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PSRY Now Major Center For Cruise Ship Destination, Repair And Conversion Cruise ship owner confidence in Port of Portland Ship Repair Yard's (PSRY) unique abilities and conve- nient location have made it a major center for cruise ship destination, repair and conversion in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to taking advantage of PSRY's Dry Dock 4, the largest drydock in the Americas, passen- gers can enjoy the dramatic scen- ery, beautiful countryside and natu- ral wonders abundant in Oregon. There are waterfalls, clean rivers and historic sites all within 90 min- utes of the city lights and cheerful friendliness of metropolitan Port- land, PSRYs home. Trade and crafts unions and ship repair contractors at PSRY are es- tablishing a training program inno- vation for new shipyard craftpersons and for developing new and im- proved skills of those currently in the industry. The training will develop ship- yard job skills for sheet-metal work- ing, machinists, laborers, boiler- markers and painters. The nonprofit cooperative pro- gram is supported by the trade and crafts unions and Portland Ship Yard repair contractors Cascade General, Inc.; Northwest Marine Inc.; West State, Inc.; and many subcontractors. The Port of Portland is hosting/ housing/innkeeper for this training program, providing 14,000 square feet of Building 10 as the training center. New Vicmar Fuel System Could Save Operators Millions Of Dollars According to its developers, ma- rine engineers Victor and Anatoly Mezheritsky of Vicmar Engineer- ing Ltd., Vancouver, B.C., Canada, a new fuel-saving system could save fleet operators millions of dollars. BC Ferry Corp., operator of one of North America's largest ferry fleets, stated the system is being tested on the ferry Queen of Alberni. Another major operator said Vicmar's engine washing system had tested better than any other tried to date. Tests over the past year on Seaspan International's rail and trailer ship Seaspan Greg have shown fuel savings of close to 6 percent. Seaspan spends about $11 mil- lion a year on marine diesel fuel, consuming in excess of 36 million liters annually. BC Ferries' fuel costs totaled $32.5 million last year. For free literature giving further information on the new fuel-saving system from Vicmar Engineering, Circle 96 ori Reader Service Card High Court Reaffims Shipowners Not Liable For Accidents In Holds The Supreme Court recently re- fused to review a lower court deci- sion that shipowners and time char- terers are not responsible for dan- gerous conditions that develop in cargo holds of vessels prior to un- loading. The court, in denying the appeal, let stand a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for 3rd Circuit that a shipowner is not liable for unsafe conditions that caused an accident to a longshoreman unloading a ship in Philadelphia. Because the federal courts in the California 5th Circuit have ruled that shipowners are responsible for such conditions, the liability ques- tion is still unresolved. Charles Sovel, the attorney for the longshoreman, said sooner or later they have to hear it, because the conflict is clear. Growing Cruise Market: 10 Million Passengers By The Year 2000 A recently published report fore- casts that the world cruise ship in- dustry could more than double by the year 2000 to more than 10 mil- lion passengers per year. The report, "The World Cruise Ship Industry in the 1990s," pub- lished by Economist Intelligence Unit, foresees the Caribbean re- maining as the major cruise area, with Florida ports dominating the industry. The Port of Miami alone will probably handle 50 percent of the 10 million cruise passengers. Passenger growth is predicted to grow by 9 percent per year to the end of the decade. However, the rapid growth of the industry, says the report, might lead to safety and crewing problems. The industry currently employs 50,000 at sea. The same number of addi- tional staff, warns the report, will be required by the year 2000. Over $4 billion worth of cruise ship orders have been placed for the first half of this decade. The major players are expected to be Carnival, P&O, Royal Carib- bean and Kloster. April, 1992 Circle 247 on Reader Service Card
