Document dQ1yoB3Orw838ax2KpNNmXagQ

PUBLISHED BY THE MARINE DEPARTMENT - EXXON COMPANY, U.S.A. Volume 15, Number 24 December 10, 1973 M. A. Wright Asks Officers, Managers, Employees To Give Full Commitment To Conserving Energy "Embargoes of energy supplies by the Arab na tions have changed the energy outlook for this winter from tight to very serious, as President Nixon pointed out in his speech on November 7 . . . The nation is losing at least two million barrels per day of imported oil, or about 60 million barrels per month that the country will never get back into the energy supply system ... If we continue to consume oil in this country at present levels, inventories will be depleted at the worst possible time--the months of January, February, and March--and the effect will be severe ... I ask you to give energy conservation your full commitment and actively encourage employees to make every effort to conserve energy at work and in other areas of their personal lives . . . We must take some difficult steps in the short term and at the same time get on with the long-term solution of our energy problems." (Excerpts from Chairman M, A. Wright's letter of No vember 14 to officers and managers of departments, divisions, regions and refineries of Exxon USA). O. R. Menton Outlines Marine s Efforts To Reduce Energy Use "We have determined that the greatest potential for savings lies in lowering our bunker fuel con sumption and reducing cargo losses," says O. Ft. Menton, Marine Department general manager. "In regard to conservation of bunker fuel, we have issued to our fleet officers and branch managers a compre hensive list of suggestions and guidelines for more efficient operations and utilization of steam. As to cargo losses, we have since December 1972 retained the nonpersistent oil slops on board for return to our Gulf Coast refineries where they are reprocessed and the hydrocarbons reclaimed. This should save from 40,000 to 50,000 barrels per year and reduce pollu tion. We have set up a Marine Department energy conservation program, headed by Operations Man ager Ames Smith, that includes a more detailed analysis of our energy consumption and definition of additional areas where savings can be realized. This ambitious program will require help and co operation from all employees to make it work. Stew ardship reviews will be established to insure appro priate targets are set and achieved for each area," he said. Steps Taken To Help Industry Meet 5% Fuel Reduction Goaf The U.S. Maritime Administra tion has requested the marine in dustry to set an initial goal of a 5 per cent reduction in fuel re quirements. In an effort to make a significant contribution to this industry goal, Marine Department management has sent letters to masters and branch managers containing suggestions for possi ble ways to conserve energy in oceangoing and inland waterways vessels. Some of the more im portant steps suggested are as follows: OCEANGOING -- eliminate steam and oil leaks; keep steam plant in good condition; reduce speed when appropriate (see article on page 3); eliminate unnecessary tank washing; reduce quantity of ballast handled and carried (when sea conditions permit); prevent oil losses by evaporation and/or spills; fully discharge all cargo tanks and pipelines; improve loadon-top procedure; closely control lighting, heating, and air con ditioning requirements (75 de grees F. for air conditioning, 68 degrees F. for heating); shut off lights, heating, and air condition- ing in spare and vacated rooms; close doors to living quarters to conserve air conditioning and/or heating. INLAND--some of the items above also apply to inland vessels and should be adhered to. In addition: when long delays are indicated, consider shutting down both en gines; while awaiting locks, shut down one diesel engine and idle the remaining unit when possible; follow engine manufacturer's in structions concerning coolers, (See CONSERVE ENERGY, page 3) AMVER Awards Given To Ocean Vessels Vessels in the oceangoing fleet have been recognized by the U.S. Coast Guard for their active par ticipation in 1972 in AMVER, the Coast Guard's Automated Mutualassistance VEssel Rescue system. The Certificates of Recognition, received by the Marine Depart ment about two weeks ago, have been mailed to branch offices for presentation to appropriate ships when they arrive at terminals in the vicinity. The Exxon Fleet has voluntarily participated in AMVER since its inception in 1958, and our ships were among the first to receive pennants and Certificates of Rec ognition in 1970, the first year that the Coast Guard began making awards to companies whose ships contribute to the system. Some 5,000 vessels in the world's merchant marine fleet par ticipate in AMVER which is op erated by the Coast Guard from Governors Island in New York Harbor. About 2,000 ships are on plot at any given time. The success of AMVER de pends on reports submitted to the center by ships at each sailing. The reports include the vessel's departure time, its course and speed, destination, and other re lated data which Coast Guard per sonnel program and feed into computers. Vessel characteristics that are valuable for determining search and rescue capabilities are also entered into computers --the ship's radio watch sched ule, type of communication facil ities, whether there is a doctor on 'board, and so forth. If an emergency arises at sea, the AMVER center can provide a ''surface picture" containing the computer-predicted position, course, and speed of each vessel in the area of trouble, along with her search and rescue capabil ities--and do the job in about a minute. The nearest ship with facilities most needed can then be called to help in rescue op erations. In commending personnel in Exxon ships for their cooperation in AMVER, Operations Manager F. Ames Smith said: "Those who are responsible for keeping the AMVER center advised are con tributing both to the safety of their own ships and personnel and to the safety of others who might need assistance in an emergency. It's very comforting to know that such a system exists. We plan to continue active participation in this worthy program." Ramey, Feehley Transfer Ramey Feehley Third Mate William D. Ramey has transferred from the tanker fleet to the New York Branch, Paulsboro Office, as transporta tion allocator. He replaces Ber nard J. Feehley who on November 1 transferred to the Baton Rouge Branch to work with transporta tion allocators there. Following graduation from the Texas Maritime Academy at Gal veston in 1970, Mr. Ramey joined the company as 3rd mate in the Exxon Bangor. He served in var ious other ships and in several shore assignments before going to the New York Branch. Bernard Feehley joined the Marine Department in 1967 as operations clerk in the former Baltimore Branch. Later that year, he became transportation alloca tor in the Paulsboro Office where he remained until November, 1973, when he transferred to Baton Rouge. A Word About Pensions The question has arisen as to how much retirement income an officer loses by taking a 15 day leave of absence in connection with his paid leave. Nobody loses pension income under the Exxon Annuity Plan for a leave of ab sence of 30 days or less. An officer who chooses to re tire under the Special Sea Service Retirement Income Program (Part B) may affect his retirement in come if, during his last five years of service he takes a leave of ab sence when he might otherwise be sailing at a rank higher than his base seniority. He would then receive credit for the leave period at his seniority rank. This is the reason the master or chief engi neer cannot lose, even under this program, because he could not serve in any higher rank. The company incurs retirement cost for both the man on leave and his replacement. If you have questions concern ing your own particular case, con tact the Benefits Administrator's office in Houston. Konn Gets 30 Year Awards Edward A. Konn, AB, shows 30 year service emblem and watch to his wife. The awards were presented at a luncheon in Bayonne on November 8. Page 2 Exxon Fleet News I CONSERVE ENERGY ....................... turbochargers, filters, intake man ifolds, lube oil quality, etc., re duce ventilation in unmanned en- ................. continued from page 1 | gine room when possible; reduce preheating time of galley range, shut range off when not used. Ames Smith Named To Coordinate Program "Although personnel in our oceangoing and inland waterways vessels are taking every step to conserve energy, the effort can not stop there. This is the kind of situation that requires the best efforts of everyone, including em ployees in all Marine Department offices and families at home," said Operations Manager Ames Smith. Mr. Smith, who has been named to coordinate the Marine Depart ment program to reduce energy consumption, said that in the Exxon Headquarters office in Houston, some 10,000 light fix tures have been turned off, air conditioning has been set for the 75-78 degree range and heating for 68 degrees. To further con serve heating and air condition ing, drapes are being drawn over windows facing the sun on hot days, and on cold days they are opened to fet the sun help warm the room. Office machines and coffee makers are turned off when not in use. Standard size cars in the company's automobile fleet in Houston and elsewhere are be ing replaced with intermediate sizes and a speed limit of 50 mph has been set. "Our Company auto mobile committee estimates that this will save some 500,000 gal lons of gasoline per year in our nationwide fleet of cars," Mr. Smith said. "Many of the suggestions sent to ships, along with those being implemented in Marine Depart ment offices at all locations, can also be used at home--such as turning down heaters, reducing air conditioning, turning out lights when not needed, and so forth. We can save on gasoline by driv ing at reduced speeds, maintain ing engines in good condition, and eliminating unnecessary trips. Car pooling will help, too," he said. "I think that the most important step of all is for each of us to develop an energy awareness. Anything we do now to conserve energy will be a valuable and much-needed contribution towards reducing the severity of this situ ation later on," Mr. Smith said. ''We Saved 600 Barrels Of Fuel By Slowing Down/ Says Captain Kirby A few issues back (August 13, to be exact) Exxon Fleet News carried an article on ``Fuel Saving Tips For Ships." In the article, Port Engineer Tom McTaggart pointed out that speed increases fuel consumption in a ship, just as in a car. "While we must maintain schedules, there are times when advance planning and checking can lead to reductions in speed that will save many barrels of fuel, such as slowing down to make a tide or to schedule arrival for immediate docking and avoid add- ing to the congestion in the an chorage," he said. "A reduction in speed from 16 to 12 knots can save several hundred barrels of fuel over a 500-mile run." Captain Robert G. Kirby, in a letter to the Marine Department, tells how advance planning and checking ahead paid off for his ship, the Exxon Lexington. Cap tain Kirby wrote: "On a recent voyage from Baton Rouge to New York, I called our New York agent approximately 48 hours before our anticipated ar rival to determine if we would be able to dock without delay. I was informed by Mr. Glenn Shaw in the Bayonne Office that there was a lot of congestion at Bayway at the time and we would have a minimum of 12 hours delay. With this assurance, and after consult ing with Chief Engineer William W. McKay, we reduced the speed of the ship from about 100 rpm to 75 rpm at 1200 hours and changed our ETA from 1000 hours to 2000 hours on the same date. Upon arrival in New York, we com puted our fuel consumption at this reduced speed and discovered that we saved more than 600 bar rels, and in addition, we avoided about 10 hours at anchor which would have further added to the congestion in the Stapleton an chorage." Not only were hundreds of bar rels of needed fuel saved to help meet the energy crunch, but some $3,000 in fuel costs were also saved--all as the result of doing a little checking by calling ahead and planning a slowdown to arrive at the dock with a minimum of delay. Also, running at reduced speeds, when appropriate, has the additional benefit of reducing wear and tear on the boilers and machinery. I Obituary I MANUEL J. LOPEZ, 71, died on October 20 at Danbury, Connecti cut. He is survived by his widow. Mr. Lopez joined the fleet as messman in the Cerro Azul in 1925. He sailed as messman, 2nd cook, and steward in the Esso Aruba (ex Pan Bolivar) and was later regularly assigned to the Esso Bolivar for five years and the Esso Gloucester for nearly 12. He completed his career in the fleet with a trip around the world in the Esso Miami. JAMES G. GILCHRIST died re cently at age 75. He retired in May, 1963, as utilityman in the Esso Florence. He lived in Brook lyn, New York. December 10, 1973 Page 3 Blinking Light, Zooming Flares, Flashing SOS No Doubt About It.This Boat Was in Trouble The sea was rough and building. Giant waves, whipped by 45 mph winds, rolled over the deck of the heavily-loaded Exxon Newark as she sailed some 60 miles south of San Francisco on the night of November 1. It was a bad night for anything smaller than a ship the size of the Newark to be out in. Little wonder then that OS Thomas S. Votsis, stationed on the flying bridge, couldn't believe his eyes when he first saw a blinking white light and a red glow in the distance. He took another look and quickly reported to 3rd Mate Craig E. Reeder who called Captain Donald E. Graham to the wheelhouse. Captain Graham gave the order to change course to bring the Newark closer to the wildly bobbing light. About that time, two red flares zoomed into the sky and as the ship approached, her searchlight picked up a small boat which flashed back an SOS. Radio contact was made with the Coast Guard at Monterey (no radio contact could be made with the boat) giving them a descrip tion of the stricken craft. The Coast Guard radioed that it was probably the 57-foot fishing vessel Searunner. Her skipper had filed a distress call a few moments earlier, stating that his boat was on fire and without power. "The Newark's crew, lead by Chief Mate Robert E. Armstrong and Chief Engineer Oscar H. Dorbacker, performed with their usual efficiency," Captain Graham said. "Mr. Reeder monitored the 2182 distress frequency, aided by 3rd Mate Michael A. Stalzer who was off watch. They maintained con tact with the Coast Guard's C-130 airplane that had been dispatched immediately and was on the scene in 40 minutes, a Coast Guard heli copter that reported within the hour, and a patrol boat that was due in about 1V2 hours. Over this frequency, used at Coast Guard request, all operations were co ordinated." The Newark's two searchlights were pointed skyward and crossed to assist the 'copter in locating the vessel and the ship's loudspeaker was used to keep the skipper and a passenger informed in the Searunner. When the helicopter arrived, the two men had the small fire extinguished and were in no real danger. They chose to remain with their boat until the Coast Guard could take them in tow. "At 2315, the helicopter advised us that the patrol boat was in the area and we were released to pro ceed on our way," said Captain Graham. "However, the patrol boat was observed some distance away proceeding past the fishing vessel and we were asked to return, shine our light on the small boat, and wait until the rescue boat made positive contact. Finally, by 2352, it was apparent that the Coast Guard had located the Searunner and we were again re leased to resume our voyage. "We lost some time, but this became insignificant when we saw on TV the next day a similar boat with her bottom ripped out and pounding on the rocks, a total loss. We felt good in that we were able to help save the Searunner from similar destruction," Captain Graham said. 'Lexington' Stands By To Aid Disabled Sailboat A second vessel, the Exxon Lexington, also participated in a small boat rescue, this one in the Gulf of Mexico. The Lexington, with Captain O. A. Staples, master, Wesley F. Besse, Jr., chief mate, and Boleslaw I. Roman, chief engineer, departed Southwest Pass, Louisiana, about 0400 on November 8. At 1009, about 105 miles from departure, a distress flare was sighted. It was from a 30-foot sailboat which came alongside when the Lexing ton stopped. Her two owners told New Phone Numbers The New York Branch Office will be moved from Bayonne to the of fice building just inside the main gate at Bayway Refinery on De cember 18. The following tele phone numbers for seagoing per sonnel become effective on that date: Agency Office: 201-474-7718 Seagoing Personnel: 201-474-7089 201-474-7092 Captain Staples that they had struck an object on the previous night, knocking a hole in the boat's hull. They had been operat ing their bilge-pumps contin uously to keep the boat dry. Their radiotelephone would not trans mit and they had only about a five-hour supply of gasoline left when the Lexington came to their rescue. "The gasoline was used to run a generator that kept a 12volt battery alive in order to op erate the pump," Captain Staples said. The Lexington contacted the Coast Guard Rescue Control Center in New Orleans and stood by until a Coast Guard airplane arrived and dropped a bilge pump and a small supply of gasoline. Later, a Coast Guard helicopter arrived with additional fuel, a fresh 12-volt battery, and some material to be used in slowing the boat's hull leak. Rendezvous was soon estab lished between the sailboat and the Coast Guard Cutter Point Sur, and at 1530 the Lexington was released from standby duty and proceeded toward New York. 3 Promotions Announced Three employees in the Stew ards Department have been pro moted recently. They are: Fer nando A. Ferreira from chief cook to chief steward, and Robert L. Bearden and William H. Lilley from messmen to 2nd cooks and bakers. 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 4 Exxon Fleet News I EXX-MOR-006528