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arine activities surrounding the security of U.S. shores will contin- ue to present a ripe opportunity for business in 2002 and beyond. Simply put, significant political emphasis and commensu- rate amounts of tax dollars are starting to flow, as evidenced by President Bush's recent request for an additional billion dollars for the perenni- ally cash-strapped U.S. Coast Guard. The first half of 2002 alone should effectively shape the defense/gov- ernment side of the marine business in the U.S. for decades to come, as decisions on both the U.S. Navy's DD(X) and the Coast Guard's Deep- water project are due in before the summer starts. A news item that may have slipped under many radars, yet could prove vital to the health and well-being of U.S. ship repair facilities and suppli- ers serving the U.S. Navy, was news of the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy's current condition. According to wire reports, upkeep and maintenance on the ship was deferred for a good many years, the likely victim of a repair and maintenance budget shrinking faster than the U.S. Navy fleet. The problem is, the ship was due to relieve another carrier serving ongoing operations in Afghanistan, and now it is in such shape that it will be unable to set sail for another nine months or so. It is assumed that this will serve as a wake-up call to Navy number-crunchers that adequate levels of financing to maintain an already shorthanded fleet is not an issue for compromise. The inability of a U.S. warship to per- form when called to duty due to "deferred maintenance" is as astonishing as it is alarming. On the commercial side of the marine market, business as usual — with all of the ups and downs — is the mood of the day. A particularly noteworthy event was held by Izar's Astillero de Sestao yard in Bilbao, with the launching of the 138,000-cu.-m. LNG Carrier Ifiigo Tapias. Sliding down the building way into the water, the 933-ft. (284.4-m) ship made a splash in both the literal and figurative sense on January 29. It marks the return of the Spanish shipbuilding industry to a niche that of late has been dominated by shipyards in the Far East, and its hopes to leverage its massive, diverse and talented shipbuilding infrastructure to capitalize on what it terms "the decade of gas." Inigo Tapias is the first of five identical LNG carriers the company is currently contracted to build, and Izar is aggressively seeking to fill four additional building slots in the coming months. Also, the organization is doggedly pursuing cruise ship :ontracts. Despite the prevailing poor market conditions, there are indications hat a contract signing could be close at hand. vww.marinelink.com MARITIME REPORTER AND ENGINEERING NEWS NEW YORK 118 E. 25th St., New York, NY 10010 Tel: (212) 477-6700; Fax: (212) 254-6271 e-mail: mren@marinelink.com • Internet: www.marinelink.com FLORIDA 215 NW 3rd St., Boynton Beach, FL 33435 EDITORIAL Managing Editor Regina P. Ciardiello • ciardiello@marinelink.com Assistant Editor Jennifer Rabulan • rabulan@marinelink.com Technical Editor David Tinsley Editorial Consultant James R. McCaul, president, International Maritime Associates MARKETING Vice President of Marketing Susan Cosme • cosme@marinelink.com Marketing Manager Richard Grable • grable@marinelink.com Tel: (561) 732-1659; Fax: (561) 732-6984 ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Gregory R. Trauthwein • trauthwein@marinelink.com PRODUCTION Production Manager Michael Lowe • lowe@marinelink.com Asst. Production Manager Oksana Martemy • martemy@marinelink.com CIRCULATION Circulation Manager Dale L. Barnett • barnett@marinelink.com ADVERTISING SALES Vice President of Sales Lucia M. Annunziata • annunziata@marinelink.com National Sales Manager Rob Howard • howard@marinelink.com Tel: 941-949-5351; Fax: 941 949-5358 Regional Sales Manager Jennifer Truman • truman@marinelink.com North American Sales Manager Brett W. Keil • bkeil@marinelink.com Tel: (561) 732-1185; Fax: (561) 732-6984 Director, New Business Development Jean Vertucci • vertucci@marinelink.com Electronic Product Sales • @marinelink.com Tel: (561) 732-4368; Fax: (208) 575-3217 Assistant to the Vice President of Sales Tina Angelino • angelino@marinelink.com Accounting Manager Angelica Rivera • arivera@marinelink.com Classified Sales Tel: (212) 477-6700 PUBLISHER John E. 0'Malley John C. 0'Malley • jomalley@marinelink.com Chief Financial Officer Al Adinolfi ®fc[? Poto®^ OoofeoroG & fetofffe tatafe : Electronic Products & Services MarineNews Published 18 times per year, MarineNews is the leading provider of information and analysis for the North Ameri- can inland/offshore shallow draft market. trauthwein@marinelink.com www.maritimetoday.com Customized e-mail news service deliv- | ered twice a day, including the latest contracts, casualties, people & compa- ny reports. www.maritimejobs.com The marine industry's recruiting & employment resource. www.marinelink.com The Internet's largest marine website, recording more than 270,000 "hits" ~ I per month. Daily news, data & statis- tics, industry directories. Looking for service reliability, we deliver it. ABB Turbochargers ARB S If Ne\ V York/NJ, Miami, Houston, Seattle/Tacoma, Los Angeles - email: turbochargers@us.abb.com Circle 200 on Reader Service Card or visit www.maritimereporterinfo.com Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
