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U.S. Gulf Supply Vessel Charter Market Rebounds Day rates for offshore supply ves- sels in the Gulf of Mexico have re- corded a dramatic improvement over the charter rates in early 1992, a trend many hope continues through 1993. Operators are reporting that few offshore supply vessels are avail- able, and oil companies are report- ing difficulty in obtaining a boat, particularly those with capacities for bulk and liquid mud. The market for workboats will, as always, be driven by the spending levels for domestic projects budgeted by major and independent oil and gas companies. Current projections indicate that budgets are higher for 1993, but budgets and real expenditures are seldom the same. Others are confident that rates will continue to hold, and event in- crease to $3,500 or higher when the construction season arrives. Even so, operators point out that this rate is significantly below what is necessary to cover the cost of new buildings. Port Everglades Receives First Of Three, $7.9-Million Gantry Cranes Port Everglades recently received a $7.9-million, 40-ton capacity con- tainer gantry crane, which is sched- uled to be installed and activated by late spring. The delivery is the first of three cranes. One of the most important opera- tional aspects of the seaport's new 155-acre Southport Container Com- plex, the heavy lift cranes can move 35 to 45 containers per hour, and can handle Post-Panamax vessels. Each crane boasts a safe working load of 40 long tons with the spreader and 57 long tons under the hook. All three 151-foot tall cranes are specially designed to be low-profile, so as to not interfere with adjacent airport operations. Built by Samsung Companies, Inc., the fully assembled 1,300-ton crane was transported direct from Korea aboard the vessel Dock Ex- press France. The final crane is due for delivery in May. Offshore Supply Vessels Exempt From Tank Vessel Requirements Section 5209 of the Coast Guard Authorization Bill clarified the defi- nition of "tank vessel" such that Off- shore Supply Vessels are not re- quired to comply with the provi- sions of OPA '90 as they pertain to tank vessels. Offshore Supply Vessels are no longer required to provide spill re- sponse plans to the Coast Guard, nor are they subject to double hull construction requirements, or other tank vessel requirements. However, individual states may require OSV operators to submit spill response plans, or comply with other require- ments, mandated by state law. New Cruise Line To Cater Exclusively To Families A 50/50 joint venture between the former head of Premier Cruise Line, Bruce Nierenberg, and the Italian-cruise line of Costa Crocieri, has formed a new company called American Family Cruises, which will be one of the world's first cruise lines to aim exclusively at families. The company will operate in the Caribbean and on the U.S. West Coast using two Costa ships which are to be upgraded. The Eugenio Costa will be known as the American Adventure after a $30 million refit, probably in Greece. Similar work will also be carried out on the Costa Riviera, to be the Ameri- can Pioneer. The American Adventure will operate seven-day cruises year round in the Caribbean, using Miami as her homeport. The American Adventure will work the Caribbean in winter, based out of Tampa, and switch to the West Coast in summer, sailing be- tween Vancouver and Alaska. While many cruise lines have onboard facilities and activities for children, the cruise industry is widely perceived as primarily being intended for adults. This makes a line dedicated to children and young people an inno- vative market ploy. Stability Design And Operational Regulations Start Date Postponed Following questions and strong positions presented regarding the cost and applicability of Stability Design and Operational Regulations to offshore supply vessels and pas- senger vessels at the The National Offshore Safety Advisory Commit- tee (NOSAC) meeting, a decision was made to delay the effective date of the new regulations, which was scheduled to come in force on De- cember 12, 1992. It has been estimated by industry sources that the regulations would add $15,000 of cost per vessel to fully comply with regulations. The reason for the delay in com- pliance, which was triggered by the NOSAC meeting as well as letters submitted to the Coast Guard by NAPVO and other interested par- ties, was to allow further assess- ment of the costs associated with periodic lightweight survey require- ments. 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