T 2 E S P O N S I B L E F O R D E V E L O P I N G A N D M A I N T A I N I N G 2 E P A I R A N D # O N V E R S I O N B U S I N E S S F O R ! T L A N T I C - A R I N E ) N C P A R T I C U L A R L Y I N T H E / F F S H O R E M A R K E T W I T H F O C U S O N 3 E M I 3 U B M E R S I B L E $ R I L L 2 I G S 3 U B M E R S I B L E $ R I L L 2 I G S * A C K U P 2 I G S A N D / F F S H O R E 0 L A T F O R M S - A S T E R S D E G R E E P R E F E R R E D W I T H A M I N I M U M O F A " A C H E L O R S D E G R E E O R E Q U I V A L E N T I N A N E N G I N E E R I N G D I S C I P L I N E P R E F E R A B L Y I N M A R I N E E N G I N E E R I N G A N D S I X T O T E N Y E A R S R E L A T E D M A N U F A C T U R I N G E X P E R I E N C E 0 L E A S E S U B M I T R E S U M E A N D S A L A R Y H I S T O R Y T O ( U M A N 2 E S O U R C E S - A I N ' A T E $ U N L A P $ R I V E 0 / " O X - O B I L E ! , & A X J L O C K E A T L A N T I C M A R I N E C O M W W W A T L A N T I C M A R I N E C O M ( 2 ( You’ve known us for quality rigging products since 1890. Our compre- hensive block, fairlead, sheave and alloy forging lines have met the chal- lenges of the most demanding appli- cations around the world. And in the process, we’ve proudly taken part in the shaping of American history; from salvage operations at Pearl Harbor and construction of the Grand Coulee Dam to San Francisco’s BART and the space shuttle. Whatever your applications, we’re committed to serving you with the finest in standard and custom engineered products. For further information contact your nearest dealer or call us at: 503/651-3175 Skookum PO Box 280, Hubbard, OR 97032 FAX 503/651-3409 Now more than ever, Skookum signifies value in today’s cost-conscious world. Blocks & Rigging AN ULVEN COMPANY 1-800-547-8211 www.skookumco.com SINCE 1890 Circle 211 on Reader Service Card Circle 201 on Reader Service Card Circle 241 on Reader Service Card Circle 240 on Reader Service Card JANUARY MN2006 3(17-24).qxd 1/4/2006 7:43 PM Page 22
