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Barge And Towing Industry Safety Contest Winners Honored In San Francisco, Calif. Representatives of company winners are shown above with officials of The American Waterways Operators, Inc., which co-sponsors the contest with the National Safety Council. Seated, left to right, are: Gordon E. Lloyd, manager, traffic, Western area, U.S. Steel Corporation, who accepted a first place award among contestants engaged in push-towing operations for his company's River Transportation Division, Clairton, Pa.; Capt. L.F. Gearin, manager, marine transportation department, Mobil Oil West Coast operations, Terminal Island, Calif., who accepted awards for both the company's Eastern and Western Rivers Fleets; C.C. Brooks, president, Rio Towing Company, Houston, Texas, and John H. Lee, president of Alaska Hydro-Train, who accepted a second place award for United Transportation Co., San Francisco, Calif., in the pull-towing or towing- alongside operations category of the contest. Standing from the left are: Braxton B. Carr, president of The American Waterways Operators, Inc., Washington, D.C.; George H. Jackson, president, Western Transportation Co., Portland, Ore.; Al Greene, operations manager, for The Harbor Tug & Barge Co., San Francisco; Terry Klaus, assistant opera- tions manager, The Harbor Tug & Barge Co.; Otho H. Haunschild, president, Levingston Shipbuilding Company, Orange, Texas, and William C. McNeal, executive vice presi- dent, Oil Transport Company, Incorporated, New Orleans, La., and chairman of the board of AWO. Winners in the 1970 Barge and Towing Vessel Industry Safety Contest were honored guests at a reception and luncheon sponsored by The American Waterways Op- erators, Inc., in San Francisco, Calif., May 21. William C. McNeal, executive vice president, Oil Transport Com- pany, Incorporated, New Orleans, La., and chairman of the board of AWO, made the safety awards presentations and in doing so, called on the barge and towing industry to work harder to achieve an even better safety record than Peter J. Brix (at right), president, Knapp- ton Towboat Company, Portland, Ore., and former chairman of the board of The Ameri- can Waterways Operators, Inc., is shown above as he received a commemorative gavel mounted on a plaque from his succes- sor in the AWO post, William C. McNeal, executive vice president, Oil Transport Company, Incorporated, New Orleans, La. the outstanding one which has al- ready been accomplished. The luncheon climaxed two days of AWO meetings and events at- tended by executives of the barge and towing industry from through- out the United States, a large group of Government officials with whom the industry works, and others. In another feature of the lunch- eon, special tribute was paid to Peter J. Brix, president, Knappton Towboat Company, Portland, Ore., in appreciation of his services as chairman of the board of AWO in 1970. The tribute was made on behalf of the Association by Mr. McNeal, who was elected last Feb- ruary 18 as chairman of the board of AWO, succeeding Mr. Brix in that position. The safety contest, which is co- sponsored by the National Safety Council and AWO, is divided into four categories. One is composed of firms engaged in push-towing operations; another of firms en- gaged in pull-towing or towing- alongside operations; a third of firms engaged in harbor boat op- erations, and a fourth of firms en- gaged in ship handling only. Some firms are entered in more than one category of the contest. U.S. Steel Corporation, River Transportation, Clairton, Pa., was first place winner among contest- ants engaged in push-towing op- erations. Western Transportation Co., Portland, Ore., was second place winner, with George H. Jackson, president, accepting the award. Mobil Oil Corporation, Western Rivers Fleet, was third place win- ner. Capt. L.F. Gearin, manager, marine transportation department, West Coast operations, Terminal Island, Calif., accepted the award. Perfect record certificates in the push-towing operations division of the contest were won by The Har- bor Tug & Barge Co., San Fran- cisco, with Lester C. Bedient, gen- eral manager, accepting the award ; Pacific Inland Navigation Com- pany, Inc., Columbia River Divi- sion, Vancouver, Wash., with T.E. Garside, vice president, accepting the award; Rio Towing Company, Houston, Texas, with C.C. Brooks, president, accepting the award, and by Warrior Barge Lines, Inc., Tuscaloosa, Ala. Winner of the top award in the pull-towing or towing-alongside operations category was Mobil Oil Corporation, Eastern Fleet. Cap- tain Gearin accepted the award. The second place winner was United Transportation Co., San Francisco, Calif. Anderson Petro- leum Transportation Co., Inc., Houston, Texas, was third place winner. A perfect record certificate was accepted by Mr. Bedient in the pull-towing and towing-alongside operations category of the contest for The Harbor Tug & Barge Co. Winner of the top award honor in the ship handling only category of the contest was Levingston Shipbuilding Company, Orange, Texas. Otho H. Haunschild, presi- dent, accepted the award. Perfect record certificates in the harbor boat operations division of the contest were won by The Har- bor Tug & Barge Co., with Mr. Bedient accepting the award, and by The Trinity Valley Barge Line, Galveston, Texas. All of the winners maintained perfect safety records in 1970. Mr. McNeal paid tribute to the leadership of Ralph A. Guffey, A.L. Mechling Barge Lines Inc., Joliet, 111., who as chairman of AWO's safety committee, serves a major role in planning and executing AWO's safety program, of which the Barge and Towing Vessel In- dustry Safety Contest is a part. The luncheon and the series of meetings of AWO directors, mem- bers and committees were held in San Francisco starting May 20. The focal point of interest for the series of meetings and events was the spring quarterly meeting of the AWO board of directors held on the morning of May 21. The 47 AWO directors from throughout the United States considered re- ports of committees and reviewed various phases of the Association's programs, as well as current legis- lative proposals pending before the Congress which affect the barge and towing industry. Twin Survey Boats Delivered By Grafton The Darbon and her twin, the Bland II, are capable of speeds of over 25 mph. The 40- foot steel survey boats Bland II and Darbon have been de- livered to the New Orleans District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engi- neers. Designed, built and delivered by Grafton Boat Co., Inc. of Graf- ton, 111., the new vessels will be used by the Corps in surveying the Missis- sippi River below New Orleans, Lake Pontchartrain, the Atchafalaya River below Morgan City, and the Intracoastal Waterway throughout the New Orleans District. With hulls 40 feet by 14 feet, the new boats are designed to handle rough water in stride. They are pow- ered by twin General Motors Detroit Diesel 8V-53N engines, rated at 260 hp, and have Onan 15-kw diesel gen- erator sets for electrical power. The interior arrangement is completely open, and places the operator near the bow of the vessel for unobstruct- ed visibility, and a clear working area and afterdeck over 24 feet long for use of the survey party. The boat is equipped with a com- plete range of electronic equipment, including several types of depth sounding machines, Benmar radar, single side band, AM and VHF/FM radios, and other specialized appa- ratus. Grafton Boat has long been a ma- jor supplier of small vessels to vari- ous United States Army Engineer Districts, and these two vessels bring to eight the number of boats built for the New Orleans District by Grafton since 1970. Other work pres- ently under way at Grafton includes two fireboats, a 40-foot debris recov- ery/oil spill vessel for the city of Buffalo, a 36-foot towboat for the Corps of Engineers in Chicago, and several landing barges for a major power company. Grafton Boat is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Conti- nental Boiler and Sheet Iron Works of St. Louis, Mo., and is headed by president Edward D. Fry. Norfolk's $5,925,050 Apparent Low To Build Thailand Escort Ship Norfolk Shipbuilding & Drydock Corp. is apparent low bidder on a 275-foot patrol escort ship (F-PF- 108) for the Thailand Government. The Norfolk, Va., yard's bid was $5,925,050. 36 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
