Launching a maritime legacy

MILLER’S LAUNCH I PROFILE

LAUNCHING

A MARITIME LEGACY

As the self-proclaimed ‘Swiss Army Knife of the Atlantic Ocean’, Miller’s Launch offers its clients a spcialised toolbox of maritime support services tailored to meet any and every need at sea.

From its base in New York Harbour, the company operates an impressive catalogue of floating assets ready to go at a moment’s notice, no matter the time of the day or night. Vice President Nick Miller spoke to Richard Hagan about his family’s company’s illustrious service record across the US East Coast.

The owners of family-run Miller’s Launch are part of a long lineage of seafarers with a deep connection to the sea. The daily scheduling unpredictability and the adventure of tackling the challenges of nature and winning, are second nature to them.

“We all have some saltwater in our blood here,” commented Nick Miller, Vice president at Miller’s Launch. “You have to like the adventure of working here. It’s a lifestyle. Schedules change at a moment’s notice, and you have to deal with nature. It’s not like making widgets in a factory.”

The answer is yes

Miller’s Launch has established a formidable reputation for being not only willing but also able to tackle any challenge, anywhere on the water.

“Our main ideology of the business is that we like to say yes to interesting marine problems and then come up with creative solutions to them,” Mr Miller explained.

With a portfolio of around 70 pieces of equipment on the water, maintained and operated by a roster of 100 staff across all of its divisions, Miller’s Launch has the machinery, manpower and capacity to tackle any customer’s challenge. And as Mr Miller revealed, those challenges are many.

“We provide marine support to various operations, including everything from offshore wind, to emergency and oil spill response and film industry needs, as well as construction barges, towing, offshore marine research, and lightering. You name it, we’ve probably touched it at some point in our history.”

All of these services have developed from the company’s original ‘bread and butter’ offering of providing launch services to visiting commercial vessels. These include crew transfers, provisioning and other services, all of which continue to form a core part of the company’s portfolio. In fact, not only are they still running, but the

MILLER’S LAUNCH I PROFILE

company’s launch services vessels are the busiest in its fleet.

“The launch side of the business runs 24/7, 365 days a year all the time for the past 40 years,” said Mr Miller. “Except for once when we had to shut down for a few hours in the middle of Hurricane Sandy.”

A unique armada

The company’s main facility is its headquarters located in New York Harbor in New York City, where it is sandwiched between the Navy Pier and the famous St George Ferry. Most of its operations take place at and from this location.

Its second facility is located on Staten Island, where it enjoys a three-acre plot with water access. From there, Miller’s Launch mainly operates its offshore wind buoy division.

A little-known aspect of Miller’s Launch is its ownership of a franchise of the famed TowBoatUS company. That facility is located in Atlantic Highlands in New Jersey, from which all of its towboat operations are run. Staying in New Jersey, the company also owns a business that primarily provides booming operations for the oil industry and oil-related emergencies.

“We are one-hour responders for oil pollution incidents,” Mr Miller revealed. “We open and close booms during oil transfers at terminals. From there, we provide services across New York and New Jersey for both government and private entities.”

The breadth and variety of Miller’s Launch’s operations are unique for the region.

“We really have a niche business here in New York that not a lot of other people can provide. We have a reputation in New York Harbor and amongst our vendors that if someone has a unique problem that nobody can solve, the solution is to go call Miller’s – they’ll figure it out,” he said with a chuckle.

While the company’s material assets are important, its crews are more so, Mr Miller highlighted.

“Anybody in the world can go out and buy a vessel, but I want to help my customers accomplish whatever they’re trying to do. Whether that’s building a school on Roosevelt Island or an offshore wind farm, I have a responsibility to provide not only the correct vessel but also the best captains, deckhands and fabricators who eat and breathe this lifestyle. One whole half of my business revolves around how good my captain is and how well he knows the local area.”

The company’s experienced crew operate a fleet of vessels that include five tugs, a fleet of harbour launches, and large

offshore support vessels featuring specialised equipment including A-Frames.

Mr Miller added: “I have a 30-tonne A-Frame capable of doing a variety of different work, ranging from surveys and research to construction and maintenance work. That really sets us apart.”

Local knowledge powering offshore construction

The local knowledge of Miller’s Launch’s seafarers, added to its reputation for creativity and flexibility, is set to propel the company’s fortunes for years to come as it prepares to meet the demands of the surging offshore wind power sector.

With multiple large wind farm installations already approved for imminent construction off the US’ north east coast, Miller’s Launch anticipates surging demand for its specialist wind farm services for which it has long been revered within the industry.

“The government and developers are looking to push local content for these projects, but there’s not a lot of knowledge, experience and people here in the north east who can undertake that kind of work,” Mr Miller highlighted.

“We are on the ground floor of an industry that in my lifetime is only just beginning to take off. The north east coast is really positioned to provide some of the best locations on earth for offshore wind farms. Our local knowledge means that we will be involved in projects from the pre-installation phase where we’ve already made a name for ourselves, all the way up through the construction phase to the maintenance and operations phase, and eventually to the tearing down phase. I see a bright future.”

Miller’s Launch has an existing résumé of offshore wind projects and naturally, it is leveraging its experience, talent and equipment in this field to ensure the company benefits from the large planned projects in its operational area.

While he will certainly be looking for appointments in the various construction and maintenance phases, Mr Miller revealed the company will also be seeking appointments for PSO (protected species observer) services.

“For the permitting phases, you must have people who are trained to sit offshore and ensure that there are no endangered species of marine life that will be affected by the work that is underway.” In this scenario, the company would provide the vessels and other platforms required for the PSO work to be undertaken.

“The people who are in offshore wind services should really talk to us,” Mr Miller added. “We’ve surprised a lot of people with our portfolio of work and the capacities we have to offer. We’re Jones Act compliant. We’ve got dynamically-positioned vessels with A-Frames right here in New York Harbor.”

A gadget for every future occasion

Ultimately, Miller’s Launch is client-focused and passionate about finding solutions. The staff have even invented a tongue-in-cheek word to describe their skill in developing creative solutions: “We’re always interested in building the next ‘gizoroni’ for the next job,” said Mr Miller with a hearty chuckle. “Our passion is helping people solve problems.

“Whether it’s building whatever package the client needs, or whether it’s an A-Frame or a crane for deploying an offshore buoy, we have a boat for that. And most of all, our local knowledge really sets us apart from the competition.”

With a world-class schedule of constant maintenance and reinvestment, Miller’s Launch is looking forward to an actionpacked future. Whether it’s in New York Harbor ferrying crew or supplies to a ship, or supporting the installation of wind turbines dozens of miles offshore, Miller’s Launch has a boat, a crew, and the resources to tackle any challenge. n