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Vol. I No. 1 JANUARY 20, 1959 BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION Herewith we present the first issue of ESSO FLEET NEWS. Its purpose is to provide up-to- date news of interest to men in the fleet and is to be published at frequent intervals. We welcome your comments, suggestions and news contributions of general interest. Address: The Editor, ESSO FLEET NEWS, Esso Standard Oil Company, 60 West 49th Street, New York 20, N. Y. CREW MEMBERS TO BE PAID A new pay system for seagoing personnel has ENROUTE TO PAYOFF PORTS gone into effect, making it possible for crew members to be paid before their ship arrives in port. Payroll funds for the entire crew and paid leave advances for unlicensed personnel are drawn by the Master from Company Agents at loading ports and are distributed enroute to all payoff ports, including New York. Paid leave advances for Officers, Stewards and Pursers are issued by check at the Port of New York Office. BASIC GROUP INS. PAYMENTS Basic Group Life Insurance premiums have been SUSPENDED 4 1/2 MONTHS suspended for 4 1/2 months, beginning January 1. During that time premiums will be paid from a surplus reserve fund. Employee payments will resume in the latter half of May at the regular rate of $.60 for each $1,000 of coverage. The suspension, first since 1954, applies only to the Basic Group Life Insur ance. Contributions will continue to be deducted for Additional Group Life Insurance for those employees who participate in it. TEST OF "COOPERATIVE" A cooperative paid leave schedule that will PAID LEAVE SCHEDULE allow Masters and Chief Engineers to arrange BEGINS ON SIX VESSELS the timing of rotating relief for themselves and their Officers is currently undergoing trial aboard six ships of the fleet. The purpose of the test is to see if the Master, Chief Engineer, Mates and Engineers can determine their own paid leave schedules to suit the personal needs of each man and still meet the operating requirements of the ship. Paid leave schedules will be arranged under the supervision of the Master and Chief Engineer, after dis cussions with the other Officers. An important feature of the program is that Deck and Engine Department Officers will be assigned to their ships on a regular basis, returning to the vessel after every paid leave. In order to facilitate scheduling of leaves, an attempt will be made by the Company to assign to each vessel two crew members holding licenses in the Deck and Engine Departments. These men will be promoted to Jr. Third Mate and Jr. Third Assistant Engineer, as required. The trial is being conducted aboard the Esso Gettysburg, Esso Havana, Esso Jamestown, Esso Newark, Esso Suez and Esso Washington. EXX- M O R-006648 1958 WITHHOLDING FORMS Form W-2 withholding statements for 1958 will READY BY JANUARY 31 be sent to the homes of seagoing personnel on or before January 31. The address to which these forms will be sent is that appearing on the current Form W-4, "Em ployee Withholding Certificate". Anyone wishing to have the W-2 form sent elsewhere is requested to advise the Records and Accounts Section, located at 156 William Street, before January 20. "FIRST CLASS CREW" The Esso Gettysburg and her crew were described PRAISED BY CAPTAIN as "First Class" recently by Captain Walter F. Andrews, Master of the vessel. In a holiday message to the crew. Captain Andrews said, "The Esso Gettysburg was the first ship of her class built and has had a first class record ever since." Among her accomplishments he listed these "firsts" for our 37,800 dwt. vessels: 1. Sail Houston Ship Channel at night, loaded 2. Shipyard tank-clean in 37 hrs. 48 min. at sea 3. Back out of Arthur Kill, loaded 4. Proceed loaded (28'09") to Bayway, via Perth Amboy 5. Clean tanks without delay, for clean cargoes 6. Carry multi-grade cargoes 7. Dock at Baltimore (Esso Standard Oil Co. Terminal) 8. Carry over 290,000 bbls. of petroleum products 9. Attain a discharge rate of 35,948 bph. 10. Pay off payroll at sea "With all these firsts," concluded Captain Andrews, '"Safety First' is still tops on our list - only one lost time accident during 1958. Let's keep accidents off our list." IMPROVED LAUNCH SERVICE The Boston Agency has arranged improved launch FOR VESSELS AT BOSTON service for Company vessels anchored in Boston Harbor. In the future, additional launches will be provided for ships scheduled to remain in the anchorage for more than six hours. ESSO NOW PRODUCING VARSOL An improved Varsol whose odor has been "signiWITH GREATLY REDUCED ODOR ficantly" reduced is now being manufactured by the Company. A process developed by Esso Re search & Engineering Co. - called "hydrofining" - removes most of the odor bearing sulphur compounds without affecting the product's solvent power. INCREASED DEMAND FOR OIL Eugene Holman, Standard Oil Company (N. J.) IS EXPECTED DURING 1959 Board Chairman, forecast in a year-end state ment that demand for petroleum products in 1959 will increase by 57. in the United States and 87. abroad. "These prospects," he said, "make the near future outlook more optimistic than at this time last year." Mr, Holman also predicted that the Company's sales volume would continue to increase during 1959 but profit-margins have been squeezed. REPAIR SCHEDULES Vessel Proiect Port Arrived/Due Repair Days Esso Gettysburg Esso Suez Esso Zurich Overhaul Overhaul Overhaul Feb. 20 March 1/10 April 1/10 16 - THREE SHIPS SOLD The Esso Little Rock, Esso Wilmington and Esso FROM TIED-UP FLEET Augusta are under contract to be sold to the Mississippi Valley Barge Line Co., Juniper Steamship Corp. and Emerson Steamship Corp., respectively. It is understood that the first vessel is to be converted for dry cargo service and the other two will be operated under the U. S. Flag. All are expected to be delivered to new owners by the end of the month. "ESSO WASHINGTON" LOWERS The Esso Washington established a new turn- EVERETT TURNAROUND RECORD around record for 37,800 dwt. vessels at Ever ett on December 20. Her timefrom sea buoy to sea buoy, 16.50 hrs., surpassed by 30 minutes the best previous mark, set by the Esso Lexington on November 22. Discharge of the Esso Washington's cargo of 243,321 bbls. of South Central Louisiana crude was made through four 8-in. hoses into one 12-in. and one 16-in. shore lines. Net discharge time was 9.65 hrs., discharge rate 25,215 bph. and time at the dock 11.92 hrs PERSONALITIES Three members of the Port of New York Office, H, J. HEIDORN, Assistant Manager; H. L. CORNELL, Radio Engineer, and E. C. COX, Group Engineer, retired January 1..........Seagoing retirements for January include Radio Officer LORIE B. GRISSOM and Bos'n VINCENT LIBERTO.......... The fleet will lose two men via retirement on February 1, Steward AVELINO B, CORREIA and F/WT ANTONIO OTERO.....GEORGE LOUGHRAN, Second Mate in the fleet before his retirement December 1, 1957, has moved from Baton Rouge, La., to a new home at 4125 Mandarin Court, Ft. Myers, Fla. 1959 TELEPHONE DIRECTORY The 1959 edition of the "Telephone Directory for use of Ships' Personnel" has been issued to vessels. The Directory lists the names and telephone numbers of Offices or Agents which ships' personnel may call for information on vessels to which they are assigned. There are numerous additions and changes in the new Directory. OBITUARY The Company reports with regret the deaths of Officers' Messman Edward Lyder on November 27 in Savannah, Ga., and Utilityman Raymond W. Colson on December 2 in Harris burg, Pa.....A. Warner Melvin, former Chief of the Marine Department's Foreign Personnel Section and more recently in a similar position with Esso Tankers, Inc., died suddenly December 31. Mr. Melvin served Esso's marine organizations for more than 45 years. If EXX-MOR-006650 NEW PAY SYSTEM TO BEGIN A new payroll system is scheduled to start in .February. Payrolls will be prepared ashore and vessels will be notified by radio of the amount of net wages due to each crew member. The new plan will reduce paperwork all around, provide a continuous arrangement for making payments to dependents (when desired) and maintain all the present privileges of cash advances and early payoffs. Full details of the new procedure are being furnished to all seagoing personnel. MEDICAL SERVICES Effective February 1, the medical offices at TO BE TRANSFERRED 156 William Street, New York, will be closed. Services to ships' personnel formerly performed there will be carried on at the medical offices of the Bayway and Bayonne Re fineries. Medical facilities at various outports will continue as in the past. Further details will be forthcoming. "ESSO NEWARK" IS FIRST Supertanker service to Bucksport, Me., was in SUPERTANKER TO BUCKSPORT augurated December 4 when the Esso Newark dock ed at the newly improved facilities of Webber Tanks, Inc. Loaded with a cargo of kerosene, No. 2 heating oil and Diesel fuel - a total of 196,845 bbls. - the Esso Newark (Captain Harold F. Blytt and Chief Engineer Robert I. Giddens) docked at 1302 after an uneventfuL trip up the Penobscot River. Officials of Esso, Webber and the community were on hand to witness the arrival of the 27,300 dwt. vessel, largest ever to visit Bucksport. The Esso Newark delivered a second cargo to the port on Christmas Day. IMPROVED GAS INDICATOR Vessels in clean oil service are being supplied GIVES GREATER PROTECTION with a new type instrument for testing the at mosphere in cargo spaces. Known as the Davis "Vapctester", the device can be used to test for explosiveness and toxicity. Operating instructions accompanying the Vapotesters include a chart of "threshold limits" for various clean products to aid in determining whether or not a compartment is safe to enter without a fresh air mask.