30 minutes with Boysie Bollinger Owners' Perspective: Richard M ...

30 minutes
with Boysie
Bollinger
Owners’
Perspective:
Richard M.
Currence, Jr.
Art of Going
Public:
Superior
Offshore
June 2007
General Boyd E. “Butch” King
Chief Executive Officer
VT Halter
Marine

vt halter marine: a case Study
Building on a Legacy and
Rebuilding From Adversity
by Joseph Keefe
executive interview
Brigadier General Boyd E. “Butch” King,
U.S.A. (Ret.)
by Joseph Keefe
turnkey Synergy
Ship Design Turns the Corner With Improved Production
Engineering and Product Data Management
by Marex staff
VT Halter Marine launches the Crowley tug Resolve.
editorial
Baseball, hotdogs, apple Pie and...hyundai
by Joseph Keefe
executive achievement
- remembering captain thomas Johnson iii
- Upi Kamal, CEO - Fincantieri Marine
Systems, North America
by Marex staff
Washington insider
Deepwater Finds itself in Deep Water
by Larry Kiern
art of Going Public
Superior Offshore International Enters the
Stock Market With Momentum
by Marex staff
contents 06.07
Operator’s Perspective
A Conversation With Richard M. Currence, Jr.,
Senior VP of Rigdon Marine Corporation
by Marex staff
celebrating 100 Years
markey machinery marks 100 Years of
remarkable engineering and Design
by Joseph Keefe
State of the industry
Shipbuilding - Summer 2007
A Half Hour With Donald “Boysie” Bollinger
by Marex staff
view From the Boardroom
W&O Supply’s David turner in europe
by Marex staff
the maritime executive 3

turnkey synergy
Turnkey Synergy:
ship Design turns the Corner With improved production
engineering and product Data Management
by marex Staff
A Robust Shipbuilding Market:
A Good Time – To Improve
It is a very good time to be in the business
of shipyard repair, conversion and newbuildings
in North America. The summer of
2007 promises a continuing and robust market
for American shipyards, and the active
ship-replacement business related to the Oil
Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) phaseouts is
anything but over. Today’s good times all but
obscure the agony created by a devastating
2005 hurricane season for Gulf Coast yards.
Because most prognosticators foresee continued
prosperity on the local level for at least
the next five years, the temptation for mid-tier
American shipyards to sit on their hands and
continue with the status quo must be overwhelming.
Surprisingly, a quiet but effective
effort to improve service, value and technology
is under way instead.
Efforts to improve the capabilities of the
American shipbuilding base have been going
on for years, of course. In 1998, the current version
of the National Shipbuilding Research Program
(NSRP) Advanced Shipbuilding Enterprise
was established to pursue a collaborative environment,
which was conducive to cooperation
among American shipyards without damaging
the unique qualities of the individual compa-
54 the maritime executive
nies. The effectiveness of the NSRP in achieving
its objectives and the value of the program
in terms of the amount of money spent are a
matter of some debate. In general terms, the
NSRP was created by U.S. shipyards at NAV-
SEA’s (Naval Sea Systems Command) request
to reduce the cost of building and maintaining
U.S. Navy vessels. The NSRP includes at least
11 U.S. shipyards that have turned their focus
to the industry-wide implementation of solutions
to common cost-drivers. At a minimum,
the NSRP has heightened awareness on both
government and industry
levels of the importance of
continuing to improve and
maintain the American
shipbuilding base. More
importantly, the NSRP’s
goals stipulate the additional
benefits of improving
customer satisfaction,
industry safety, product
quality and environmental
compliance.
The collaborative
search for solutions that
include both the leveraging
of best commercial
practices and the creation
of industry-specific efforts
is ongoing – and takes many forms. Among
them is the aggressive technology transfer to,
and buy-in by, various U.S. shipyards. From
the pack of promising technologies related to
this aspect of shipbuilding come ShipConstructor
Software, Inc. and its AutoCAD-based
3-D product. Originally introduced in 1989,
the ShipConstructor 2006 (SC 2006) software
provides modeling and production planning
software for the marine industry and marries
AutoCAD’s ease of drafting with the logical
powers of a sleek SQL (Structured Query Language)
server database design.
The computer provides a powerful tool with
which to create drawings with a tremendous
amount of information. When used with a software
program such as ShipConstructor, three-
dimensional solid models of the structure,
equipment, piping, ducting and wireways can
be built. This can greatly reduce interferences
and improve shipyard productivity. The threedimensional
pictures are appealing and useful
when trying to sell the program to a prospective
client, but the real value of a product like
ShipConstructor lies in the database it uses
and builds and the product data management
which comes from it.
In the Beginning
The bid for the typical design package for
a newbuilding deal usually starts with a twodimensional
presentation. Once the winning
bid is announced and awarded, the “production
engineering” phase of the operation commences.
For many shipyards, this can be done
in-house with on-site engineering departments.
For others, however, it can involve the
use of a naval architecture and design firm.
Whichever route is chosen, the key to the
effort always includes packaging the design
information to put it onto the floor in the right
fashion so that the production people can best
put it into play.
In the case of those using ShipConstructor,
the software is laid on top of – and depends
on – proven AutoCAD technology and also
leverages the wealth of AutoCAD experience
that already exists in the industry. This significantly
reduces the time it takes to migrate
to a ShipConstructor solution and simplifies
data exchange with other parties. According
to Ken Lane, Executive Vice President at Elliott
Bay Design Group (EBDG), “ShipConstructor
started out as a tool for lofting metal parts. By
developing this 3-D model, users can better
track shapes such as the lengths of perimeters
and side roll templates.” ShipConstructor provides
better accuracy and fewer missed pieces,
and the 3-D presentation removes the need
for guessing on the production floor. Unspoken
in all of this is the importance of better information
for production personnel in a shrinking
industry where the number and skills of these
technicians are diminishing over time.

In Actual Practice
Perhaps one of the biggest proponents of
the ShipConstructor solution is Elliott Bay
Design Group, a Seattle-based, full-service
naval architecture and marine engineering
firm. EBDG provides production support for
the commercial marine industry, and its client
base spans the full gamut of owners, operators,
shipyards and government agencies. Committed
to working in the CAD/CAM (computeraided
design/computer-aided manufacturing)
environment and staying on the front edge of
technology to best serve its clients, EBDG is
also committed to using the ShipConstructor
product to get there. Like any tool, however,
the ShipConstructor software is only as good as
the operator.
Using a unique DDROM SmartParts
technology, ShipConstructor 2006 can now be
used much earlier in the design cycle. The 3-D
structural classification model is created and
delivered automatically, derived from 2-D drawings.
Back-end changes can be implemented
into the production detail model. In essence,
ShipConstructor provides all the necessary
functions to build a production-grade 3-D product
model consisting of hull plating, structure
with all details, pipe, HVAC (heating, ventilating
and air conditioning) and equipment, all rounded
off by the penetrations. EBDG President John
Waterhouse says, “ShipConstructor is evolving
towards a full three-dimensional model, oriented
towards production information. For example,
the software determines the exact lengths of
pipelines and cabling. A piping run in 3-D pro-
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turnkey synergy
vides production information for bend ratios and
flange information.”
All of the data is stored in one single database,
making it easy not only for designers but
also for managers and production to get up-todate
information when and how they need it.
There are other products out there, of course.
EBDG’s Waterhouse says that ShipConstructor
New 1200 Ton
Syncrolift ®
2800 Ton Drydock
Contact: Mike Anderson
Phone: 510-337-9122
E-mail: manderson@bay-ship.com
2900 Main Street, #2100
Alameda, CA 94501
www.bay-ship.com
the maritime executive 55
maritime-H_061507.indd 1 6/14/07 7:12:19 PM

turnkey synergy
is the right product for EBDG and adds, “This
is the best software for handling a variety of
shipyards and a variety of ship types. The
product is robust and flexible, and we successfully
serve a variety of clients with it. Those
design groups dealing with just one or two
shipyards or a single class of vessel might very
well choose another product.”
Shipbuilding, at least in the actual construction
phase, is ultimately moving towards
more of an assembly process. Gone are the
days when an individual yard engages in constructing
components such as engines, winches
or other critical items. Increased and better
technology is a big part of that reality, but as
shipbuilding capacity in this country has contracted
over the past half century the numbers
of qualified personnel on the cutting floor has
followed suit. The decision-making process on
the floor has thus become a more critical part
of the equation at a time when that expertise
is going away. As such, software programs like
ShipConstructor are helping to bridge the gap
between the design and production stages.
Using the industry-standard AutoCAD
product, ShipConstructor provides essential
information to the production floor that ultimately
produces an efficient assembly process.
Along the way, shipbuilders can proceed with
confidence, knowing that all departments are
using the same data from the central product
model at all times. There is no time wasted
by having to inform other departments of
design changes or, even worse, of errors being
made by working with the wrong data. The
hull, structure, piping, HVAC and equipment
data all feed into the same 3-D product model
that is concurrently accessed by all parties
involved. Concurrent engineering is critical to
the ShipConstructor process.
In the space of two years, ShipConstructor
Software, Inc. has increased its customer
56 the maritime executive
base by 100 percent, and the product is now
the industry standard for production-oriented
design software in the American mid-tier shipyard
market. Although the larger shipyards
primarily use another product, interest at that
level is increasing. Beyond this, ShipConstructor
is reporting some penetration into European
markets.
ShipConstructor Software, Inc. recently
announced the decision to release ShipConstructor
version 2008 (SC 2008) in late summer.
The move towards
quickly following SC
2006 with the release
of SC 2008 was largely
prompted by a desire
to provide users with
the ability to utilize
AutoCAD versions
2006, 2007 and 2008
with the ShipConstructor
software. Although
ShipConstructor 2005
and ShipConstructor
2006 are not compatible
with AutoCAD 2007, the
newer version of the software will be compatible
with both AutoCAD 2007 and AutoCAD 2008.
The Turnkey Package
Although the ShipConstructor software is
designed for ease of use by local users on site
at the shipyard, there may be instances where
the use of a naval architect is desired right
on up to and including the design stages of
the project. With a large OSV (offshore supply
vessel) project taking as much as 12,000 to
15,000 man-hours to complete, it sometimes
makes sense for a yard without a lot of internal
engineering staff to enlist outside technical
support. Arguably, no one outside of ShipConstructor
itself has more experience with the
software than does Elliott Bay Design Group.
Fewer still have and provide the full spectrum
of engineering, design and production support
experience that EBDG can offer.
The production game isn’t for everyone,
though. And EBDG’s John Waterhouse adds,
“Some design houses get in and ultimately
decide that it is too tough to do it all.” There’s
little room for error on the production floor, he
says. Waterhouse also says that it was a conscious
decision to remain deeply involved in all
phases of the shipbuilding game. “I don’t think
you can properly service your clients if you
haven’t been involved in the production end of
things, especially if there is a problem at that
point of the process.” And when a mistake
happens at that stage of the operation, it can
often be an expensive one.
Waterhouse speaks from long experience on
any number of extensive projects performed for
demanding clients. One such project involves
EBDG’s participation in the development of
a new class of 260-foot offshore supply vessels.
In a near-perfect example of collaboration
between the customer, the shipyard and
Elliott Bay Design Group, EBDG was retained
by Hornbeck Offshore Services to complete the
detail engineering and 3-D structural and erection
modeling of the vessel for Atlantic Marine/
Alabama Shipyard as part of Hornbeck’s newbuild
program. The job was not without its
challenges, but EBDG’s involvement in the
project was a key to its ultimate success.
Leveraging EBDG’s state-of-the-art detail
engineering technology to develop a full 3-D
product model of this sophisticated 260-foot
OSV series, the ShipConstructor suite software
and EDBG’s engineering organization
allowed the shipyard to realize significant savings
in production labor hours. At least four
vessels have been built to this Leevac Industries’
design, utilizing the engineering support
of EBDG and the ShipConstructor platform.
Waterhouse is also especially proud of EBDG’s
involvement with Bollinger Shipyards on a new
class of barges being constructed there.
Infrastructure and Technology Today:
Building the Ships of Tomorrow
The way that ships are being constructed is
evolving for the better, both here and abroad.
At the forefront of these changes, ShipConstructor
software is also evolving, leveraging
the industry standard AutoCad product and
producing three-dimensional imagery and
product database management to more efficiently
build the ships of tomorrow, today.
Shipyards and naval architects alike are
unlocking the power of ShipConstructor.
In an era where shipbuilding activity in this
country has reached levels not seen in thirty
years or more, U.S. yards are also competing
in a global market. On the commercial side
of the balance sheet, this can and does mean
competing against foreign-subsidized efforts
overseas. The ShipConstructor software – and
the design groups and shipyards who utilize it
– are ensuring that the American shipbuilding
effort keeps pace. Making money in a robust
market is one thing; keeping that base working
and efficient in the down times that may
follow is quite another. MarEx