February 1965
Two identical bills that would require Coast Guard inspection of diesel-powered towing vessels, licensing of operating personnel, and establishment by the Coast Guard of manning scales were introduced in the opening days of the 89th Congress by the same legislators who introduced similar legislation in the previous Congress.
• Sea Service Inc., New Orleans, recently placed in service the supply vessel Southern Service, the latest addition to its growing fleet. The 154'x38'x12'6" vessel, designed for greater maneuverability in turbulent seas, is equipped with 1,530-hp diesels that power the vessel to a speed of about 13 knots. The Southern Service has a heavy-duty bow windlass, extra wide stern gate, and port and starboard gates for loading service equipment. The 120'x30' cargo deck has a capacity of 550 tons.
February 1975
Proposals to impose navigation tolls to recover federal costs of maintaining navigable depths on inland rivers and harbors could dramatically increase freight rates on bulk commodities, Harry N. Cook, executive vice president of the National Waterways Conference Inc., warned recently.
• Chotin Transportation Inc., New Orleans, recently placed in service a new 5,300-hp towboat, the Margaret O, designed and built by St. Louis Ship, a division of Port Industries.
• Under current plans, an estimated $150 million worth of construction work on the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway could be underway by spring 1975. The figure includes estimated costs on two locks and dams to be located in Aliceville, Ala., and Columbus, Miss. They are expected to cost $90 to $100 million. The waterway work continued on an accelerated schedule set by Congress for completion in 1981.
February 1985
The vessel building tempo has definitely picked up at RMI Inc. The National City, Calif.-based shipyard (located just south of San Diego) recently christened a privately developed SWATH (small waterplane area twin hull) vessel and at the same time laid the keel for the first SWCM (special warfare craft medium) to be delivered to the U.S. Navy. The 60' SWATH vessel, named the Halycon, is designed for both military and commercial usage.
• Officials of the federal government's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Army Corps of Engineers met in December to hammer out administrative proposals on the financing of inland waterways, port construction and operation and maintenance (O&M). Sources indicate that the proposed cap on federal inland waterway expenditures has been abandoned.
