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Editor's Note T he image of a fun-loving boat full of passengers in Hawaii may provide the slightest bit of wintertime relief for those of us snowbound in the Northeast U.S., but it also could be be seen as a harbinger for good times to come in the passenger vessel sector of the marine market. The spectre of a robust passenger vessel market — particularly for fast craft — has loomed on the yearly planning agenda of nearly every marine related company for many years. The anticipated "boom", as we like to call them, has yet to fully materialize, but the prospect of increased ferry utilization and activity in North America continues to grow. Giving credence to this possibility are developments in the Gulf of Mexico region, which now is playing host to two of the worlds most prolific builders of fast craft, Austal Ships and Incat, both hailing from Australia. Austal Ships efforts, with Bender Shipbuilding, to construct a new shipyard in Mobile, Ala., thus combining the construction prowess and proven designs of Austal with the state of the art steel processing facili- ties at Bender and the enormity of the U.S. market is a sure sign that good times are just ahead. To confirm that, it was announced in early December that Incat and Bollinger Ship- yards — one of the most dominant boatbuilding power in the GOM today — had signed an agreement for Bollinger to mar- ket and build high speed craft to the Incat design. To those in the industry who may still harbor fears of change, the message is abundantly clear: get over and jump on for the ride. The business of continuing consolidation (see "Northrop Grumman to Acquire Litton Industries for $5.IB" and "Blount- Barker Shipbuilding Formed" and "The Doctor Is In" on pages 20, 26 and 42, respectively, of this edition) has been firmly embraced and incorporated into the maritime market. The trend towards bigger is better is clearly cyclical and could reverse at any given moment, but the run towards consolidated R&D, products, systems, has been firmly entrenched for more than seven years and current signs are that it will continue. The chal- lenge, as always, is to develop, manufacture, install and service superior solutions for vessels both large and small, far and near. MARITIME REPORTER AND ENGINEERING NEWS NEW YORK 118 E. 25th St., New York, NY 10010 Tel: (212) 477-6700; Fox: (212) 254-6271 e-mail: mren@marinelink.com Internet: www.marinelink.com FLORIDA 215 NW 3rd St., Boynton Beach, FL 33435 ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Gregory R. Trouthwein • lraulhwein@marinelink.com EDITORIAL Associate Editor Regina P. Ciardiello • ciardiello@marinelink.com Technical Editor David Tinsley Editorial Consultant James R. McCaul, president, International Maritime Associates Manager of Information Systems Susan Cosme • c05me@marinelink.c0m MARKETING Marketing Assistant Angelica Rivera • arivero@marinelink.com PRODUCTION Production Manager Sharon Griffin • griffin@marinelink.com Asst. Production Manager Oksona Martemy • martemy@marinelink.com CIRCULATION Grculation Manager Dale L Bamett • barnett@marinelink.com ADVERTISING SALES Vice President of Sales Lucia M. Annunziata • annunziata@marinelink.com National Sales Manager Robert C. Howard • howard@marinelink.com Tel: (5611732-3001; Fax: (5611732-6984 Regional Sales Manager Jennifer Truman • trumon@marinelink.com Regional Sales Manager Brett W. Keil • bkeil@marinelink.com Tel: (561) 732-1185; Fax: (5611732-6984 Regional Sales Manager/Electronic Product Sales Joe TrubinsJcy • @marinelink.com Tel: (561) 732-4368; Fax: (208) 575-3217 Assistant to the Vice President of Sales Tina Angelino * angelino@marinelink.com Classified Sales Tel: (212) 477-6700 PUBLISHER John E. O'Malley John C. O'Malley • jomalley@marinelink.com Chief Financial Officer Al Adinolfi wwyv.marinelink.com trauthwein@fnarinelink.com Looking for service reliability, we deliver it. ABB Turbochargers New York/NJ, Miami. Houston, Seattle/1 .icoma. Los Angeles - email: turbocharc;ers(®us.abb.co Other Printed, Internet & Electronic Products Publications Electronic Products & Services MarineNews MarineNews Repair Report I Published 18 times per year, MarineNews is the acknowledged provider of information and analysis for the North American inland/offshore shallow draft market. m Customized e-mail news service deliv- ered twice a day, including the latest contracts, casualties, people & compa- ny reports. is.com The marine industry's recruiting & employment resource. Maritime Week Published weekly, Maritime Week provides unequalled financial insights, reports, news and statistical analysis on the trends driving the international maritime business. .marinelink.com The Internet largest marine website, recording more than 270,000 "hits" per month. Daily news, data & statis- tics, industry directories. 6 Circle 200 on Reader Service Card Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
