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2010 Is Here
By the numbers.....
On January 01, 2000, the big news was Y2K, which turned out to be not very big news. Higman Marine and Maryland Marine together on that date, employed 86 Mariners.
What a change ten years can make. On January 1, 2010, that number is expected to be at 284 Mariners......a 230% increase.
Today our fleet is operating 48 Towboats with more on the way:
- The M/V Saint Charles is nearing completion for delivery in March.
- Two additional boats are under construction at Hope Services and should be delivered in the next four months.
We can all be proud of the successes of our company made during these past ten years. Each crew should take a moment to reflect on the importance of their own part in making our company a winning team!
Continued excellence in our operation is as critical today as it has ever been. During these challenging economic times, our competitors are looking hard at our business with envy. Now is not the time to sit back and think our past performace can keep us ahead of them.
How do we prevail? We continue to be the best Towboat operation on the waterways but then we put it up a notch. Let's make 2010 better than 2009 with a commitment to running an operation that is safe, efficient, productive and innovative in every way.
Happy New Year! |
| A New Year for CBT
The Computer Based Training website will be reset on January 1, 2010. Not to worry, the training completed this year will not be lost. All 2,960 certificates that have been completed in 2009 will be downloaded into the personnel system.
 The first quarter of 2010 will start off with Benzene Awareness, Blood Borne Pathogens, Confined Space Entry, and TWIC Awareness.
Crew members are encouraged to get ahead of the game and start the training early. The $150 gift is still up for grabs to the person who completes the 3000th CBT Certificate!
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| Thank you SCI!
Thank you to the Seamen's Church Institute for the gifts. The holiday season is a difficult time of year to be on a boat. A small gift and a warm prayer helps keep spirits up.
The vessel crews have been enjoying their stocking caps, crossword puzzles and the chocolate treats!
The new crew of the M/V Snipe check out the contents of their SCI Christmas gift box! |
| Higman Calendars
 Thank you to everyone who contributed to putting together the 2010 Higman Marine Calendar. Our appreciation goes to the crewmembers that sent in photos, the office personnel that helped to compile them, and to Kwik Copy for printing. As a token of Higman's appreciation to the vessel crews, each crew member will receive a calendar to take home. The calendars will go out with the next crew change. Remember to keep submitting your photos for next years calendar. They can be submitted to: kaylam@higman.com. |
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Inland
RULE 5....Look-out
Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision.
The wheelman on watch while the  vessel is underway, has the responsibility for maintaining a proper look-out. In effect, he becomes the look-out manager; collecting and analyzing information used to make navigational decisions for safe operations within the confines of the Navigation Rules.
This information comes from many sources; visual, wheelhouse electronics, the extra eyes assigned to specific locations on the tow.
Look-out, as a term used by the Rules, denotes not a person but rather the systematic collection of information.
The questions below are related to RULE 5:
BOTH INTERNATIONAL & INLAND.... The rule regarding look-outs applies __________.
a. in restricted visibility
b. between dusk and dawn
c. in heavy traffic
d. All of the above
BOTH INTERNATIONAL & INLAND.... Which statement is TRUE concerning a vessel equipped with operational radar?
a. She must use this equipment to obtain early warning of risk of collision.
b. The use of a radar excuses a vessel from the need of a look-out.
c. The radar equipment is only required to be used in restricted visibility.
d. The safe speed of such a vessel will likely be greater than that of vessels without radar.
BOTH INTERNATIONAL & INLAND....The lights prescribed by the Rules shall be exhibited __________.
a. from sunrise to sunset and in restricted visibility
b. at all times
c. from sunset to sunrise, and at no other time
d. whenever a look-out is posted
BOTH INTERNATIONAL & INLAND....A vessel nearing a bend or an area of a channel or fairway where other vessels may be hidden by an obstruction shall __________.
a. sound the danger signal
b. sound a prolonged blast
c. take all way off
d. post a look-out |
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Online Training Questions
Galley Safety may seem like a topic we all understand but each year there are incidents such as cut, burns, etc. There is also always a potential for crew members to get sick if simple food preparation precautions are not taken. The question set this week was simple but should act as a reminder for everyone on the precautions needed in the galley..
Each week we tally the scores and most boats are doing well. How did your crew do?
Set Number 8
Galley Safety
To view this question set again, go to Galley Safety. Fleet average on this question set was 100%....so great job.
Question 1..... Your hands should be washed with warm soap water before and after cooking.....TRUE/FALSE
Answer....TRUE
Question 2.... You are cooking fried chicken when it catches on fire. What should you do?
Answer.... Use a fire blanket to put out the fire.
Question 3....High acid canned foods can be stored for how long? (tomatoes, grapefruit, pineapple)
Answer.... 12-18 months
Question 4....What is the most sanitary way of defrosting food?
Answer....refrigerator
Question 5....What is the safe minimum temperature for poultry?
Answer....165º
Question 6....What temperature should your freezer be set at?
Answer....0º
Thanks for the good work! |
From left, clockwise: Tankerman Gerald Bernett, Relief Capt Daniel Lorence, Instructor Cathy LaPointe(Two Rivers), Tankerman Dennis Shaddix and Tankerman David Leahy.
As the new crew of the M/V SNIPE, they spent three days of concentrated operations training to prepare for a new contract with Stolt.
From left: Instructor Bobby McWilliams, Tankerman Dennis Shaddix and Tankerman David Leahy are hard at work.
Not pictured from the M/V SNIPE crew are Capt Mike Hazelwood and Pilot Glenn Bumpas. |
Nautical Trivia
Carlisle & Finch
We all know the name Carlisle & Finch as the manufacturer of Zeon Search Lights found on most inland Towboats. Did you know that they also invented the first electric toy train?
Founded in 1894 by Robert Finch and Morton Carlisle, the company had two products, an electric toy train and a carbon arc searchlight.
The trains, which entered the marketplace in 1897, stood about 5.5 inches tall, were made of metal, colorful, and highly detailed, and ran on metal track with rails two inches apart. Initial production of the electric train line used three rail track, then shortly conversion to two rail track took place. Early products included only trollies but expanded to include an entire line eventually. C&F trains were heavy and detailed catering to the high end market. C&F was the earliest leader in US train production until being overtaken by Ives. They were the first complete electric-powered trains to be introduced to the marketplace. These trains were initially powered using dry cell batteries.
Three other smaller, short-lived U.S. manufacturers, including Voltamp, adopted Carlisle & Finch's 2-inch track. Carlisle & Finch's offerings were by definition non-standard, its status as the inventor of the electric train notwithstanding.
At the beginning of World War I, the United States Government ordered Carlisle and Finch to cease toy train production in order to concentrate on producing searchlights for the U.S. Navy and United States Coast Guard. At the end of the war, the company did not resume toy train production, choosing instead to concentrate on its profitable searchlight business. Within a decade, it was the largest producer of military searchlights in the country.
Finch bought out Carlisle's share of the company in 1917. Over the ensuing decades, it began producing equipment for civilian use, with its searchlights being used in lighthouses and towboats.
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Dates to Remember
2010 Wheelman Seminars
First Session MAR 9 - MAR 10
Second Session MAR 25 - MAR 26
Third Session APR 6 - APR 7
2010 Advanced Wheelhouse Management (simulator)
First Session MAR 1 - MAR 3
Second Session MAY 24 - MAY 26
Third Session JUL 26 - JUL 28
Fourth Session OCT 4 - OCT 6
Fifth Session NOV 29 - DEC 1
To schedule Wheelman Seminar or Simulator please call Kelly 281-864-6011 or register online at HigmanBoats.com
Answers to this weeks RULES OF ROAD...D, A, A, B
CBT Certificates earned by Higman employees since FEB 1, 2009 to date..............2960!!! |
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Happy New Year to friends and family from all of us at Higman Marine Services, Inc!
Sincerely
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GORDIE KEENAN
KELLY CLEAVER
HIGMAN MARINE SERVICES, Inc. | |
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