March 1, 2021 By Frank McCormack
Global Maritime Ministries (GMM), a New Orleans-based organization that serves seafarers and inland mariners who call on ports in southeast Louisiana, along with the region’s broader maritime community, typically presents a pair of awards to local maritime leaders during its annual gala event. With ongoing restrictions due to COVID-19, though, Global Maritime Ministries Executive Director Philip Vandercook took the awards to the recipients’ places of work, bringing a personal touch to a season otherwise marked by virtual events and video calls.
GMM’s annual awards include the Crystal Lighthouse Award, which honors an individual’s leadership within the maritime community, and the John P. Vandercook Service Award, which recognizes humanitarian work among the region’s seafarers. The service award is named after Vandercook’s father, who began working with international seafarer
January 22, 2021 By Shelley Byrne
As it moves into 2021, the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) has repositioned its legal advocacy arm and updated its website to better serve brown-water mariners.
Following the retirement of Doug Stevenson after a 29-year career as director of SCI’s Center for Seafarer Rights, based in Port Newark, N.J., the organization has hired Phillip C. Schifflin Jr. as its new director of the Center for Mariner Advocacy, which now makes its home in Schifflin’s adopted hometown of New Orleans, La.
The name change and move are designed, in part, to enable Schifflin to serve both brown-water and blue-water mariners. Schifflin is working out of donated office space from Turn Services and has been on board with SCI since November. He comes to SCI after a 30-year Coast Guard career that included serving as staff judge advocate (senior legal counsel) for Coast Guard District 8 and, prior to that,
December 18, 2020 By David Murray
In the top story of 2020, an invisible virus has, to date, caused more than a million and a half deaths worldwide, sickened tens of millions more, overwhelmed the health care facilities of many countries at times, and upended the global economy, completely reshaping some industries. It is a story that is far from over, but whose end may be in sight.
After crash development by an emergency team under the aegis of Operation Warp Speed, two vaccines have been developed, one by Pfizer-BioNTech and the other by Moderna. Pfizer’s has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration after encouraging testing indicating an effectiveness of more than 90 percent. Moderna’s vaccine was awaiting approval at press time, with 6 million doses ready for immediate allocation.
December 14, 2020 By Frank McCormack
Turn Services, a New Orleans-based barge fleeting and shifting company that also offers barge repair and cleaning services, has announced a definitive agreement to acquire the assets and business of Bayou Fleet at Mile 125.5 on the Lower Mississippi River.
Bayou Fleet, located in Hahnville, La., on the west bank of the river, covers 85 acres along the batture and provides fleeting, shifting and both dry cargo and liquid barge cleaning, with operations independent of river stages.
According to Turn Services, the acquisition should be complete by the end of the year.
“The acquisition of Bayou Fleet is significant for Turn Services,” said Mario Muñoz, president of Turn Services. “This location, coupled with our other fleets along the Lower Mississippi River, allows us to offer our customers efficient solutions for the movement of their cargo.
Bayou Fleet [Image: Turn Services]
New Orleans headquartered Turn Services one of the largest independent barge fleeting and shifting companies in the U.S. reports that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the assets and business of Bayou Fleet.
Located at Mile 125.5 on the Lower Mississippi River (LMR) in Hahnville, La., Bayou Fleet provides fleeting, shifting and dry cargo and liquid barge cleaning services. The facility is situated on 85 acres of batture and remains operable during high water stages.
The transaction is anticipated to close on or before December 31.
“The acquisition of Bayou Fleet is significant for Turn Services,” said Mario Muñoz, President of Turn Services. “This location, coupled with our other fleets along the LMR, allows us to offer our customers efficient solutions for the movement of their cargo. With this acquisition, we gain a strategic location offering a wide assortment of services primarily focusing on the liquid tank barge