Commitments And Contingencies	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Commitments And Contingencies [Abstract]
Commitments And Contingencies	NOTE M - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Commitments As of December 31, 2015, twenty-one vessels that we own or operate were committed under various contracts extending beyond 2015 and expiring at various dates through 2020. Certain of these agreements also contain options to extend the contracts beyond their minimum terms. During the third quarter of 2014, we were notified of the bankruptcy of a ship builder that had agreed to build a new handysize dry bulk carrier. Upon notification of the bankruptcy, we reclassified our deposit of $3.9 million from construction in progress to accounts receivable, and we recorded an additional $0.3 million of interest income. On January 6, 2015, we collected $4.2 million which represented the return of our deposit and related interest. The Company received two incentives from the State of Louisiana totaling $10.3 million toward the relocation of our corporate headquarters to New Orleans. Of this amount, as of December 31, 2015, we had received $6.5 million, which offset costs related to construction of our office building as well as other relocation expenses. In accordance with the terms of the incentive agreement, we must maintain certain salary requirements from 2016 through 2030. In the event that we default, we could be required to re-pay up to the total of any cash we received from this incentive. As of December 31, 2015, we expect that we will meet these requirements for the year ended December 31, 2016; however, we will continue to monitor these requirements for default and will establish a liability as necessary. Contingencies In the normal course of our operations, we become involved in various litigation matters including, among other things, claims by third parties for alleged property damages, personal injuries, and other matters. While we believe that we have meritorious defenses against these claims, our management has used significant estimates in determining our potential exposure. Our estimates are determined based on various factors, such as (1) severity of the injury (for personal injuries) and estimated potential liability based on past judgments and settlements, (2) advice from legal counsel based on its assessment of the facts of the case and its experience in other cases, (3) probability of pre-trial settlement which would mitigate legal costs, (4) historical experience on claims for each specific type of cargo (for cargo damage claims), and (5) whether our seamen are employed in permanent positions or temporary revolving positions. It is reasonably possible that changes in our estimated exposure may occur from time to time. As is true of all estimates based on historical experience, these estimates are subject to some volatility. However, because our total exposure is limited by our aggregate stop loss levels (see Note Q - Self-Retention Insurance), we believe that our exposure is within our estimated levels. Where appropriate, we have recorded provisions, included in other long-term liabilities to cover our potential exposure. Although it is difficult to predict the costs of ultimately resolving such issues, we have determined that our current insurance coverage is sufficient to limit any additional exposure to an amount that would not be material to our financial position. Therefore, based on current knowledge we do not expect such changes in these estimates to have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations, although we cannot provide assurances to this effect. We have been named as a defendant in numerous lawsuits claiming damages related to occupational diseases, primarily related to asbestosis and hearing loss. We believe that most of these claims are without merit, and that insurance and the indemnification of a previous owner of one of our subsidiaries may mitigate our exposure. Based on consultation with outside legal counsel, we have estimated our current overall exposure to the lawsuits in question, after considering insurance coverage for these net claims, to be approximately $292,000. We believe those estimates are reasonable and have established reserves accordingly. Our reserves for these lawsuits as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 were approximately $292,000 and $352,000, respectively. There is a reasonable possibility that there will be additional claims associated with occupational diseases asserted against us. However, we do not believe that it is reasonably possible that our exposure from those claims will be material because (1) the lawsuits filed since 1989 claiming damages related to occupational diseases in which we have been named as a defendant have primarily involved seamen that served on-board our vessels and the number of such persons still eligible to file a lawsuit against us is diminishing and (2) we believe such potential additional claims, if pursued, would be covered under either or both of (i) an indemnification agreement with a previous owner of one of our subsidiaries or (ii) one or more of our existing insurance policies with deductibles ranging from $1,500 to $25,000 per claim. As of December 31, 2015, we held three vessels under operating lease contracts, which included a molten-sulphur carrier in our Jones Act segment and two pure car truck carriers that operate under our PCTC segment. These lease agreements impose certain financial covenants, including defined minimum working capital and net worth requirements, and prohibit us from incurring, without the lessor’s prior written consent, additional debt or lease obligations, subject to certain specified exceptions. These financial covenants are generally similar, but not identical, to the financial covenants set forth under our Credit Facility - see Note F – Debt Obligations. Additionally, our vessel operating lease agreements contain early buy-out options and fair value purchase options that enable us to purchase the vessels under certain specified circumstances. In the event that we default under any of our operating lease agreements, we may be forced to buy back the three vessels for a stipulated loss value of approximately $73.5 million. Effective at the end of the third quarter of 2015, we entered into separate limited waiver agreements with all of our lessors. Under these agreements, the lessors waived defaults under certain specified working capital, minimum liquidity, tangible net worth and fixed charge coverage covenants through March 31, 2016 and provided relief from testing compliance of most of these covenants until June 30, 2016. As of December 31, 2015, we concluded the fair market value of these vessels exceeded the stipulated loss value; as such, if we were required to buy back these vessels, we would not anticipate a loss. On and after June 26, 2014, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued pre-penalty notifications to us and two of our affiliates alleging failure to properly report the importation of spare parts incorporated into our vessels covering the period April 2008 through September 2012. Under these notifications, CBP’s proposed duty is currently approximately $1.4 million along with a proposed penalty on the assessment of approximately $5.7 million. The basis of CBP’s assessment is that the U. S. Government experienced a loss of revenue consisting of the difference between the government’s ad valorem duty and the consumption entry duty actually paid by us. On September 24, 2014, we submitted our formal response to CBP’s claim and denied violating the applicable U.S. statute or regulations. We have not accrued a liability for this matter because we believe it is premature (i) to determine whether an accrual is warranted and (ii) if so, to determine a reasonable estimate of probable liability. Note F – Debt Obligations contains a discussion of our debt guarantees under the subheading “Guarantees.” We do not believe, based on current knowledge, that any of the foregoing legal proceedings or claims are likely to have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

NOTE M - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Commitments

As of December 31, 2015, twenty-one vessels that we own or operate were committed under various contracts extending beyond 2015 and expiring at various dates through 2020. Certain of these agreements also contain options to extend the contracts beyond their minimum terms.

During the third quarter of 2014, we were notified of the bankruptcy of a ship builder that had agreed to build a new handysize dry bulk carrier. Upon notification of the bankruptcy, we reclassified our deposit of $3.9 million from construction in progress to accounts receivable, and we recorded an additional $0.3 million of interest income. On January 6, 2015, we collected $4.2 million which represented the return of our deposit and related interest.

The Company received two incentives from the State of Louisiana totaling $10.3 million toward the relocation of our corporate headquarters to New Orleans. Of this amount, as of December 31, 2015, we had received $6.5 million, which offset costs related to construction of our office building as well as other relocation expenses. In accordance with the terms of the incentive agreement, we must maintain certain salary requirements from 2016 through 2030. In the event that we default, we could be required to re-pay up to the total of any cash we received from this incentive. As of December 31, 2015, we expect that we will meet these requirements for the year ended December 31, 2016; however, we will continue to monitor these requirements for default and will establish a liability as necessary.

Contingencies

In the normal course of our operations, we become involved in various litigation matters including, among other things, claims by third parties for alleged property damages, personal injuries, and other matters. While we believe that we have meritorious defenses against these claims, our management has used significant estimates in determining our potential exposure. Our estimates are determined based on various factors, such as (1) severity of the injury (for personal injuries) and estimated potential liability based on past judgments and settlements, (2) advice from legal counsel based on its assessment of the facts of the case and its experience in other cases, (3) probability of pre-trial settlement which would mitigate legal costs, (4) historical experience on claims for each specific type of cargo (for cargo damage claims), and (5) whether our seamen are employed in permanent positions or temporary revolving positions. It is reasonably possible that changes in our estimated exposure may occur from time to time. As is true of all estimates based on historical experience, these estimates are subject to some volatility. However, because our total exposure is limited by our aggregate stop loss levels (see Note Q - Self-Retention Insurance), we believe that our exposure is within our estimated levels. Where appropriate, we have recorded provisions, included in other long-term liabilities to cover our potential exposure. Although it is difficult to predict the costs of ultimately resolving such issues, we have determined that our current insurance coverage is sufficient to limit any additional exposure to an amount that would not be material to our financial position. Therefore, based on current knowledge we do not expect such changes in these estimates to have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations, although we cannot provide assurances to this effect.

We have been named as a defendant in numerous lawsuits claiming damages related to occupational diseases, primarily related to asbestosis and hearing loss. We believe that most of these claims are without merit, and that insurance and the indemnification of a previous owner of one of our subsidiaries may mitigate our exposure. Based on consultation with outside legal counsel, we have estimated our current overall exposure to the lawsuits in question, after considering insurance coverage for these net claims, to be approximately $292,000. We believe those estimates are reasonable and have established reserves accordingly. Our reserves for these lawsuits as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 were approximately $292,000 and $352,000, respectively. There is a reasonable possibility that there will be additional claims associated with occupational diseases asserted against us. However, we do not believe that it is reasonably possible that our exposure from those claims will be material because (1) the lawsuits filed since 1989 claiming damages related to occupational diseases in which we have been named as a defendant have primarily involved seamen that served on-board our vessels and the number of such persons still eligible to file a lawsuit against us is diminishing and (2) we believe such potential additional claims, if pursued, would be covered under either or both of (i) an indemnification agreement with a previous owner of one of our subsidiaries or (ii) one or more of our existing insurance policies with deductibles ranging from $1,500 to $25,000 per claim.

As of December 31, 2015, we held three vessels under operating lease contracts, which included a molten-sulphur carrier in our Jones Act segment and two pure car truck carriers that operate under our PCTC segment. These lease agreements impose certain financial covenants, including defined minimum working capital and net worth requirements, and prohibit us from incurring, without the lessor’s prior written consent, additional debt or lease obligations, subject to certain specified exceptions. These financial covenants are generally similar, but not identical, to the financial covenants set forth under our Credit Facility - see Note F – Debt Obligations. Additionally, our vessel operating lease agreements contain early buy-out options and fair value purchase options that enable us to purchase the vessels under certain specified circumstances. In the event that we default under any of our operating lease agreements, we may be forced to buy back the three vessels for a stipulated loss value of approximately $73.5 million. Effective at the end of the third quarter of 2015, we entered into separate limited waiver agreements with all of our lessors. Under these agreements, the lessors waived defaults under certain specified working capital, minimum liquidity, tangible net worth and fixed charge coverage covenants through March 31, 2016 and provided relief from testing compliance of most of these covenants until June 30, 2016. As of December 31, 2015, we concluded the fair market value of these vessels exceeded the stipulated loss value; as such, if we were required to buy back these vessels, we would not anticipate a loss.

On and after June 26, 2014, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued pre-penalty notifications to us and two of our affiliates alleging failure to properly report the importation of spare parts incorporated into our vessels covering the period April 2008 through September 2012. Under these notifications, CBP’s proposed duty is currently approximately $1.4 million along with a proposed penalty on the assessment of approximately $5.7 million. The basis of CBP’s assessment is that the U. S. Government experienced a loss of revenue consisting of the difference between the government’s ad valorem duty and the consumption entry duty actually paid by us. On September 24, 2014, we submitted our formal response to CBP’s claim and denied violating the applicable U.S. statute or regulations. We have not accrued a liability for this matter because we believe it is premature (i) to determine whether an accrual is warranted and (ii) if so, to determine a reasonable estimate of probable liability.

Note F – Debt Obligations contains a discussion of our debt guarantees under the subheading “Guarantees.”

We do not believe, based on current knowledge, that any of the foregoing legal proceedings or claims are likely to have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.