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A number of years ago I was presented with an opportunity to invest in a so-called ?Green Energy? consulting group. It sure sounded good at the time, but knowing my penchant for close adherence to the time-honored Keefe family tradition of ?buying high and selling low,? I decided to ask the opinion of an old friend who also just happens to be a pretty successful venture capital fund manager. He just shook his head and deadpanned, ?Right now, no one goes ?green? because it?s the right thing to do. If it doesn?t improve the bottom line, it just isn?t going to y.? It turns out that he was right. But, that was then and this is now. This issue of MarineNews , of course, focuses on the environment, regulatory compliance and perhaps most importantly, the stewardship expected of all us involved in ocean commerce. Leading off that discussion is Susan Buchanan who spent most of August looking at a number of ?green? initiatives underway in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. You can?t have that discussion without mentioning Shane Guidry and Harvey Gulf International Marine?s bold, LNG-fueled newbuilding program. No matter how you slice it, that?s leadership, stewardship of the environment and at the same time, also promises to eventually fatten their bottom line. With two kinds of green now in play, more than one visionary operator has dipped their toes into the environmental game. These efforts involve innovative equipment and many different methods to achieve the desired result. They all have one thing in common: each leverages the regulatory hammer and turns it to their advantage. This month, we take a look at all of them. Inland operators, for example, are closely watching the exciting, newly announced partnership between Baker Lyman and Germanischer Lloyd which is designed to simplify the compliance headache soon to arrive with the coming subchapter M rules. So are we ? turn to page 36 to nd out what the deal means to you. That?s not to say things don?t sometimes go wrong anymore. Even a maritime industry that has reduced its volume of spilled oil by more than 90 percent over the past two decades needs help every now and then. When this happens, the collective efforts of the membership of the Spill Control Association of America (SCAA) are there to clean up the mess. SCAA President Andrew Altendorf is therefore the right choice for our regular INSIGHTS focus. Follow along inside as the voice of America?s response community weighs in on spill response, legal and regulatory issues related to all of that. Rounding out our coverage and corresponding closely to our regional focus on the U.S. West Coast is a cogent OP/ ED on west coast ECA implications, as well as Raina Clark?s take on west coast spill response capabilities. A fresh look at the state of the global tugboat market ? also, as it happens, heavily impacted by the ongoing stack emissions debate ? through the eyes of Bob Beegle, President of Washington-based Marcon International, completes the hat trick. And, as always, MarineNews readers are the clear winners. keefe@marinelink.comSUBSCRIBESubscribe to the print or electronic edition of MarineNews at www.marinelink.com/renewsubscr/Renew04/subscribe.html or e-mail Kathleen Hickey at mrcirc@marinelink.com DAILY NEWS via E-MAIL Twice every business day we provide breaking news, tailored to your speciÞ cation, delivered FREE directly to your e-mail. To subscribe visit http://maritimetoday.com/login.aspx POST & SEARCH JOBSJob listings are updated daily and help match employers with qualiÞ ed employees. Post a position or keep abreast of new employment opportunities at http://www.maritimejobs.com ADVERTISE MN offers a number of print and electronic advertising packages. To see our editorial calendar and advertising rates, visit www.marinelink.com/AdvRates/Rates.asp Online Resources Joseph Keefe, Editor, keefe@marinelink.com EDITOR?S NOTE6 MNSeptember 2012MNSept2012 Layout 1-17.indd 6MNSept2012 Layout 1-17.indd 68/30/2012 2:45:50 PM8/30/2012 2:45:50 PM
