Page 28 - Port of Baltimore Sept/Oct 2011

[26] The Port of Baltimore ■ September/October 2011 To subscribe or renew, visitwww.marylandports.com
new fleet is at the core of a strategic plan
created by Vane President C. “Duff” Hughes
to replace all of the company’s single-hulled
barges with double-hulled models by 2012,
years ahead of an environmentally minded
mandate set by the federal government under
the Oil Pollution Act (OPA) of 1990.
“The completion of these new vessels
marks an important component in Vane’s
vision and ability to operate and deliver with
high standards and great effectiveness,” said
Hughes, who noted that Vane has continued
to grow its presence along the East Coast,
including recently opening a shoreside
warehouse and dock facility in Brooklyn, NY.
“With this modern fleet, Vane has enjoyed
increased efficiencies in maintenance, safety,
training, as well as recruitment and retention
of outstanding mariners.”
Vane’s efforts now and in the past certainly
haven’t gone unnoticed at the Port of Baltimore.
“Vane Brothers has been an active presence
at the Port of Baltimore for many years,” said
Maryland Port Administration (MPA) Executive
Director James J. White. “They have a proud
family history and it shows in the way they run
their business. Under Duff’s leadership, Vane
has become one of the leading providers for
tug and barge services in Baltimore. We’re very
fortunate to have Vane here at the port.”
Demske noted that, with Vane’s fleet grow-
ing so quickly, it was important that all of the
boats be standardized. He turned to renowned
naval architect Frank Basile to design what
would become two classes of boats arranged
identically so that a crew member could move
easily from one vessel to another. “Most
tug companies have a mixed bag of boats,
acquired piecemeal,” explained Demske. “We
were fortunate to have a complete replacement
set built together.”
According to Hughes, Vane was also
fortunate that Demske could call upon his
“decades of operating expertise in the wheel
house as a pilot” to place his personal touch
on the new fleet of tug boats. “Captain Jim’s
signature is on each and every boat delivered,
and I can say without hesitation that it is a gold
standard,” Hughes said.
As a result, Vane has been able to offer its
customers — the world’s major oil companies
— the most up-to-the-minute technology in
petroleum transport.
Responding to customers’
requests, large or small, is an
integral part of the corporate
culture at The Vane Brothers
Company. This is according
to Senior Port Captain Russi
Makujina, who has been an
integral part of that culture for
nearly 40 years. “Duff’s grand-
father told me once, ‘If a
customer asks for a length of
line and we don’t have it, go
out and find it for him,’ and we
always did,” Makujina said.
Long before Makujina was
managing the multi-million-
dollar barge fleet, he worked
with the Hughes family in Vane’s
ship chandlery. The chandlery,
based at the time in Baltimore’s
Fells Point community, served
vessels calling the Port for most
of the 20th century.
When a young Duff Hughes
first came on board, represent-
ing the fourth generation to join
the family business, he worked
in the harbor as a tankerman
delivering galley oil and lubes to
ships. Building upon Vane’s
relationships with oil companies
in Baltimore, he began a move
into petroleum transport.
“With a strong foundation
shaped by my grandfather,
father and Captain Russi, the
moons were aligned for Vane to
expand,” Hughes said. “Using
the expertise and incredible
energy of Jim Demske, Tom
Gaither and other members of
our team, Vane focused on
developing the marine
transportation business.”
At the dawn of the 21st
century, as Baltimore’s Fells
Point and Canton communities
became more gentrified and less
suitable as a base of operations
for Vane, the company looked
for a new place to set up shop.
Demske recalls joining Hughes
while visiting a piece of Port
property in Fairfield. “I was
thinking that this would be a
good, out-of-the-way place to
maintain the fleet and have
our warehouse,” Demske said.
“Meantime, Duff is envisioning a
whole corporate campus!”
In 2003, when the Fairfield
property became Vane’s head-
quarters, the company’s
employee count stood at more
than 200. That total climbed
beyond 500 just five years later.
Today, the Vane headquarters
houses far more than the fleet
maintenance facility. The Vane
Marine and Safety Services
division provides lifeboat, life
raft and fire suppression testing
and certification as well as a
wide array of safety gear.
The offices, with sweeping
views of Baltimore harbor, are
designed with open areas for
gathering and a large “galley”
for both the office workers and
boat crews. Vane regularly
hosts events for the maritime
community at the facility.
An Expanding Enterprise JIM DEMSKE, VANE BROTHERS COMPANY