Document YD1abjM4jjozOzDwazjnGr6Vn

PUBLISHED BY THE MARINE DEPARTMENT, HUMBLE OIL & REFINING COMPANY Vol. 11, No. 7___________________________________________ _______________________ April 3, 1969 Report to Marine Employees Looks Ahead Alaska Oil to Play Decisive Role in Fleet'; Future The Marine Department may build as many as six supersized 250,000-dwt tankers to transport crude oil from Alaska's North Slope reservoirs to the East Coast. This and other potential major developments in the Esso fleet were recently forecast by T. J. Fuson, general manager of the Marine De partment, at an employee meeting in Houston. Employees learned of projects now in planning or devel opment stages that provide some insight to the fleet's future. They were told that requirements are expected to grow in 1969 and 1970 as a result of new West Coast needs, projected reductions in im ports, and normal growth. Mr. Fuson's studied outlook also focused on the age of the supertanker in the mid '70s and indicated the Esso fleet will experience sharp growth in capacity, technological advancement and efficiency. Recent disco\reries of huge oil reservoirs in north Alaska will play a decisive role in the development of the Humble tanker fleet. Stan Haas, coordinator of the Arctic Task Force, outlined Humble's ob jectives in opening a sea route through the Northwest Passage and narrated a film showing work being done on the S.S. Manhattan, which is scheduled to sail through the passage on a test voyage this sum mer. The number of 250.000-d'v, tankers required to transport cru oil from Alaska depends largelv the success of the Arctic project. Assuming a route through -hi Northw^c) Passage is opened by 11 Manhattan, the Marine Department will need six of the giant icebreaker tankers by 1975. The number of ships in the fleet, in that event, would rise to 22, equivalent to about 140 of the standard T-2 tankers built in World War II years. On the other hand, if crude oil WHAT'S HAPPENING? is the likely question of onlookers who saw the after section of the S.S. Manhattan's bow moving down the Delaware River from the Sun Shipping Co. at Chester, Pa., to the Newport News Ship building & Drydock Co. at Newport News, Va., where modifications are being made to prepare the ship for its historic voyage through the North west Passage this summer. What happened is that the Manhattan has been cut into four different pieces so that work to make her iceworthy can be done at three different shipyards. is moved from the North Slope to Valdez in south Alaska by pipeline .nd then transported by tanker to vc-stern terminal of a transcon tinental pipeline in Seattle for transmission to the East Coast, Mr. Fuson estimated that the fleet will consist of 18 ocean tankers, equiva lent to 85 T-2s, including two giant non-icebreaking tankers by 1975. The present fleet of 19 seagoing tankers is equivalent to 46 T-2s. Whatever the outcome, super tankers of the 250,000-dwt class will greatly reduce the cost of transporting a barrel of oil. In fact, tankers of the future spell out a new set of economics in Humble's marine operations. The Marine Department manager observed that technology, fleet op erating efficiency and larger ships have already significantly pared (Continued, Page 2) BULLETIN: Esso Radio Officers' Association has ratified Amendment No. 5 by a vote of 23 for, 0 against. Details next issue. MARINE REPORT (Cont'd from Page 1) down the cost of transporting oil by sea. Furthermore, the average cost of moving a barrel of oil by tanker is certain to drop apprecia bly in 1970 when the Esso San Francisco, the Esso Baton Rouge, and another yet unnamed vessel are in service. "We expect a cost reduction of 30 per cent over the ten-year period from 1961 to 1970 despite inflationary trends," Mr. Fuson reported. The San Francisco and her two sister ships are under construction at Avondale Shipyards in Louisi ana about 15 miles up the Missis sippi River from New Orleans. Mr. Fuson also recalled that in 1968 new equipment greatly boost ed inland waterways transport ca pability. Last March a 31,000 bar rel clean-products and specialties barge was put into service in the Philadelphia Harbor area. The Esso Arkansas and eight barges of 186, 000 barrels capacity went into serv ice on the Mississippi-Ohio River system last year too. In November the Esso Texas and two of her four barges were delivered. Construc tion of her third and fourth barges was recently completed. This tow will shortly enter hot coker feed services from Baytown to Baton Rouge. A contract for construction of a 30,000-dwt unmanned seagoing barge and a 7,000 horsepower tug boat for product service from the Louisiana-Texas Gulf to Florida has been let to Gulfport Shipbuild ing Corp. at Port Arthur, Texas. Other construction includes a third string of four barges being built by Ingalls Iron Works in Decatur, Ala., for operation with the Esso Tennessee tow. A new self-propelled unit with a capacity of 30,000 barrels will be delivered about May 1 for service ESSO FLEET NEWS is published for the seagoing employees of the Marine Department, Humble Oil & Refining Co.; T. J. Fuson, General Manager; Sydney Wire, Assistant General Manager. Jim Pitts, Editor Contributions and suggestions are invited and should be addressed to The Editor, Esso Fleet News, Humble Oil & Refining Co., P. O. Box 1512, Houston, Texas 77001. IT'S 4,427 MILES from New York to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, via the North west Passage sea route pointed out by Capt. Roger Steward, master of the Manhattan, as he discusses with Stan Haas, coordinator of Humble's Arctic Task Force, plans for a test voyage through the Arctic waters this summer. Round-trip is expected to take about 37 days. Estimates indicate oil can be shipped from north Alaska by tanker through the passage to East Coast refineries at about half the cost of moving it by an alternate route via pipelines and tankers. in the New York Harbor area. She'll be christened the Esso Connecticut and is a replacement for the Esso Hudson. And a towboat similar to the Esso Texas is being built at Jeffersonville, Ind., by Jeffboat, Inc., and slated for delivery in August. She will operate in the lower Mississippi River below Baton Rouge. Robert Dunham Is New Allocator at Paulsboro, N. J. Third Mate Robert H. Dunham was transferred Tuesday from the fleet to a shoreside job as trans portation allocator in the Marine Department's inland waterways of fice at Paulsboro, N.J. Mr. Dunham has sailed in Hum ble tankers since graduating June 1, 1966, from Kingspoint Maritime Academy in New York. He began his seagoing career in the Esso Florence and his last voyage was in the Esso Gettysburg. Mr. Dunham is from Birmingham, Ala. Overall, Mr. Fuson's report to Marine Department employees fore casts a big future of bigger ships, towboats and barges to move big ger cargoes over greater distances. At the end of. the session, Mr. Fuson discussed questions from employees on the subjects of train ing, remuneration, organization, and pollution. The meeting gave em ployees the "big picture" of Marine Department operations and objec tives. As one employee put it after wards, "I've got a clearer picture now of my role on the Marine De partment team." Seven Apply for Retirement Seven Esso fleet officers have ap plied for retirement on Sept. 1. They are Chief Mate Joseph John son, 2nd Engr. Malcolm J. Carlson, 3rd Engr. Billy L. Steward, 2nd Mate Albert J. Baptiste, 3rd Mate William A. Wilburn, 2nd Engr. Gil more Henderson and Radio Officer James Reesor. EXX-MOR-006999 Able Seaman School's First Graduates Pass Coast Guard Exams OVER THE SIDE of the Texas Clipper training ship Edgar T. Cooper, Michael Sharik III, instructor, Manuel DeAfonseca and Charles Cicero ready the lifeboat to lower away in simulated emergency. Students at able seaman's school learn by actually doing what they study in class. The first graduating class of the new two-week able seaman train ing program at Galveston, Texas, passed the Coast Guard Lifeboat and Able Seaman's Examination without a hitch. There were no failures. The class' average grade was 88.8. Seventy is passing. "I had ex pected the class to average about 80," said Instructor Michael Sharik III beaming with pride. T. J. Fuson, general manager of the Marine Department, told the class, "We in Marine Department management are proud of your ac complishments here. We feel that this training program is mutually beneficial to you as well as to the company. "I believe that the successful completion of this course will give each of you a sense of real satis faction. At the same time, your ef forts here 'make it possible for Humble to continue a long standing policy of promoting from within." Successful completion of the EXX-MOR-007000 course leads to an increase in pay and overtime rates when graduates are promoted from ordinary seamen to able seamen. The second course began Monday and a third is sched uled for April 14. Requests to en roll should be routed through offi cer supervisors. The program is conducted at Galveston aboard the training ship Texas Clipper, courtesy of the Texas Maritime Academy. It in cludes classroom instruction, actual practice in lifeboat handling, the use of fire fighting equipment and drills in rescue procedures. The course covers all phases of the Coast Guard requirements for qual ifying as able seaman. Seamen who graduated in the first class March 28 are: Dwight T. Willis, Arthur W. Vaag, Edgar T. Cooper, Robert C. Stehlgens, Anthony Santagada, Robert Gar cia, Charles Cicero, Andrew Nemechek, John Geedman, Manuel DeAfonseca, Carlos Bogar and Ricardo L. Barros. LEARNING TO RIG a three-fold purchase is one of the tricky jobs Carlos Bogar (left, above) and Manuel DeAfonseca master through practical experience under the eye of an instructor ready to lend a hand when knotty problems crop up. Mooring lines are figure- i 1 i eighted (below left) around the two bitts and Mike Sharik shows Dwight T. Willis on his right and to his left Ricardo L. Barros, Charles Cicero, Edgar Cooper and Andy Nemechek how to go about it. LOCKING in the anchor windlass is another job able seamen are ex pected to handle. John Geedman gets the hang of it as well as point ers from his instructor, Mr. Sharik. Small classes of 1 2 permit instructor to give individual attention to stu dents as needed. EXX-MOR-007001 Esso Newark Home % From Long Voyage To Foreign Lands The Esso Newark--gleaming with new paint and laden with souve nirs--docked at Baytown March 20 after a 3% -month voyage that took her 30 officers and men to ports in South Africa, Pakistan, India, Iran and Canada. It was a loud, happy homecom ing as the crew packed suitcases, signed off ship's articles, scooped up pay envelopes, cleared customs, headed for the nearby Houston air port and jetted home. Somehow they all managed to cart off their huge stores of hand carved ele phants, handmade canes, turbans, jungle-jim hats, stuffed cobras and other exotic mementos of their odyssey. "We had enough souve nirs aboard for ballast," said a crew man scampering down the ramp in a suit he had made in India. The trip began Dec. 2 when the Newark sailed from Baton Rouge. She bunkered at Capetown, South Africa, discharged cargo at Kara chi, Pakistan, and sailed to Bom bay, India, to deliver the remain der of the cargo. On the return leg of the voyage, the ship loaded cargo at Kharg Island, Iran, bunkered at Capetown, delivered cargo to St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, and returned to the United States at Baytown. No one appeared the worse for roughing six days of gale winds and high seas in the Atlantic on their journey from Capetown to St. John. Capt. Julius E. Wend,, ship's master, reported the Newark en countered "gale after gale" with "seas 40 feet or more" at times. The going was so tough at one point that it was physically impossible to prepare meals. "That day we lived on saltines and water," said Capt. Wend. The Newark labored through it all with only light damage. It's the kind of experience the crew could have done without--but there's lit tle doubt it will add a lot of salt to conversations when the newness wears off the souvenirs. cr SHIP MATES. Chief Mate Keith Fru tiger appears to be charming it up with a cobra chum he acquired in Bombay, India, when the Esso New ark delivered cargo there recently. He can really toot the flute (above) but his prowess with the deadly rep tile (right) admittedly stems from the fact that Mr. Cobra has been stuffed and preserved by an Indian taxi dermist. Mr. Frutiger took the snake home to his ten-year-old son in Union, N.J. A FLEET FAMILY. Messman Hector M. Serrata (I), his cousin. Ordinary Sea man Durwood J. Hedgepeth (center), returning in the Newark from a for eign voyage show their souvenirs to Second Cook Frank Sanchez, who is Mr. Serrata's brother-in-law. Mr. Sanchez was part of the complete crew that relieved the Newark when she docked at Baytown. TAFFRA1L TALK mmmmmmmm Yes. Folks, there really is an Uncle Chubby! And he's celebrating Part II of Christmas 1968 about now. Back in December a package turned up ad dressed to Uncle Chubby, c/o Esso Lima. A Christ mas card taped to the package and signed, "Love, Jan and Ragnar" led the Marine Dept, to believe that there really was an Chicle Chubby even though a search of the Esso fleet from Maine to Texas failed to turn him up. So the Christmas present was sent to the Fleet News, a story de scribing the mysterious situation appeared in a recent issue, and . . . A few weeks later Oiler Charles L. Benes in the Huntington revealed himself as the real Uncle Chubby in a letter to this newspaper. And the package was dispatched at once to bring this be lated Christmas tale to a happy ending. Here's a note that might save you a dime next time you phone the Boston office. The Marine Dept.'s Boston Branch Office moved last week to new quarters at 30 Beacham Street. Everett. Mass. 92145. New phone numbers are (AC 617) 387-1 733 or 387-5966. Humble tie-line code num bers are 812-9381-398 or 812-9381-237 from Houston. Jot it down on your hatband ... or some place. Capt. Joseph F.. Johnson used to talk of getting himself a Newfoundland puppy some day. Well, "some day" is near at hand thanks to the officers and crew in the Esso Dallas. That's the word from Clref (Mate Rov O. Rem who wrote (3-16-69): "Just a note to let vou know that the crew and officers of this ship bid Capt. Joe Johnson fare well last evening with a special dinner and a large cake, baked bv Second Cook John E. Bean, inscribed GOOD BY * GOOD LUCK. A purse was donated by all hands for the purpose of pur chasing a Newfoundland puppy dog that Capt. Johnson talked of Inning some day.'' Capt. John son is scheduled to retire Mav 1. Stan Hans. Arctic Task Force coordinator, has pul a sign in his office that proclaims in big let ters: OH YF. OF IJTTI.F. FAITH, humorously indicating that the Northwest Passage protect has been launched with a lot of faith. At last count at least 120 Esso officers and crewmen had mus tered enough faith in the historic project to vol unteer for service in the 5.5. Manhattan, the ship slated to challenge the forbidding Northwest Pas sage later this year. That's just about enough vol unteers to man two Manhattans. But keep the faith and the names coming in. -- RECENT RET! REM ENTS mmmm Capt. Fred G. Smith retired April 1 with almost 38 years' service in Esso ships. His career with the company began in 1929 as an or dinary seaman in the W. H. Tilford. He moved up in ratings to able seaman, boatswain, and in 1936 to third mate in the H. H. Rogers. Mr. Smith was a chief mate by 1942 in the Paul H. Harwood and became mas ter in 1947 aboard the Esso Linden. His final voyage was in the Esso Houston. Originally from North Carolina, Capt. Smith now lives in Jacksonville, Fla. with his wife. He wants to fish, do cabinet work, travel and take some associate study courses. First Engr. Emoor S. Bordelon went to sea 47 years ago and re tired April 1 with 39 years' serv ice in Esso ships. He had pre viously attended college in New Orleans and worked as a clerk for drug firms. Mr. Bordelon first sailed in the Loraine Cross on the Delta Line in 1922 as wiper and fireman and later for the same company as oiler. His career as an engineer began in 1926 as third assistant in the Steel Inventor. He signed on with Esso in Octo ber. 1929. and sailed in the Princeton as third and sec ond assistant for nearly two years. His last ship was the Dallas. Mr. Bordelon is living in his native Louisiana at Baton Rouge and considering a job offer as a station ary engineer at a local hospital. His plans also include going to business school. He and his wife, Katherine, have four children: Emoor, Jr., Jerry, Ann Marie, and Mary Catherine. DEATHS Able Seaman Benjamin A Todd, 59, died of a heart attack March 29 in Baytown, Texas, at the San Jacinto Methodist Hospital. He was on paid leave at the time of his death. Mr. Todd began his career with the company when he signed on the Esso Montpelier as able sea man in September, 1950. He continued to sail in that rating except for a brief period in engine room as signments. His last vessel was the Esso Gloucester. Mr. Todd is survived by his widow, Irma, of Bay town: a daughter, Mrs. Judith Faulkner, 28. of Hous ton: a son, Benjamin A. Jr., 26, of Oklahoma, and a daughter, Margaret Todd, 20, of Baytown, Chief Engr. Edward J. Schleifer, 54, died March 15 at Johns-Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Mr. Schleifer had been on sick leave since last November. His first as signment was in the E. J. Sadler as oiler in September, 1939. He first sailed as third assistant in the M. F. Elliott in April. 1942, and was one of the survivors when it was torpedoed on June 3, 1942, 150 miles northwest of Trinidad with a loss of 13 men. Mr. Sc'nleifer's last assignment was in the Esso Flor ence as chief engineer. He is survived by his wife, Mildred, of Henryville, Pa., a father, two brothers and a sister.