Focus on Licensing

OMSA’s members have sent a clear message to the association: The industry is facing a licensing crisis and OMSA needs to do everything possible to address the problem.

For its part, OMSA has sought the help of the Coast Guard and members of Congress to improve the efficiency of the Regional Examination Centers (RECs) and to reduce licensing backlogs. However, in order to truly fix the licensing problems, the industry will need to shoulder some of the responsibility and the first step is to recognize how complex the licensing process has become.

Once upon a time, an initial issue Merchant Mariner Document took about two hours to process. An upgraded license required filling out two or three pages of forms. Today it may require more than a dozen different documents. As a result of that increased complexity, it has gotten much more difficult for the average mariner to work through the licensing process and to manage his career without help. For example, REC supervisors tell OMSA that more than half of the MMD applications contain errors or omissions – mistakes that can delay applications by weeks. For the Coast Guard, that means additional time spent trying to evaluate an application, for OMSA members it means personnel shortages and for new mariners it means frustrating delays that can actually drive them out of the industry.

This month we are unveiling a new program that we hope will help. It is called the OMSA Licensing Facilitation Program and it has two parts. The first is to work with the Coast Guard to speed up processing by eliminating mistakes. The Coast Guard has had a pilot project in its Houston REC called the Streamlined Evaluation Process or SEP for short. Under the SEP, companies send managers to the Coast Guard for training in evaluating applications. Once trained, these managers are approved as “pre-evaluators,” meaning that they check over all applications from their company, correct any errors and then send it to the REC for processing. In return, the Coast Guard is able to move these applications through more quickly because it knows they are accurate. At OMSA’s request, the Coast Guard is working to expand the SEP to other areas of the Eighth District and a number of OMSA members have already been trained and approved for the SEP.

However, this won’t help a number of companies. The SEP is time intensive and smaller companies may not have the manpower to meet the requirements of the program. For these companies, OMSA has developed a partnership with licensing professionals to handle applications. Under this program, members would send mariners to these licensing experts and, for a fee, these professionals will handle their applications. As a part of the program, our licensing partners will also be a part of the SEP, allowing them to move their applications through the licensing process more quickly. You will find more details later in this newsletter.

This is not the answer to the industry’s personnel problems, but it is a big part of the solution. The important thing is that the industry must make a real shift in the way it works with its employees. Companies that want to attract and keep qualified mariners are going to have to work closely with them to make sure they meet all of the requirements to do their jobs. The “sink or swim” days when a mariner was expected to handle his own licensing requirements on his own time and on his own dime may be over.

The Department of Homeland Security is in the process of developing proposed rules on Transportation Worker Identity Cards (TWIC). This rulemaking will significantly affect OMSA members and the entire offshore industry. The agency will only take comments on the proposal for a short 45 day period and it will be vital for the industry to weigh in.

Under the TWIC plan, every holder of a Coast Guard license, Merchant Mariner Document or Registry (frequently held by cooks or other offshore workers) would be required to undergo a security background check and receive a TWIC. Under the proposal anyone else requiring unescorted access to a secure area of a vessel or covered facility would be required to carry a TWIC. Vessel operators would be forced to place fingerprint scanning machines at secure locations and personnel would be required to run their TWIC cards through the machines.

The proposal is expected to be expensive and complex for vessel operators to implement. The cards themselves will cost up to $135 per person and may be required for as many as 750,000 people who need to access vessels or facilities. The costs for compliance are estimated to be $8,900 to $11,900 per vessel or facility.

As of May 15, the proposed rules had not been officially released, but draft copies were posted on the TSA website. The proposed rules run some 277 pages in length and will also be accompanied by a Coast Guard proposal outlining how it will consolidate some of its documentation to reduce duplication. The TSA notice indicates that public hearings will be held in:

• Newark – Wednesday, May 31, 2006
• Tampa – Thursday, June 1, 2006
• St. Louis – Wednesday, June 6, 2006
• Long Beach – Thursday, June 7, 2006

OMSA staff will attend the public hearings in Tampa and St. Louis and the association urges members to attend one of these two hearings. Ideally, OMSA members involved in towing operations should attend the St. Louis meeting and members involved in other operations should attend the Tampa meeting. OMSA will work with members to prepare talking points for our industry’s comments.

A companion Coast Guard notice is expected soon. It is crucial for companies to read the new guidelines and work with OMSA to develop our industry consensus comments.

To examine the notice go to the TSA website and click on the Transportation Worker Identification Card link. www.tsa.gov/public/

The TWIC will be required of every person who needs unescorted access to a vessel or facility subject to security regulations. The TWIC card will serve as the official identity and security background check document for transportation workers, duplicating checks already performed by the Coast Guard for mariner credentials. User fees are expected to be in the $109-$139 range per person. It is expected that it may take 30-60 days to issue a card once the application is made. Additionally, vessels and facilities may be required to purchase and use TWIC readers. These readers would be connected to a national database to provide real-time confirmation that a person’s background check remains valid and that they are authorized from a national security standpoint to enter a secure vessel or facility. The possession of a valid TWIC will not be authorization in and of itself to grant access, just a step vessel and facility operators must go through before they grant access under their rules.

As a companion to the TWIC the Coast Guard is proposing a Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) to replace multiple mariner identification and qualification documents such as the current MMD, License, etc. Based upon the implementation of the TWIC standard the Coast Guard is proposing this rule will go into effect 18 months after the TWIC rule. The public hearings for this proposal will be held in conjunction with those for the TWIC, June 1st in Tampa and June 6th in St. Louis. OMSA members are encouraged to attend the hearings and be heard on this issue.

On the simple side the TWIC will become the identity document for all mariners. All other documents authorizing service on U.S. flag vessels will be replaced by a single document that will list all of the mariner qualifications that may now be covered by the MMD, License, STCW Certificate or any other mariner document issued by the Coast Guard. This new combination document will be called the Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC). This new document and all the authorizations on it will have a single renewal date. The new document may be renewed at any time during its validity and up to 12 months after expiration (without penalty). With the TWIC taking on the role of identity document all interaction with the Coast Guard on mariner credentials could be done by mail or even online.

On the not so simple side the Coast Guard did not address the issue of license creep with the MMC proposal. While mariners may renew at any time during the validity of the MMC, the validity period of the new document begins upon renewal. The MMC can not be issued without the mariner holding a valid TWIC that TSA estimates will take a minimum of 30-60 days to issue. Mariners can expect to add those 30-60 days to the Coast Guard application processing time. A mariner can expect to pay up to $149 for a TWIC plus Coast Guard user fees similar to current fees for the issue of the MMC.

Contact the OMSA staff if you can attend either of the public hearings.

The Coast Guard is expected to release its new medical guidelines for mariners. Current rules require that a mariner be fit for duty. The current guidelines are general in nature and leave large areas for interpretation. Additionally, the current guidelines do not specify the documentation required from a mariner to receive a medical waiver.

The new rules will specify in detail the physical capacity a mariner must be able to perform in areas such as crawling, climbing, lifting and carrying. The new rules contain a detailed list of medications, both prescription and over-the-counter that may prompt medical waiver requirements and over 200 medical diagnoses that will require a waiver request. The advantage of the new guidance is the detail. For each condition the specific tests that a mariner must submit to the Coast Guard with a waiver request and often “passing” results are listed. The potential problem is the detail. The longer lists of physical standards, drugs and medical conditions may increase the cost of a typical mariner physical exam and lead to an increase in waiver requests. When the draft guidelines are released it will be crucial for companies to work with OMSA to develop our industry consensus comments to the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard is writing the rules that will govern foreign lease finance arrangements for U.S. vessels. Two years ago, Congress passed legislation setting out very strict rules governing lease arrangements where a foreign company owns a U.S. flag vessel and leases it to a U.S. company. Under the law, this can only be done when the foreign company has a hand-off, investment-only relationship with the U.S. company that operates the vessel. The law also stated that any foreign company with lease arrangements for offshore supply vessels that were in place in 2004 and did not meet the requirements had until 2007 to change the arrangement or sell the vessels.

The Coast Guard is currently in the process of writing the regulations that will implement the lease finance law. The proposed rules were released earlier this year and public comments were sought up until May 16th. Under the proposal, all owners of lease-finance vessels would be required to certify their ownership and investment status on an annual basis. The proposed rule also states that owners of lease-financed OSVs with coastwise endorsements that predated the law (August of 2004) must reapply for a coastwise endorsement by August 9 of 2007. The Coast Guard believes this would affect eight companies that own OSVs, requiring them to reapply and show that they have a passive investment relationship with the demise charterer. That is not to say that those companies would lose the right to have vessels with coastwise endorsements. Rather they would need to certify that their financial arrangement does not violate the law.

OMSA and other groups sent comments before the deadline. OMSA’s comments strongly supported the new law and urged the Coast Guard to move forward with a final rule in a timely manner so that companies affected by the law would not be faced with any uncertainties. The bulk of OMSA’s comments urged the Coast Guard to ensure that the proper internal processes are in place to investigate and enforce the law:

The second point is that the Coast Guard must implement a system that will allow it to enforce compliance. Congress has been explicit in laying out the requirements under the new law. It is now incumbent on the Coast Guard to establish the necessary processes to ensure that companies do not attempt to evade the law. The failing of the 1996 changes to the vessel financing laws lay in large part to the lack of clear enforcement of the law. In notable cases, the assurances of foreign investors regarding control were taken at face value and, over time, this lent itself to some very creative interpretations of the law. The Coast Guard must take the necessary steps to allow it to make its own determinations as to the legitimacy of foreign investment in vessels carrying coastwise endorsements.

To review the proposed rule as well as the full docket of public comments, go to http://dms.dot.gov/ and enter docket 20258 in the simple search.

The Minerals Management Service has just released new reporting requirements that may affect the level of reporting offshore operators require from the vessels that call on their lease sites. The rules were published in the Federal Register on April 17 and take effect on July 17th. MMS says the rules are aimed at providing the agency with more consistent reliable reporting information on incidents. Under the rules, the rules apply to anyone covered by a “lease, right-of-use an easement, pipeline right-of-way or other permit issued by MMS.”

Of particular note for OMSA members, the new rules require the leaseholders to report any collision resulting in more than $25,000 damage and any incidents involving crane or personnel/material handling operations. Additionally, while the previous reporting rules required leaseholders to report any serious injuries, they did not clearly define a “serious injury.” The new rule says any injury (lost time incident) that keeps a worker off the job or assigned restricted duty for a day or more must be reported.

Details of the new rules can be found on the MMS website at www.mms.gov.

As of June 20, 2006 all commercial vessels will be required to carry blood alcohol testing equipment on board their vessels. In the case of a serious marine casualty as defined in 46 CFR part 4 vessel operators are required to test for alcohol within two hours and collect drug testing samples within 32 hours. Alcohol testing may be accomplished through either breath or saliva testing. For additional information visit http://dms.dot.gov/search/searchFormSimple.cfm docket number 8773.

Table of Contents

The security committee has finished its rewrite of the OMSA Alternative Security Plan (ASP). All plan participants are invited to stop by the OMSA offices for a final review of the plan before it is sent to the Coast Guard for re-approval at the end of the month. When the plan is re-approved by the Coast Guard it will be made available for all participants. At that time you will have 90 days to deploy the updated plan to your vessels.

On a related note the committee has begun the process of updating the ISPS plan. The committee plans on adding tables detailing actions to be taken at each MARSEC level like those found in the ASP to the ISPS plan. The committee has also identified corrections for typos and corrections required by several Coast Guard MARSEC Directives issued since the plan was approved. The next (and hopefully last meeting to update the international security plan will be 9:00 a.m. June 8th in the OMSA offices. All holders of OMSA ISPS plans are invited to attend.

Chapter XI-2 of SOLAS requires that vessels subject to SOLAS be equipped with a silent alarm system to alert authorities of a security incident aboard the vessel. The deadline for installing these systems was the first radio survey after July 1, 2004 for passenger vessels and vessels carrying oil or hazardous materials in bulk. The installation deadline for all other cargo vessels over 500 GT ITC on an international voyage (OSV’s, tugs, etc.) is the first radio survey after July 1, 2006. The system that U.S. vessels install must be approved by the Coast Guard. Additionally, U.S. vessels are required to submit a SSAS annex to the vessel’s international security plan to the Coast Guard Marine Safety Center for approval. Information can be obtained at the MSC website http://www.uscg.mil/hq/msc/Security/vsp1.htm.

Before a company submits a vessel SSAS annex for approval contact the program manager David Appel of the Coast Guard Marine Safety Center. His email is DAppel@comdt.uscg.mil. His phone number is (202) 475 3445.

The program is in full swing with over 3,400 mariners trained and their records entered into the SafeGulf database. Because of the great work done by the safety and training coordinators at the participating companies OMSA members have once again measurably demonstrated their commitment to the safety of their men and women. The majority of participants sent their initial data to OMSA on disk. These records were uploaded to the SafeGulf database before the implementation deadline of May 1st. Since the initial upload most participants are choosing to email their training records to OMSA for same-day upload into the database. Those companies participating in this program have done a tremendous job of training mariners and documenting that training.

The long-awaited Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2005 is closer to completion but held up once again. This time the bill is held up by a dispute over a wind farm proposed in Federal waters offshore from Massachusetts.

Provisions of interest to OMSA members include giving the Coast Guard the authority to ask mortgage-holders for information that would help determine whether a foreign company is using a mortgage to control a U.S. vessel owner, in violation of the Jones Act. A second provision would only allow U.S. registry vessels to set anchors and other mooring equipment on MODUs.

A hurricane-related provision that has been followed closely by OMSA members would allow the Coast Guard to extend both inspection periods and mariner licenses that are in danger of expiring.

OMSA will give a full report of the law once it is passed.

Have you ever been in line and the person in front of you has a problem? If you are like most people you complained, loudly, that maybe they shouldn’t get in line unless they were ready! You were upset, and rightly so, that you had to wait because the person ahead of you did not have their paperwork right, and they were holding up the whole line!

Between 50 and 80 percent of the new mariner credential applications received by the Coast Guard Regional Examination Centers contain errors or omissions. Up to 80% of the files received are “holding up the line!” For each application received with errors the Coast Guard must write a deficiency letter, contact the mariner, request corrections, wait for corrections and then hope it has been done right the second time around, or its repeat the process again. This unnecessary administrative time delays the processing of every application. This is a major reason license and document applications take so long to process.

OMSA continues to work with the Coast Guard to improve service and efficiency at the Coast Guard RECs, but the industry needs to do its part to reduce delays that have nearly crippled the New Orleans REC and others around the country. The best way to do this is to make sure that license and documentation applications are error-free before they are sent to the Coast Guard for processing.

With that in mind, OMSA is launching a new service for its members, the OMSA Licensing Facilitation Program. Under this program, OMSA is partnering with licensing professionals to review mariner applications to make sure they are right prior to submission. OMSA members, or individual mariners, can contract with these licensing experts to work with mariners on applications and to correct any mistakes so that the applications will move through the Coast Guard without undue delay.

Each application for a mariner credential is individual. As such licensing facilitation is a personal process. Facilitators meet with and interview mariners individually. They assist mariners in completing the required paperwork. They make sure the mariner is requesting everything they are qualified for. They advise mariners on the extra documentation needed if there are medical or background issues that need resolving. Then they prepare the files for the Coast Guard exactly as the Coast Guard wants to see them, and review the entire file one more time.

At this time, OMSA has partnered with three different groups of licensing professionals, representing decades of experience:

• Sea School, St. Petersburg, FL (800) 435-3393
• Houston Marine Training Services, New Orleans, LA (800) 947-7737
• Houston Exam Prep Center, Houston, TX (800) 444-3926

Pricing and level of service are determined by each licensing firm individually. Members should contact these firms directly. Please make sure they know that you are an OMSA member.

Each file prepared by a Licensing Facilitator is one less mistake in line ahead of you. If you use the services of a licensing facilitator your files are more likely to be processed without error or delay. Help yourself, help the process, support the use of Licensing Facilitators. If you have any questions, please contact us.

The Coast Guard is going through its annual Change of Command cycle, but this year the change is more pronounced than usual.

On May 24, the current Commandant Thomas Collins will retire and his replacement will be the current Chief of Staff Admiral Thad Allen. Admiral Allen’s name is well known to people in the gulf coast. Following Hurricane Katrina, the President assigned him the job of heading up the Federal recovery effort. He was also the Atlantic area Commander during the September 11th attacks in 2001. All of which means that he comes into the job with a higher recognition in Washington circles than any commandant in recent history.

Also at Headquarters, the Admiral who was in charge of the Prevention Department, Thomas Gilmour, retired on May 5th. His replacement is Admiral Craig Bone, who had most recently been Director of the Inspection & Compliance Directorate, which includes marine inspections and security plans. Admiral Bone is very familiar with the offshore industry, having served as an offshore inspector early in his career.

The Eighth Coast Guard district will also change commanders with the retirement of Admiral Robert Duncan on June 9th. Admiral Duncan will be replaced by Admiral Joel Whitehead, who currently heads up all Coast Guard legislative and public affairs efforts. This is a return of sorts for Admiral Whitehead, who served in New Orleans as Eighth District Chief of Staff from 2001 to 2003.

Warmer-than-normal temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico have caused the Coast Guard to move into hurricane preparation mode a month earlier than normal. Usually, the hurricane season runs from June to November, but on May 1st, the Coast Guard declared Hurricane Condition V, meaning that maritime companies should be prepared for the potential of a hurricane within 96 hours. In practical terms, this means that companies should review their hurricane plans and make sure that they can be implemented if a storm moves into the Gulf of Mexico. Details on the Sector New Orleans Hurricane plans (covering Morgan City) can be found on the internet at www.uscg.mil/d8/sector/nola.

Meteorologists predict another strong hurricane season this year and for many years to come. For example, Chris Hebert of ImpactWeather, told the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston that heightened hurricane activity is likely to continue for the next 15-20 years. He said that the Atlantic Basin went through a cooler-than-normal period from 1970 to 1994, but in 1995, it started heating up, resulting in a string of hurricanes that included Ivan, Katrina and Rita in the last two seasons. He indicated that a warming cycle can last for many years, producing killer storms. By comparison, the last warming cycle started in 1926 and didn’t end until 1969.

In the meantime, the Minerals Management Service is still trying to assess the total damage from last year’s storms. At the beginning of May, MMS released an updated report saying that the number of damaged pipelines had increased from 183 up to 457 and that the number could still go up as new surveys are completed. Four of the largest facilities knocked out by the storm should come back on line between now and the end of 2006. They are Shell’s Mars and Cognac platforms, Total’s Matterhorn, and Kerr-Mcgee’s Red Hawk. The total production that is still out as a result of the storms is about 22% of the oil and 13 percent of the gas.

The 2005 hurricane season was disastrous for offshore operators and, especially, for their insurers. According to one estimate, insured loses offshore from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were more than $8-billion. Now, The Minerals Management Service (MMS) has released guidance to offshore rig operators hoping to avoid a repeat in 2006. A the start of May, MMS released a Notice to Lease Holders that incorporates many of the lessons learned from last years hurricane season and pushes rig owners to adopt more hurricane protection measures in the upcoming season. The notice, Interim Guidelines for Jack-up Drilling Rig Fitness Requirements for the 2006 Hurricane Season (NTL No. 2006-G09) can be accessed through the MMS website, www.mms.gov.

It is the result of several months of cooperative effort by the MMS, Rig operators and mooring experts, including representatives from OMSA member Delmar. A primary part of the new approach involves accepting a new more rigorous mooring standard aimed at preventing the number of mooring failures that occurred in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. There are also provisions now to install tracking systems on MODUs, so that they can be more easily recovered if they do break free.

Rig operators have indicated that the new notice will require additional work offshore to better prepare for hurricane season.

The hurricanes of last year destroyed much of Grand Isle, but they couldn’t stop the OMSA Cajun Tropics Fishing Rodeo. The event will be held June 2-3 at the Bridge Side Marina. As with most of the facilities on Grand Isle, Bridge Side is undergoing major repairs but will be ready by the time the rodeo is held.

For additional registration information, contact Lillie Licciardi, 504-734-7622 or lillie@offshoremarine.org.

July 20, 2006 (Thu) – Membership Meeting, Hilton New Orleans Riverside

October 23, 2006 (Mon) – Texas Golf Tournament (Houston)
South Shore Harbor Resort & Conference Center

October 24, 2006 (Tue) – Membership Meeting (Houston)
South Shore Harbor Resort & Conference Center

Yes Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus
The votes are in and the membership was overwhelmingly in support of holding the annual OMSA Christmas Dinner Dance. After a 1-year hiatus we’ll begin again. We look forward to seeing you there.
Where: Hilton New Orleans Riverside
When: December 8th (Fri)

The 16th annual Louisiana golf tournament was held Monday April 24th at the Chateau Country Club in Kenner, LA. The weather was great and the participants even greater. OMSA would like to thank our great sponsors and volunteers.

The winners were:

1st Flight 1st Place
Chad Hebert
Al Taylor
Marshall Faulk
Troy Gisclair

1st Flight 2nd Place
Court Williams
Gary Parker
Martial Broussard
Scott Brackstrom

1st Flight 3rd Place
Mark Detillier
Chad Guilbeau
Jes Curole
Dino Cheramie

2nd Flight 1st Place
Chris Orth
Dave Marmillion
Lynn Ahlemeyer
J. Slattery

2nd Flight 2nd Place
Vic Merritt
Mike Colton
J.J. Riddle
Marty Cox

2nd Flight 3rd Place
Ben Bordelon
Landon Gracey
Sid Candies
Ricky Bosco

3rd Flight 1st Place
Johnny Ordonne
Ralph Curole
Mickey Faulkenberry
Eddie St. Martin

3rd Flight 2nd Place
Jacob Pitre
Tony Cheramie
Jay Ougel
Paul Kerns

3rd Flight 3rd Place
Bob Tournet
Bill Bright
Gary Sarrat

Longest Drive on Hole # 1 – Sponsored by Bollinger Shipyards –
Kory Beier, Beier Radio, Inc.

Closest to the Hole # 7 – Sponsored by Eastern Shipbuilding –
Cliff Long, Bollinger Shipyards

Closest to the Hole # 15 – Sponsored Rolls-Royce Commercial Marine –
Hubie Hebert, Consultant

$1000 Drawing Prize –
Cory Hebert, Edison Chouest Offshore, LLC

$500 Drawing Prize – Compliments of Wartsila North America, Inc. –
Ben Bordelon, Bollinger Shipyards

HOLE SPONSORS:

#1 - Bollinger Shipyards
LONGEST DRIVE

#2 - Kongsberg Maritime


#3 - International Marine
Systems, LLC

#4- Coastal Marine Equipment, Inc.

#5 - Marine Interior Systems, LLC

#6 - Marine Systems, Inc.

#7 - Eastern Shipbuilding
CLOSEST TO THE HOLE

#8 - Green Marine & Industrial
Equipment

#9 - Gulf Coast Caterpillar Dealers
(LA. Machinery Company, LLC, Thompson Power Systems,
Puckett Machinery & Caterpillar Financial)

#10 - Oceanic Fleet

#11 - Safety & Training Consultants

#12 - WorkBoat Magazine/
Int’l WorkBoat Show

#13 - Bayou State Marine &
Industrial Supply

#14 - Hornbeck Offshore Operators

#15 - Rolls-Royce Commercial Marine
CLOSEST TO THE HOLE

#16 - Laborde Marine &
Laborde Marine Lifts

#17 - Edison Chouest Offshore

#18 - Global Power Systems

SPECIAL EVENTS:

CLOSEST TO THE HOLE (#7)
Eastern Shipbuilding Group

CLOSEST TO THE HOLE (#15)
Rolls-Royce Commercial

LONGEST DRIVE HOLE (#1)
Bollinger Shipyards, Inc.

PUTTING GREEN
Beier Radio, Inc.

DRIVING RANGE
Beier Radio, Inc.

GOLF CARTS/ADVERTISING
AmSouth Bank/AmSouth Leasing

BEVERAGE CARTS/SPONSORS:
Breaux Bros. Enterprises
Karl Senner, Inc.
ZF Marine

TURN STAND:
NREC Power Systems, Inc.

BREAKFAST/LUNCH
COCKTAILS & DINNER:
Breaux’s Bay Craft, Inc.
Gulf Coast Caterpillar Dealers
(LA. Machinery Company, LLC, Thompson Power Systems, Puckett Machinery & CaterpillarFinancial)
Otto Candies, LLC
Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co.
Canal Barge Company
Point Eight Power

CLUB HOUSE SPONSOR
Southern Scrap Recycling

SHIRT SPONSORS
Graham Gulf /C&G Boat Works
Cummins Mid-South, Inc.
WQIS
Action Specialties

FLIGHT PRIZES:
Gulf Coast Caterpillar Dealers
(LA. Machinery Company, LLC, Thompson Power Systems, Puckett Machinery & Caterpillar Financial)

TROPHIES
Seacor Marine, Inc.
Tidewater Marine
VT Halter Marine, Inc.

DRAWING PRIZE SPONSORS

OMSA - $1,000 Check
Wartsila North America, Inc. - $500 Check
Hilton New Orleans Riverside – 2 night stay in a Deluxe Room
Metro Gaming & Amusement Co. – $100 Academy Gift Card
Odyssea Marine Inc. – LSU Golf Bag
Hercules Liftboat Company, LLC – 2 Stainless Steel Barbeque sets
Caterpillar Financial – 2 jackets/2 shirts with Hats/1 box of Titleist Pro V 1 Golf Balls
Guilbeau Marine Inc. – 2 - $100 Academy Gift Cards
Stewart & Stevenson, LLC – 6 - Golf Umbrellas/Hats/Golf Towels/Golf Balls
Chateau Golf & Country Club – 1 - Foursome Round of Golf
Superior Offshore International, LLC – Golf Bag
Rolls-Royce Commercial Marine – 2 Dress Shirts with Tote Bags/2–Duffle Bags with umbrellas/1-Drizzlestick
OMSA – 2-$100 Gift Certificates to Chateau Country Club Pro Shop/1 – Golf Guard Travel Case/1-Golfmate Deluxe Shoe Bag/1-Golf Ball Display Case/1-Big Mouth Instant Practice Net

Canal Barge –
“Should’a Gone Fishing” Award

DITTY BAG SPONSORS

Action Specialties - $25 gift card towards a pair of Costa Del Mar sunglasses
Bayou State Marine & Industrial Supply, Inc. – Ditty Bags/Koozies
Coastal Marine Equipment, Inc. – Koozies with Golf Tees
ABS Americas – Golfers Pal Kit
L & M Botruc Rental, Inc. – Golf Tees
Montco Offshore, Inc. – Chapstick
Rolls-Royce Commercial Marine – Golf Ball Markers

GOLF COMMITTEE

Chuck Freeman – International Marine Systems, LLC
Clint Renard – Action Specialties, LLC
Mark Scairono – Coastal Marine Equipment, Inc.
Shane Candies – Otto Candies, LLC

VOLUNTEERS

Chuck Freeman – International Marine Systems, LLC
Clint Renard – Action Specialties, LLC
Suezon Landry – Marine Technologies
Miki Rieth – ES&H Consulting & Training Group
Keli Bonvillain – ES&H Consulting & Training Group

Tiburon Divers, Inc.
Regular Member (Dive Support Vessels)

Marine Salvage & Services, Inc.
Regular Member (Diving Support Vessels)

Rockin D Marine LLC
Regular Member (Supply Vessels

Supreme Offshore Services, LLC
Regular Member (Supply Vessels)

Rowan Marine Services, Inc. (Rejoined)
Associate Member (Drilling Contractor)

Bachrach & Wood
Associate Member (Marine Surveyors)

Martin International Inc. of LA
Associate Member (Maritime Training & Licensing)

HYDRAQUIP