Houston-based Rigdon Marine says its fleet of 20 �most technologically advanced� vessels has �ignited a technological revolution in the U.S. offshore industry.�

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After only five years in business, Houston-based Rigdon Marine has become a premier operator of deepwater platform supply vessels serving the oil and gas industry, Vice President of Sales and Marketing Billy Guice says. “Our proprietary vessels may not be the biggest in the industry, but for their size, they are the most technologically advanced [compared to] any other competitive vessel, he explains. We also strive to solidify our niche in the industry as a leader in service and quality.”

The Houston-based company says its fleet of 20 innovative vessels has “ignited a technological revolution in the U.S. offshore industry.” Its 10-ship Rigdon 4000-class series is 190 feet long, with a cargo capacity of 1,860 deadweight tons.

Rigdon operates seven of the 10 Rigdon 4000-class vessels, with three more  slated for delivery by August 2008. Bollinger Shipyards of Lockport, La., was selected to construct the 10-vessel program. “These ships have had an extremely positive impact on the company and on our position in our industry,” Guice says. “We have continued to develop our niche of high-specification mid-sized equipment, and we’ve also become one of the largest operators of DP-2 platform supply vessels, which certainly has increased Rigdon’s visibility in our market while growing our client base, as well.”

Although the company is in a strong position for growth, its success has not been without challenges. For instance, Rigdon Marine faces the industry-wide challenge to employ qualified mariners. “There is a shortage of skilled and licensed mariners,” Guice says. “This has always been an industry issue, but it’s heightened right now because of the gap in required operator expertise between the more modern vessels and the older ones. There are significant technological differences between the two, so the demands on the competencies of the crews has increased.”

Crews need to be up for the challenge of learning the required skill sets for these technologically advanced ships. Rigdon Marine is stepping up its training programs for both existing crews and new mariners, Guice says. “We  place more crew members on our ships than is required of us by the U.S. Coast Guard,” Guice explains. “In order to train more mariners to be ahead of the delivery curve on new vessels, we put experienced crews on each vessel, along with less experienced workers.

The experienced personnel serve as mentors and sources of information to the newer employees. This relationship not only transfers technical expertise from one employee to another, but also helps to indoctrinate our new hires in the Rigdon corporate culture and commitment to quality service and safe operations.”

The company has been successful in attracting employees from U.S. Marine academies, which is unique in the industry. “Traditionally, maritime academies have overlooked our segment of marine activity because vessels have been older and work in shallow water,” Guice says. “But, with our technologically advanced vessels and increased pay scale, Rigdon Marine feels that we’re a very attractive employer. We have attractive benefits, and we’re also a progressive  company. We’ve been lucky to excel in attracting young, highly educated and skilled mariners to our fleet.”

Rigdon’s comprehensive three-day orientation program ensures all new workers learn the ins and outs of the technology employed on the vessels. “The program includes specific marine training such as API lifting and cargo-handling procedures,” Guice asserts. “We continuously provide on-the-job training, and we also sponsor continuous offsite training and schooling to upgrade licenses and different skill sets.”