The Magazine of Volume 65 Moran Towing Corporation March 2 015 On Blue Water, the Eagle Flies Moran’s Tom Craighead Sails aboard the Coast Guard’s Celebrated Tall Ship PHOTO CREDITS Page 37: John Snyder, marinemedia.biz Cover: Petty Officer 2nd Class Walter Shinn, USCG Atlantic Area Page 38: Operational areas of the bilateral symmetry of the human Inside Front Cover: John Snyder, body plan, by Iñaki Otsoa, marinemedia.biz Licensed under CC by 3.0 via Page 2: Courtesy of the Chamber Wikimedia Commons, of Shipping of America http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki Pages 4–6, 8 (top), and 9: Page 41: John Snyder, John Snyder, marinemedia.biz marinemedia.biz Page 8 (bottom): Page 47: Courtesy of National Portbeaumont, by R. Rothenberger, Oceanographic and Atmospheric Licensed under CC by 3.0 via Administration (NOAA) Wikimedia Commons, Pages 49, 51 and 53: Reprinted http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki by permission of Proceedings, a Pages 11, 12 (bottom), and 14–17: publication of the U.S. Naval Tom Craighead, Vice President/Gen- Intelligence Institute eral Manager, Moran Jacksonville Page 56: 123RF.com Page 12 (top): Petty Officer 2nd Pages 57–59: John Snyder, Class Walter Shinn, USCG marinemedia.biz Atlantic Area Page 61: Courtesy of Sophie Page 18 (both photos): Petty Schleicher and The Maritime Officer 2nd Class Walter Shinn, Studies Program of Williams USCG Atlantic Area College and Mystic Seaport Pages 20 and 22–26: John Snyder, Page 62: Caroline Baviello marinemedia.biz Inside Back Cover: John Snyder, Page 28: Courtesy of Molinos marinemedia.biz de Puerto Rico, a division of Ardent Mills Back Cover: John Snyder, marinemedia.biz Pages 29–31: Bruce Edwards, trvmedia.com All others: Moran Archives or public domain Pages 32–33 and 35: Courtesy of Coastal and Ocean Resources Inc. The Magazine of Volume 65 Moran Towing Corporation March 2 015 2 News Briefs Mariner’s Journal 44 To the Limit Port Profile A Tugboatman’s Story 4 Moran Port Arthur/Beaumont The History Pages 49 “A Project So Unique ” Cover Story by A. Denis Clift 10 On Blue Water, the Eagle Flies Tom Craighead Sails aboard the Coast Guard’s Celebrated Tall Ship Books Published by Moran Towing Corporation 54 The Box , by Marc Levinson; Dynasties of the Sea , by Lori Ann LaRocco EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Operations Mark Schnapper 20 Working the Neches REPORTER A TowLine Photojournalist Rides Milestones John Snyder Along on the Hayley Moran 57 George T. Moran Is Christened DESIGN DIRECTOR 27 Mark Schnapper Moran Has Three New ATBs 58 Hayley Moran Is Christened Under Construction 27 Giving Back A Customer Relationship Leads to a People Local Charity Partnership 59 Dave Beardsley; Captain Gary Biggs; Moran Towing Corporation 50 Locust Avenue 32 Two Acquisitions Advance MER’s Sophie Schleicher; Crozer Martin; New Canaan, CT 06840 Growth and Vision Christina Baviello; Ray Carrano; Tel: (203) 442-2800 Moran Jacksonville Crews; Moran Fax: (203) 442-2857 Miami 20th Anniversary; JROTC www.morantug.com Safety Update Cadets; Captain Bill Eggert; Stephen Savage 36 Progress with BBS; an Ergonomics Review; a Cultural Survey; and On the cover: New Hires Shoreside Comment The USCGC Eagle, seen here moored in Nova Scotia. 66 An Essay by Abby Archer Photograph by Petty Officer Envi ronmental 2nd Class Walter Shinn, Initiatives Personnel News USCG Atlantic Area 43 Progress with CO Emissions 2 68 Milestones and Service Anniversaries Opposite page: Reduction and Oil Pollution Elimination In Port Arthur, Texas, the oil tanker Eagle Kinabalu readies for an assist from the tractor tug Hayley Moran [story on page 20]. 48 Moran Tugs Receive Devlin Awards the general public. Many visitors have themselves for Safety contributed impressive videos, photos, and com- 48 Moran tugboats were awarded 2013 Devlin ments — including rare documentary footage, Awards at the program’s Annual Awards Lunch- technical facts, historical content, and links to eon last June. news stories involving Moran tugs, which were According to the Chamber of Shipping of Amer- originally broadcast by major public media out- ica, which sponsors the honor, the Jones F. Devlin lets. To visit, log on to: Award is given to “all manned merchant vessels www.facebook.com/MoranTowingCorporation. that have operated for two full years or more with- You can also follow Moran on Twitter, at out a crew member losing a full turn at watch be- @morantug, and can access Moran’s LinkedIn cause of an occupational injury.” page under Moran Towing Corporation. Moran’s current recordholder for the achieve- ment is the Jennifer Turecamo, which is now in its s 14th year without a Lost Time Injury (LTI). Among f Moran’s other awarded vessels, four have now e exceeded 10 years, and more than a dozen have i gone five years or more. 45 Moran vessels received 93 Moran Vessels Receive CSA 2014 the award in 2012. Environmental Achievement Awar ds r “We’re glad that the industry credits people 93 Moran vessels were awarded Chamber of Ship- publicly for making safety succeed,” commented ping of America (CSA) Environmental Achieve- B Matt Baker, manager of Moran’s Quality, Health, ment Awards for 2014, at a dinner ceremony held Safety, Security & Environmental Group. “It’s an ex- this past November in Washington, D.C. s ceptionally demanding challenge, and the awards The awards are given to vessels that have oper- give well-deserved recognition to our vessel crews.” ated for two years or longer without reportable spills, citations for MARPOL violations (from the w Moran Launches Social M edia Pages Coast Guard or a port state), and violations of state e Moran went live with its Facebook page in 2013, or local pollution regulations. Moran’s recordhold- splashing a bounteous assortment of photos, vid- er for the distinction is the Baltimore-based tug N eos, links, news items, and information onto the Harriet Moran, which has now gone 36 years social networking site. Featuring postings about without a spill or violation. The tug Cape Romain, the company’s activities, vessels, history, and prac- currently serving in the Moran Norfolk fleet, is a tices, the page has been visited by employees, cus- close runner-up, with 35 years. Among Moran’s tomers, shipbuilders, suppliers, shipspotters, and 2014 award winners, three of the vessels have 2 now maintained the incident-free status for 30 to entire fleet wanted to participate: every crew, on 35 years; three have held it for 16 to 20 years; and every tug, in every location. 31 have gone 10 to 15 years. 92 Moran vessels re- “We ordered a large quantity of pink paint ceived the award in 2013. from Armorica, our supplier, and they immediate - ly asked what we were up to,” Ted said. “When we Moran’s White “M” Goes Pink for Breast told them, they volunteered to donate the paint.” Cancer Awareness Month It is likely that a small number of tugs in Moran’s Last October, an unusual sight appeared on the fleet of about 100 could not be painted because water in ports and terminals where Moran tugs they were at sea or in dry dock undergoing re- operate: the white Moran “M,” the company’s fam- pairs, he said. ously traditional, stack-borne insignia, was, for the Moran’s employees have been donating to the entire month, pink. The color was not some exotic Susan G. Komen Foundation of their own accord. new primer, but a pointed gesture: an acknow ledg - “With a relatively large group of employees spread ment of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. out in many locations, it is wonderful to see them The idea for the recognition came from a Moran all spontaneously rally behind such a worthy cause. employee who works on one of the company’s tugs. I think the other thing that this highlights is how The fellow contacted Paul Tregurtha and his son many of us have been touched directly or indirect - Ted (Moran’s CEO and president, respectively), ly by this disease,” Ted Tregurtha said. I and requested permission to paint the port and starboard “M’s ” on his tug pink, in honor of a fam - ily member. He would do the work and cover the Above: The Laura K. Moran at work in New York expenses himself, the petitioner said. Paul and Ted Harbor last October, bearing a pink “M” for Breast liked the idea, and Ted thought it should extend Cancer Awareness Month. to all of Moran’s ports, with the company covering Opposite page: Moran Savannah tugboat captains the costs. He directed Moran’s management team accepting the CSA 2014 Environmental Achieve- to designate at least one tug in each location to get ment Award on behalf of Moran. Left to right, painted, but gave blanket approval to do more if Capt. Paul Johnson; Capt. Matt Lee; USCG VADM crews on additional vessels wanted to support the Charles D. Michel, Deputy Commandant for cause. Within two days, word came back that the Operations; and Capt. Arthur Booth. 3 Moran Port Ar thur/ Beaumo nt e l i f o r P t r o P 4 he Golden Triangle — the and 15 tankers pass through the Waterway, the area of South Texas bounded Coast Guard reported in 2013. In addition to by Port Arthur to the south, these oil and chemical tankers, a variety of break - Beaumont to the north, and bulk freighters, Ro-Ro ships, bulkers, and other Orange to the east — got its cargo vessels make their way up and down name from “black gold.” the Sabine-Neches’ main arteries, which include It was the birthplace, in the Neches River, the Sabine River, the Sabine- 1901, of Texas’ oil wealth: Neches Canal, and the Sabine Pass Ship Chan- at Spindletop Hill, south of nel.