the gradual buildup in demand for this service by OCS-related com- 

 panies means an increase in business for enterprises already support- 

 ing fish or commercial shipping concerns. These repair and mainte- 

 nance businesses will expand staff, inventories, and work space to 

 accommodate the new vessels. 



The initial fleet of boats serving a frontier area may well be 

 contracted from an established company in the Gulf Coast area. A boat- 

 chartering company may decide to locate a branch office in a harbor near 

 the frontier area if the demand for vessels increases. A simple site 

 might include berths, crew quarters, and office space to operate the 

 chartering service. Repair and maintenance services would be sought 

 from nearby established facilities. Or the company, anticipating 

 continued increases in offshore development, may establish a small 

 repair and maintenance area to handle most work on its own boats. 



Alternatively, established shipyards may develop specialized 

 repair yards for petroleum-industry work boats, probably adjacent 

 to their larger operations. Along the Gulf Coast and in the 

 North Sea skilled mechanics from existing shipyards or related 

 heavy industry have opened small independent repair and mainte- 

 nance service operations, catering to specialized oil and gas 

 industry work [26]. 



Construction/Installation 



Increased OCS activity will not be expressed in major construction 

 at new sites, but rather in less significant construction to expand 

 existing wharf and support areas. If a large number of additional 

 vessels require service, additional entrepreneurs may be attracted. 

 However, they would not invest the capital necessary to build a dry dock 

 or other major facilities; rather they would obtain or purchase some_ 

 dock space and would compete by performing specialized aspects of main- 

 tenance. The only exception to this process would be investment by a 

 charter service for oil-industry vessels. If a large field with diversi- 

 fied activities and needs were predicted, such a charter service might 

 construct a new major repair and maintenance facility primarily to 

 service its own vessels. 



Operations 



Basically, two types of maintenance repairs are peformed: mechanical 

 and electronic. This work is done either at dockside or with some 

 degree of "haul out" ranging from the use of a derrick and flotation 

 barge to the use of a dry dock. Mechanical repairs are made on the 

 major and auxiliary drive trains, diesel engines (Caterpillar, Alco), 

 reduction gears (Caterpillar, Lufkin), shafts, and wheels. Mechanical 

 repairs also include repairs to the vessel superstructure, such as 



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