Vane Scores ‘A’ for Environmental Protection
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PIPELINE THE VANE BROTHERS COMPANY WINTER/SPRING 2021 North Border News page 1 also inside: Captain Russi's Remarkable Career - A New Vessel Update Anniversary First Pipeline Circulated 20 Years Ago illed as “news and notes for our friends,” Vane Brothers’ Pipeline Bmagazine was launched 20 years ago. The Fall 2001 issue – Volume 1, Number 1 – delivered six pages of news about the rapidly expanding company. Vice President, Communications, Elizabeth Hughes served as the There was plenty to read about back is an honor still enjoyed by Vane and publication’s Editor and Writer. She in 2001. Two construction projects had Port Captain Jim Demske. received design assistance from IT recently begun: a pair of double-skin The Vane tug Capt. Russi received Systems Engineer Bob Foertsch, who is tank barges were being built for Vane in a couple of mentions in that first celebrating 25 years with the company. Indiana, and the current headquarters issue. Named for Senior Port Captain (See the story on page 12.) building was just taking shape in Russi Makujina, the Capt. Russi was Baltimore’s Fairfield neighborhood. Pipeline was a quarterly publication in the acquired by Vane in 1993 and served beginning, but is now circulated twice a Also in the inaugural Pipeline was a the company well for more than two year. This change occurred in 2018 after story about Vane tugs escorting the decades. As for Captain Makujina, you Vane Brothers started posting timely historic sloop-of-war USS Constellation can read about his impressive career Pipeline Lite digital newsletters on the to destinations in the Port of Baltimore. beginning on page 10 of this Pipeline. company’s website. Providing assistance to the Constellation Winter/Spring 2021 1 Vane Enters Great Lakes Region Vol. 20, No. 1 4 Pipeline Lite Follow-up The Pipeline is published twice annually by: 8 Vessel Construction The Vane Brothers Companies 2100 Frankfurst Avenue / Baltimore, MD 21226 410-631-7773 10 Celebrating Captain Russi's Career www.vanebrothers.com 25-Year Anniversaries Executive Editor: Elizabeth S. Hughes 12 Editor: Blaise Willig 14 An Innovative Maritime App Ideas or comments? Email: [email protected] Production and Design: PCA of Timonium 16 New Faces - New Talent On the cover: While operating a drone above the News and Notes 18 Fox River in Green Bay, Wisconsin on New Year’s Day, photographer Chuck Zentmeyer captured the Bells and Whistles 21 Vane Brothers tug New York and asphalt barge Double Skin 509A moving through the ice. See the story on the facing page. Operations NORTH BORDER NEWS Vane Brothers Covers New Ground Throughout Great Lakes Region or the first time in company The 4,200-horsepower tug New York and history, Vane Brothers is 50,000-barrel asphalt barge Double Skin Fconducting operations in the 509A entered the region in October 2020 Great Lakes region, serving both U.S. and with Captain Tim Ladd at the helm. Canadian ports along the North Border. Ladd handed off to Captain Steve Tillett, and then Captain Rusty Harris came Vane Brothers President C. Duff Hughes on board in mid-November as service notes, “Similar to Vane’s arrival on the officially got underway. West Coast more than two years ago, the Great Lakes region represents an “When talk of the Lakes job came up, I exciting business opportunity in a looked at it as an opportunity to explore new location. The potential is here for new areas,” says Harris, who has been long-term success in partnership with a with Vane Brothers since 2007. “It’s been valued customer.” exciting learning about the conditions we must face.” Harris explains that Captain Rick Iuliucci, Vane’s Vice The tug New York flies the flags of both the U.S. the weather around the Great Lakes is and Canada. [Photo by Brian Wroblewski] President, Operations, adds, “We have known to “get rougher quicker, so we the equipment, personnel and expertise Vane’s North Border crews have stocked need to be prepared for anything.” now in place to take full advantage of up on ice mallets, snow shovels and bags our presence in this new operational Captain Iuliucci acknowledges, “There of salt, while also packing extra clothes area for an extended period of time.” are some pretty nasty storms in the and foul-weather gear. region, and odds are that we will Vane’s North Border service incorporates Evidence of icy conditions was very encounter ice on a grander scale terminals everywhere from Kingston apparent during a foray into Green than what we might see along the and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada to Bay, Wisconsin on January 1. Maritime Hudson River or in other waters where Buffalo, New York; Green Bay, Wisconsin; enthusiast and photographer Chuck Vane operates.” Cleveland, Ohio; and Detroit, Michigan. Zentmeyer witnessed the arrival of the The tug New York and asphalt barge DS-509A are escorted beneath the Peace Bridge, which connects Buffalo, New York to Fort Erie, Ontario. [Photo by Mike Mambretti] vanebrothers.com Winter/Spring 2021 / Pipeline 1 Operations pulled during ice season, so there is no winter service there.” Amid extreme cold conditions, the DS-509A keeps its precious cargo extra hot. Asphalt, similar to many other petroleum products, must remain at an elevated temperature to reduce viscosity so that it flows efficiently during the pumping process. “The typical asphalt barge has a much more robust cargo heating capability than other barges designed to transport heavy fuel oil,” says Steve Magdeburger, Vane Brothers Special Projects Manager in charge of new barge construction. “Liquid asphalt is typically loaded at temperatures between 290 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit and is pumped off at temperatures upwards of 270 to 275 degrees. If the temperature is allowed to drop below that, it becomes more difficult, if not impossible, to pump the asphalt.” Such high temperatures contribute to the fog that often surrounds a barge operating in a frigid climate. “The heat of the cargo is conducted throughout the areas around the cargo tanks,” Magdeburger explains. “Surfaces can be extremely hot to the touch.” For this purpose, tankermen wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) One of the tug New York crews: From left, OS Deckhand David Marchione, AB Deckhand Nino Pollari, Mate Rand Attaway, Chief Engineer Mark Johnson, and Captain Rusty Harris. such as temperature-resistant safety footwear, and they know to utilize Vane vessels and posted a drone image captured more if his camera battery on his Facebook page with a description hadn’t died in the cold. that read, “Tug New York with barge While several of Wroblewski’s photo Double Skin 509A say ‘Happy New Year’ captions described the location and to Green Bay this New Year's Day. Always operation, one simply read, “What a neat to see the ice being broken.” nice-looking tug.” The appearance of Vane vessels on the Great Lakes has captured the THE HEAT IS ON imagination of other enthusiasts, such Regarding the vessels’ work schedule as Brian Wroblewski, who is part of the along the North Border, Captain Iuliucci “Buffalo Area Transportation, Industry, notes, “The expectation is that this will Architecture and Defense” Facebook be a year-round operation, though we group. The Hamburg, New York resident understand that seasonal adjustments posted nearly two dozen images of the need to be made. For instance, in New York and DS-509A on the group’s Tonawanda, New York, Black Rock Lock Vane vessels depart Tonawanda, New York on the page in mid-December, and might have closes down and navigational aids are Black Rock Canal. [Photo by Brian Wroblewski] 2 Pipeline / Winter/Spring 2021 vanebrothers.com The Vane tug New York and barge DS-509A pass the M/V Iver Bright (assisted from Lake Erie by the tug Wisconsin) on February 7 at the Port of Monroe in Michigan. The M/V Iver Bright was delivering liquid asphalt. [Photo by Paul C. LaMarre III, Port Director, Port of Monroe] elevated walkways and platforms when radio chatter to a minimum.” Harris river at night, it’s a beautiful city. And its traversing the barge’s deck. equates the experience to steering a Canadian counterpart across the river is, vessel past railroad bridges around too. The more rural coasts are lined with Aside from the weather, Captain Norfolk, Virginia – something he did big houses and many marinas.” Harris says narrow waterways pose for many years early in his career. “My a challenge while navigating parts of Wherever the work takes his crew, Norfolk experience definitely helped out the Great Lakes. As an example, he Captain Harris says his priorities are up here as far as the bridges and tight points to Detroit’s Rouge River, which unchanged. “I just want to make the quarters are concerned,” Harris says. is crossed by six bridges. “We must customer happy and keep everyone “It can get the adrenaline flowing, but I rely on accurate distances to navigate safe,” he says. “That's what I see as my enjoy the challenge.” some tight squeezes,” Harris says. “A most important job no matter where I crewmember is positioned on each side Harris has also enjoyed the scenery. happen to be.” of the barge and we must communicate “The area up here along the shore is with the assist boat, so we keep the nice,” he says. “Seeing Detroit from the Asphalt must be kept at a high temperature to reduce viscosity. This contributes to the fog that Barge Captain Harvey Duff works on board the often surrounds a barge operating in the cold. [Photo by Brian Wroblewski] asphalt barge Double Skin 509A. vanebrothers.com Winter/Spring 2021 / Pipeline 3 Pipeline Lite Follow-Up If you didn’t see Vane Brothers’ most recent Pipeline Lite online newsletters, here are some of the stories we covered.