MEET THE NOBRA President

Port Log Fall 2015

The first spark of interest in a career path often happens in childhood when a teacher or parent says something that strikes a chord with the child’s developing mind. For Captain Stephen Hathorn, river pilot and President of the New Orleans Baton Rouge Steamship Pilots Association (NOBRA), that moment occurred when he was 6 years old and he spent several weeks on a towboat with his father, the captain.

“My dad wanted me to be a doctor or lawyer, but I think boys always want to be like their father, so I’ve wanted to do this since I was a boy,” Hathorn said.

He began his maritime career as a deckhand on various harbor tugs in 1974 at the age of 18. A few years later he was hired as Captain for Crescent Towing and Salvage where he spent 11 years of his career.

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In 1989, he was elected into NOBRA and after a 6-month apprenticeship was commissioned as a river pilot.

NOBRA represents pilots who guide ships from New Orleans to Baton Rouge and was founded in 1943. All members of NOBRA must be elected to the organization and fulfill several requirements including possessing a bachelor’s degree, an intimate knowledge of the waters they serve, possess a license issued by the Coast Guard, become recertified every five years and serve in a minimum one-year apprenticeship.

Hathorn was elected President of NOBRA in 2014 after serving as Vice President.

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“It’s a great organization and it’s a proud honor to lead this group of 118 dedicated professionals in keeping commerce moving and our waterways and environment safe,” Hathorn said.

The Mississippi River poses multiple safety challenges, but the biggest one is from an unlikely sounding culprit — 5 mile per hour water currents. Hathorn says the ideal river current for steerage is 1 to 2 miles per hour. Even the slightest increase in river current speed poses difficulties for river pilots; the ship doesn’t steer as easily and vessels tied up to the dock won’t stay in the berth as reliably.

“We’ve had a ship break out and knocked another ship loose. Everything happens a lot faster when currents increase, there’s less room for error,” Hathorn said.

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In August, Carrollton Gauge was at a 15 ½ foot river stage which is very close to the flood stage. When waters reach such high levels the currents increase dramatically by river standards. By late August, the river stage had fallen dramatically, a somewhat unusual occurrence according to Hathorn, resulting in “silting up” which poses a separate set of challenges for river pilots.

“These conditions push the limits of a pilot’s skill and ship capabilities. It keeps everyone on their toes,” Hathorn said.

Keeping commerce moving is important, but safety always trumps business in the mind of a NOBRA pilot.

“The Mississippi River is the lifeline of the country as far as exports. But for a river pilot safety is always first when we work with the industries to keep commerce moving,” Hathorn said.

Serving as NOBRA’s President has allowed him to meet the other side of maritime personnel.

“I’ve worked with Coast Guard, Corps of Engineers, Freight Forwarders, Marine Advocates, Port Officials, shipping agents. It’s amazing that such a diverse group can come together to make the Port of South Louisiana No.1,” Hathorn said.

Hathorn still occasionally pilots a vessel but his new position at NOBRA is primarily focused on making the organization run smoothly. Though he is confident in executing his duties as president of the organization, he is unpretentious in his newfound leadership role.

“Being President is new ground. I was trained to move ships. I never doubt myself on the bridge of a ship. But this has been a career change for me and I’m humbled,” Hathorn said.
While not at work, Hathorn is an avid LSU sports fan.

“Football, basketball, baseball, I like all of it,” Hathorn said.

 

 

 

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