Document 8n2109Bz9JqYKK01L5Y0o5vd

PUBLISHED BY THE MARINE DEPARTMENT - EXXON COMPANY, U.S.A. Volume 16, Number 15 August 12, 1974 h; 'TUN GOING ASHORE What makes a young fleet officer who has decided to make the sea his career take a tern porary assignment on shore? EXX- M O R-006614 John Mazza Going Ashore Since 1969, when the Marine Department temporary shore as signment program was begun, more than 40 licensed mates and engineers have come ashore into office jobs for periods ranging from weeks to several months. It is part of an overall depart ment program to expose deserv ing young fleet officers to the land-based side of the business-- and possibly help them to take better advantage of advancement opportunities at sea and ashore. Acceptance has not been uni form, however. Some officers take advantage of the program, others shy away. "It's an individual decision," says Administrative Manager Ernie McNeil. "We offer the opportunity to our deserving young officers, but we don't try to pressure them. We do think the experience and training they get during their shore assignment more than outweighs any negative factors. And we in turn are in a better position to evaluate our officers for seagoing and permanent shore assign ments." To find out about the temporary assignment program from the point of view of the officers in volved, Fleet News interviewed four men currently participating in the program. Ronald Kelly is a transportation allocator at Baton Rouge. A 1970 graduate of the State University of New York Maritime College, he joined the fleet in June 1970 as third mate in the Exxon New Orleans. This is his second shore assignment. a Third Mate Michael Stalzer is serving in the Marine Department Houston office where he is assist ing in Operation's allocation and dispatch activities. He joined the fleet in July 1973 shortly after graduating from Kings Point. A 1969 graduate of Kings Point, John Mazza has had three shoreside assignments, the current be ing transportation allocator in the New York Branch. Already holding his chief mate's license, Mazza will return to educational leave in September for studies toward a master's degree in international management before returning to sea. David Whitty joined the fleet David Whitty after graduating from Kings Point in 1970. Currently assisting in fleet security and training programs at Houston headquarters, his fourmonth shore assignment began just three weeks ago. He holds a second mate's license. First of all, what are the neg ative factors? "You're not getting time on your license, so you're slowing your license advancement by coming ashore," says Stalzer. "And, of course you do earn less pay than you would at sea." "A person with a mortgage and a lot of financial obligations might find it hard," says Whitty. "Or maybe he doesn't want to be away from his family that long. Some of the men bring their wives along." "Financially the pay ashore is Page 2 Exxon Fleet News EXX- M O R-006615 Michael Stalzer ms I- iv. 2 -V Ronald Kelly less," says Mazza. "I weighed that against my experience and de cided it was more important to get the experience at this time. I couldn't put a dollar and cents figure to it, but to me this has been more valuable." "i feel that if you do plan to make a career out of going to sea, a shore assignment makes you a more rounded person as far as getting a skipper's license," says Kelly. ``But some of the mates feel they should get their skipper's license first before they accept a shore assignment." Balanced against these are the positive factors. . "I think I've learned there's a lot more to running a ship than I had imagined," says Mazza. "When I was on board ship I didn't realize all of the things go ing on in the office," says Kelly. "For one thing every once and a while when you're at sea your ship will be diverted to another port. The guys couldn't understand why. They thought it was hap hazard. Well now I can under stand why. It's done for a reason and it's only done after a lot of study. There's nothing haphazard about it." "A lot of things I used to com plain about, now I see reasons for," says Mazza. "A lot of times we couldn't understand the rea sons for arrival and docking de lays. This job allows me to see beyond the transportation opera tion and into the refinery's and marketing's needs. Now I can see that refinery and marketing re quirements do affect operation of our ships." "You get to see the amount of work that gets done, how it gets done and how it ties together be tween Marine, Supply and the other departments," says Stalzer. "In the fleet you see decisions that have already been made," says Whitty. "Here you see how those decisions are made and who makes them." But does the experience go be yond personal benefit? John Mazza thinks so. "If as an officer I have an idea of the prob lems these people face, and they know the problems on ship, that can go a long way to making things run smoother," he says. "The fuel we're saving now by timing our port arrivals to dock availability shows this. It's every one working together." Ernie McNeil expresses it this way: "These young men are getting insights and a type of exposure they'd never get aboard ship. They're learning administrative techniques and getting firsthand experience in the way our com pany operates. We think that's a real benefit; both to the individual officer, and to the company. " Page 3 F EXX- M O R-006616 Captain Sam V. Gardner, left, is Baton Rouge Branch Manager; Captain R. J. (Red) Lynch is branch port captain; and Charles L. Holladay is personnel assistant. Sixth In Series Baton Rouge Branch Operates Big Tows, Serves JO States Baton Rouge Branch inland waterways operations are charac terized by big tows and long hauls. "We are one of the largest transporters of petroleum products of any major oil company on the Mississippi River and its tribu taries," said Baton Rouge Branch Manager Sam V. Gardner. He pointed out that in 1973, the branch delivered more than 47 million barrels of products to com pany and customer terminals in a 10-state area from Louisiana to Pennsylvania, and to terminals on the Gulf Coast (see map). This included some charter deliveries to the Chicago area. The branch also supplied 2.6 million barrels of bunkers to 872 ships, including affiliate and time-chartered vessels calling at ports from Mobile, Alabama, to Lake Charles, Loui siana. Product deliveries to company and customer terminals were made in integrated tows in two classifications: those in the "up river fleet" and those in the "down river fleet." The upriver fleet serves terminals from Baton Rouge to Pittsburgh to the north and Charleston and Boomer, West Virginia, to the east. Those in the downriver fleet operate mostly in the Gulf Coast area, including Chalmette (Louisiana), Baytown, Mobile, and Tampa. The largest integrated upriver tow in the Marine Department's total inland fleet operates out of Baton Rouge. She is the 6,600-hp Exxon Kentucky and her 12 barges which have a total capacity of some 270,000 barrels, or nearly the capacity of the Lexington class ship. This tow serves two of the company's largest marketing ter minals, one at Memphis, the other at Nashville. Although she's the largest tow and carries more products, the Page 4 Exxon Fleet News Kentucky doesn't make the long est run. This honor goes to two other integrated upriver tows, the Exxon Pennsylvania and the Exxon Tennessee, both of which run to Pittsburgh (and points in between), a distance of 1,700 miles from Baton Rouge. It was more than 1,800 miles in 1942, but the Mis sissippi River since then has taken Chicago to Tampa, Pittsburgh to Baytown... a number of shortcuts over oncedry land. One other upriver tow, the Exxon West Virginia, operates from Baton Rouge to Charleston and Boomer, a distance of about 1,500 miles. The latter three tow boats are 4,300-hp units, each pushing barges with a capacity ranging from 175,000 to 180,000 barrels. Four integrated tows also make up the downriver fleet. They are the 1,700-hp towboat Exxon Texas and her four coker feed barges totaling 70,000 barrels; the 1,500hp Exxon Florida and her single 17,000-barrel asphalt barge; the 1,700-hp Exxon Mississippi and the 1,000-hp Exxon Louisiana, both used to push barges carrying from 10,000 to 35,000 barrels of products from Baton Rouge to customers in the Baton RougeNew Orleans area, and on runs to Baytown, Mobile, and Tampa. Sixteen shoreside personnel are assigned to inland and ship agency functions in the Baton Rouge office and 54 officers and 72 unlicensed personnel operate the tug and barge fleet. Last year, the office staff provided agency services to 231 ships, mostly in the Baton Rouge area. Inland waterways operations personnel at Baton Rouge include, from the left, Gregg Ellis, transportation allocator; Paul V. Shuford, senior transportation allocator; Verne J. Dicharry, branch operations manager; Luke W. Timberlake, transportation allocator engaged mostly in personnel work in the branch; John (Buck) McCreary, repair inspector; Henry I. Singer, transportation allocator, and Mrs. Claudia Williams, secretary. B. L. Bennett, senior repair inspector, was not available for the photo. Those involved in ship agency and related functions in the branch are, from the left, Miss Fredye Sullivan, secretary; Bernard J. Feehley and Courtney Bengtson, both transportation allocators. August 12, 1974 Page 5 -Retirements FIVE EMPLOYEES who retired during the past several months were recently honored at retirement luncheons sponsored by the New York Branch. They are shown above, standing from the left: Arne Svendsen and David J. Cloughsey, both barge captains in the New York Branch inland fleet; Joseph P. Spadanuda who isn't retiring but was presented a 30 year service emblem during the ceremony; Johnny Horgen, steward in the in land fleet; and James P. Kirwin, tug deckhand, seated with Mrs. Svendsen on the left and Mrs. Horgen on the right. Amund Gelland, who retired July 1 as trans portation allocator in the New York Branch, was honored at a later ceremony in which he re ceived a framed picture of himself waving at a departing tug. Branch Manager Al Giallorenzi made the presentation, shown at right, along with other retirement awards. Exxon Board Declares $1.25 Dividend For 3rd Quarter The board of directors of Exxon Corporation has declared a cash dividend of $1.25 per share on the capital stock, payable on Septem ber 10, 1974, to shareholders of record at the close of business on August 12, 1974. This will bring dividend pay ments for the first three quarters of 1974 to a total of $3.45 per share, which compares with $3.00 per share for the same period of 1973. Think Safety First! BYARD E. SOOY retired May 1 as transportation allocator in the Baytown Branch. He had 22 years' service. Mr. Sooy has for years been active in local civic affairs, includ ing education work. He was a former school teacher, sports editor and announcer at Baytown; has been secretary of the West Baytown Kiwanis Club for the 16 years that it has existed; is past president of the 600-member Houston Baseball Umpires Asso ciation, the largest in the U.S., and is currently on the asso ciation's board of directors. He also serves as a guest lecturer at Lee College in Baytown and par ticipates in advertising seminars. In 1965, the Baytown Chamber of Commerce cited Mr. Sooy for his civic participation and pre sented him the Chamber of Com merce Distinguished Citizens Award. Mr. Sooy, a private pilot, plans to take his family on flying vaca tion trips when he and his wife can arrange to get away from the advertising business that she established in Baytown some 17 years ago. ISMAIL MULUK, messman. re tired on June 1 at age 65. He was employed in the seagoing fleet in April, 1941, as OS in the George G. Henry. With the exception of a short period in the Deck De partment, he spent his career in the Stewards Department. He has received numerous commenda tions from masters and others in appreciation for his devotion to duty. Since 1969, with the exception of paid leave periods, Mr. Muluk has been regularly assigned to the Exxon Seattle. He lives in New York City. EXXON FLEET NEWS is published every other Monday for active and retired em ployees of the Marine Department, Exxon Company, U.S.A. (a division of Exxon Cor poration); O. R. Menton, General Manager. GENE LEGLER..............................................Editor Page 6 Exxon Fleet News