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W hile backing out of my driveway, I smacked into another car. I’ve been driving for more than a quarter centu- ry with a clean record, and I consider myself to be reasonably careful and responsible, but nonetheless, I crumpled another man’s door. Earth shattering? Not in the least. Painful? Only when my insurance rates come in. But it got me thinking about our industry, and the number of seemingly senseless accidents that occur. First, to be perfectly clear, I am a staunch defender of the marine market and its safety record. On the whole, considering the number of voyages made around the world on any given day, you are hard pressed to find a transportation segment with a better safety record. But there’s always room for improvement. I’m just back from the Posidonia exhibition in Greece, and having logged nearly 15 years covering this market, the pace of technological development and delivery never ceases to amaze me. There is a cadre of organizations which lead the charge in identifying and delivering next-generation ship and boat technolo- gies, designed and built to save vessel owners time and money, to meet emerging regulations, or both. But while the rapidity with which new innovations are conjured is amazing, so too is the fact that, with an arsenal of safety and efficiency tools at the ready, ships continue to find peril, whether by an untimely meeting with an undersea object or with another ship. I realize that no matter the level of technological sophistication, accidents inevitably occur, whether by human error or mechani- cal failure. Yet it seems that with a renewed vigor towards updating vessels with safer and more efficient machinery and electronics, and a similar vigor towards ensuring that all crew are properly trained and educated, a large number of seemingly avoidable, costly accidents could be averted. Long time contributor Edward Lundquist weighs in on the matter, discussing a history of Navy groundings in a “Lessons Learned” format, starting on page 22. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be repro- duced or transmitted in any form or by any means mechani- cal, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publishers. Founder: John J. O’Malley 1905 - 1980 Charles P. O’Malley 1928 - 2000 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News is published monthly by Maritime Activity Reports, Inc. Mailed at Periodicals Postage Rates at Waterbury, CT 06701 and additional mailing offices. Postmaster send notification (Form 3579) regarding undeliverable magazines to Maritime Reporter/Engineering News, 118 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010. Publications Mail Agreement No: 40024966 Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to Circulation Dept. of DPGM 4960-2 Walker Road Windsor, ON N9A 6J3 Publishers are not responsible for the safekeeping or return of editorial material. ©2005 Maritime Activity Reports, Inc. 118 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 477-6700; fax: (212) 254-6271 ISSN-0025-3448 USPS-016-750 No. 7 Vol. 68 Subscriptions: One full year (12 issues) $34.00 in U.S.; outside of U.S. $55.00 including postage and handling. For subscription information, call 212-477-6700; fax: (212) 254-6271; or e-mail: mrcirc@marinelink.com MARITIME REPORTER AND ENGINEERINGNEWS Member Business Publications Audit of Circulation, Inc. 20 SatCom 25 Canada 49 Maritime Security 52 People & Company News 54 Ship’s Store 55 Buyer’s Directory 56 Ad Index 58 Classifieds On the Cover: Pictured on this month’s cover is MAN B&W’s 51/60 DF engine. The engine burns both gas and MDO (Marine Diesel Oil), and can also run long- term on pure HFO (Heavy Fuel Oil). In the marine realm it targets the burgeoning LNG market. Read about more MAN B&W developments on page 28. Editor’s Note www.marinelink.com trauthwein@marinelink.com On the Cover Circle 201 on Reader Service Card Coming in Maritime Reporter & Engineering News August 2006 The Shipbuilding Technology Edition Repair & Conversion • Welding, Cutting & Machine Tools Latin America September 2006 THE SMM EDITION MR goes to Hamburg, Germany for the world’s largest Marine Industry exhibition. Marine Propulsion Annual Coatings & Corrosion Control Maritime Security Marine Electronics: Shipboard Monitors & Displays SatCom Products & Services www.marinelink.com 6 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News MR JULY2006 #1 (1-8).qxd 7/6/2006 2:58 PM Page 8
