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TBL Exclusive: Crowley's Newbuild Program: An Eye Toward The Future PDF Print E-mail
Thursday, 07 February 2008 07:25
When it comes to building new vessels for the maritime industry, Crowley Maritime Corporation has its spyglass trained on, what seems to be, an ever-changing operational, legislative and environmental horizon. The company is in the midst of a significant newbuild program and the vessels being turned out require a lot of careful thought and foresight to ensure a long and successful working life.
When Ed Schlueter looks ahead, he tries to see about 30 years into the future. Schlueter is Crowley's Vice President of Vessel Management Services, which is part of the company’s technical services unit, and is responsible for directing the development of Crowley's fleet.  The requirements for newbuilds are changing, largely in response to three factors: first, new legislation requires that certain vessels meet new standards for safety and environmental protection. Second, shippers need to move larger amounts of petroleum and other goods, which require a different level of service from Crowley. Crowley's recruitment and retention strategies also factor into Crowley's vessel design requirements for its fleet of about 200 vessels.
No part of the Crowley fleet is untouched by the changes. 'Previous vessels were state-of-the-art when they were built,'says Schlueter. 'They were excellent vessels at the time, but we have to look at how we're going to progress to keep operating the company for another 100 years.'One major area of change includes a growing concern for the environment, which by itself can pose a challenge for vessel designers, whose current designs have a life expectancy of 30 years or more.  'Look at the environmental concerns in 1970 and then look at what they were 30 years later in 2000. The question now is how do you build a vessel today that will meet concerns 30 years from now?'
In addition to environmental considerations,  the Crowley fleet must be able to accommodate the trend toward larger vessels now favored by the shipping industry. 'Ships are so much bigger and faster, now,'says Schlueter. 'Our equipment has to address that. At one time, a 2,000 TEU container ship was a pretty big ship. Now, Maersk is designing 11,000 TEU container ships. Our fleet has to maneuver better and have more horsepower.'
Size is also a concern for Crowley's fleet of articulated tug barge tank vessels (ATBs). 'We now have ATBs that are larger than standard tankers were,'says Schlueter. In all, Crowley plans to add eight more 185,000-bbl ATBs along with eight heavy fuel tug boats. The company is also planning to add three more 330,000-bbl ATBs powered by 16,000-hp tugs. When complete the new tugs will have a top speed of about 15 knots.
The planning stage for a new Crowley vessel is about ten months to a year, according to Schlueter The process starts with a complete survey of the customer requirements for a vessel, and includes crew surveys. 'We've been doing a good job of addressing crew comfort. Our surveys show that people want their own bathrooms. Senior people have their own head and shower. We try to design the crew quarters to be quieter and more comfortable.  In new vessels, we put individual antenna jacks in the quarters so the crew members can have their own TV or radio.'
Dale Wilson, a port captain with Crowley in Jacksonville verifies the results of Crowley's efforts. 'The crew quarters are among the nicest I've seen. The staterooms are much more spacious and there's a head in every stateroom.'  The rooms are also designed with work schedules in mind. 'Each stateroom has two sets of lockers, so crews can leave things on the boat when they're off. The rooms are carpeted, too,'says Wilson.
According to Wilson, the new vessels were designed to meet the needs and preferences of the crew. 'A lot more thought went into crew comforts, and retaining our crews,'says Wilson. 'Our industry has been hit hard with keeping people. The new vessels are well thought-out. They're not only easier to live on, they're easier to work on, too.'

Crowley is well aware of the challenges the new vessel designs must meet. 'The vessels have to be faster, smarter and better..'Schlueter says. Customer requirements and crew comfort play a large role in new vessel designs, but Schlueter says safety is still the driving force in Crowley's newbuild program. 'It's the paramount thing on anyone's mind. How do you build a ship that's safe, above all else?'According to Wilson, both comfort and safety have been built into the new designs. 'All of our lines are on winches,'says Wilson. 'The lines we use are Kevlar versus cable. They're lighter to reduce the potential of injuries.'Noise issues have also been addressed with the new designs. 'The new vessels are quiet,'says Wilson. 'They've really taken care in the design of these new boats.'

'Twenty five or 30 years ago, when you designed a vessel, certain things weren't scrutinized as heavily as they are now,” says Schlueter. 'Higher levels of vessel noise were accepted. It was okay to pump gray water  out over the side. Now when we build a boat, the major concerns are hearing conservation for the crew. How loud is the boat? OSHA and the Coast Guard have hearing protection regulations. We can't discharge anything – nothing goes out over the side.  There are paint systems we can't use anymore. Invasive species in the ballast water is a concern that we deal with.'
The Jones Act and OPA 90 have also had a profound effect, not only on Crowley's fleet plans, but the shipping industry in general. 'Towed petroleum barges are being retired out of obsolescence'in favor of ATBs, says Schlueter. The last non-double hull vessel must be gone by 2015.'Replacing obsolete vessels will take some time. Finding space in shipyards to build new vessels is problematic. 'There's a wonderful yard in Sturgeon Bay, which we can't use,'Schlueter explains.  'The new barges are 105 feet wide, but the locks up there are only 78 feet wide. In terms of tier one and tier two shipyards, it's a seller's market.”
Crowley also has to work with changes that come about during a planning and construction phase. 'The EPA just put in a new law about engine emissions and vessel exhaust. We have to retrofit the last five vessels coming out,'says Schlueter. 'You always hope that nothing is going to change, but we have to respond to changes in the law and changes in the geographic operating areas of the vessel. There are substantial differences between a vessel that operated in  Alaska  versus one that operates in Puerto Rico.'
To address environmental concerns, Crowley is moving toward the use of ultra-low sulphur fuel inside the 24-mile limit.  'Engine technology is changing, with environmental concerns being the big driver there.'The goal with engine redesign is the reduction of harmful OX emissions, especially in areas that are already suffering from increased air pollution. 'We're looking at ways to reduce harbor service tug emissions by 90 percent. We're also trying to design and develop a battery option for dockside work.  We have to be especially conscious of emissions for all of our harbor boats on the West Coast,'says Schlueter.
Crowley has made the environment a priority in its newbuild program. Wilson points out that Crowley Maritime operates the first tugboat participating in the Green Passport program, administered by Lloyds of London.  Wilson explains that the Green Passport program is a lifetime documentation program that identifies all materials used in the construction, modification and maintenance of a vessel. When the vessel is scrapped, there will be an accurate record of all materials and coatings, which will assist in the vessel's eventual disposal.
In all, the crews have responded positively to the changes they're seeing on Crowley's vessels. The new ATBs are particularly interesting, according to Wilson. 'Most of the crews are coming from older units. They're always glad to get on a new vessel.'He points out that Crowley has experienced very little crew turnover on the new vessels. That doesn't seem to discourage anyone. According to Wilson, 'I do have lots of people calling to find a job,'
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