Bill would limit Gulf fish farming appeal

Proposed legislation could make the Gulf of Mexico less appealing for the nation's first commercial offshore fish farms. Legislation proposed by Rep. Lois Capps, D-Calif., would be illegal to use oil or natural gas platforms for fish farming operations. Many consider the presence of 4,000 such platforms the Gulf's primary advantage as an aquaculture destination. Proponents have touted them as perfect workstations. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 12/31/09)

County OKs funding for ceremony

MOBILE, Ala. – The Mobile County Commission approved a $40,000 contract with the Mobile Council Navy League to market the Jan. 16 commissioning ceremony for the littoral combat ship Independence, built by Austal USA for the General Dynamics team. The Navy pays for the ceremony and donations pay for receptions, gifts and special celebrations leading up to the event. Community leaders have said the ceremony could further Mobile's emergence as a military shipbuilding center. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 12/29/09) Note: To the west of Mobile, Pascagoula, Miss., is already a well-known military shipbuilding center.

Contract: VT Halter, $86.7M

VT Halter Marine Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded an $86,742,759 firm-fixed-price contract for detail design and construction of one oceanographic survey ship, T-AGS 66. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $87,100,607. Work will be performed in Moss Point, Miss., and is expected to be completed by April 2013. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/22/09)

Independence delivered to Navy

MOBILE, Ala. - The General Dynamics Littoral Combat Ship Team delivered Independence, LCS 2, a high-speed trimaran combatant ship, to the Navy Friday. The ship was constructed by team member Austal USA in Mobile. The delivery of Independence was preceded by the keel laying of its sister ship, Coronado, LCS 4, on Dec. 17. LCS 2 will remain in Mobile awaiting its commissioning Jan. 16, 2010. Independence is the second littoral combat ship delivered to the Navy. The first ship, Freedom, was built by the Lockheed Martin team. (Source: PRNewswire, 12/18/09)

Austal OKd to start JHSV work

MOBILE, Ala. - Austal USA received approval from the Navy and Department of Defense to start work on its first Joint High Speed Vessel. JHSV is a 103-meter military transport ferry that’s part of a potential $1.6 billion, 10-vessel contract. Fortitude, or JHSV 1, will carry military equipment, including vehicles and a helicopter, and troops at speeds of up to 43 knots. Austal is also building its second of two 127-meter littoral combat ships, Coronado, and held a keel laying this week. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 12/17/09)

VT Halter parent wants to buy Bender

VT Halter Marine of Pascagoula’s parent company, Vision Technologies Systems, has offered $21 million cash for Bender Shipbuilding & Repair's Mobile shipyard, kick-starting a special auction process intended for companies in Chapter 11 bankruptcy to quickly sell property and repay debts. According to court documents, VT Halter would also assume certain Bender debts and liabilities. Vision Technologies is a subsidiary of Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd., which owns ST Aerospace Mobile at Brookely Field Industrial Complex. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 12/16/09)

Keel authentication ceremony held

AVONDALE, La. - Northrop Grumman held a keel authentication ceremony Friday for Somerset (LPD 25), the ninth ship in the LPD 17 series of San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships being built by the company. Somerset is named in honor of the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93, who prevented terrorist hijackers from reaching their target on Sept. 11, 2001. Somerset is the county in Pennsylvania in which United Flight 93 crashed. Construction of is taking place at the Avondale shipyard, with fabrication support from the three other company facilities in Pascagoula and Gulfport, Miss., and Tallulah, La. The 684-foot, 105-foot-wide LPD transport dock ships are used to transport and land Marines, their equipment and supplies by embarked air cushion or conventional landing craft and Expeditionary Fighting vehicles, amphibious assault vehicles, augmented by helicopters or vertical takeoff and landing aircraft such as the Osprey. (Source: Northrop Grumman, 12/11/09)

Contract: Northrop, $18.6M

Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded an $18,604,845 modification to previously awarded contract to exercise options for the accomplishment of follow yard class services for the DDG 51 class AEGIS Destroyer Program and will provide expert design, planning and material support services for both DDG 51 ship construction and modernization. Work will be performed in Pascagoula and is expected to be completed by August 2010. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/10/09)

Coastal resource center ceremony slated

A grand opening ceremony will be held Monday in Jackson County, Miss., for the new $9 million, 20,000-square-foot Grand Bay Coastal Resources Center. It serves as headquarters for the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in the Pecan community of southeast Jackson County. The building includes a public interpretative area, office space, laboratories, classrooms and a dormitory and will be shared by the reserve and Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The dedication coincides with the 10th anniversary of the reserve, which includes more than 18,000 acres of estuarine and upland habitat for purposes of scientific research and observation, education and stewardship. (Source: Mississippi Press, 12/05/09)

Cost looms too large in LCS competition?

Three members of the Alabama congressional delegation said in a letter to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus that the service is putting price ahead of quality and performance in preparing a winner-take-all showdown to buy up to 10 littoral combat ships. A draft bid request released last month is structured “to buy the cheapest ship without consideration of any other factor,” wrote Sen. Richard Shelby, Sen. Jeff Sessions, and Rep. Jo Bonner. The Navy is dramatically changing its approach to procuring the littoral combat ships. Instead of continuing with two hull designs, one built by General Dynamics and the other by Lockheed Martin, the Navy will choose a single structure. Austal USA, in Mobile, Ala., is part of the General Dynamics team. (Sources: Mobile Press-Register, Aviation Week, 12/04/09).

MSU picks research VP

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A veteran Mississippi State faculty member and research scientist has been chosen as vice president for research and economic development at MSU. David R. Shaw assumes his new duties Jan. 1, pending approval by the board of trustees, State Institutions of Higher Learning. He succeeds Kirk Schulz, who left MSU to become president of Kansas State University. Shaw played a key role in the creation of several cross-disciplinary research centers that focus on the applications of remote sensing technology to resource management. Most recently, Shaw spearheaded formation of the NOAA-funded Northern Gulf Institute, a collaborative effort with Louisiana State and Florida State universities, University of Southern Mississippi, and the Dauphin Island Sea Laboratory in Alabama. NGI's program office is at Stennis Space Center. It focuses its research efforts on ecosystem management, coastal hazards and mitigation, and climate assessment and modeling. (Source: Starkville Daily News, 12/02/09)

Contract: Northrop Grumman, $170.7M

Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a letter contract with a not-to-exceed amount of $170,700,000 for long lead time material in support of construction of DDG 113 under the DDG 51 Class destroyer program. This contract provides propulsion gas turbines, generators, controllable pitch propeller and other components to support construction of DDG 113. Work is anticipated to be performed in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Alabama, Indiana, Louisiana., Mississippi, New York, Texas, Virginia and Washington. Work is expected to be completed by January 2013. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/02/09)

Workers OK contract extension

PASCAGOULA, Miss. – Union members voted to accept an offer by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding to extend their work contract by two years. The vote was about 2,300 for an 275 against, according to the Sun Herald. The extension provides for a $1,000 bonus, a maximum 55-cent raise in January and another in early 2011. Workers keep the same health care coverage costs they negotiated in 2007. The contract will now run until March 2012. (Source: Sun Herald, 12/01/09)

Unions vote today on contract

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Members of unions at the Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Ingalls yard will begin voting today on extending the contract. Union leadership endorsed the move, saying it benefits both the workers and the company. If ratified, the contract will not end until March 2012 and will include two raises of 55 cents each for journeymen, less for other workers, and a $1,000 bonus in mid-December that would take the place of a cost-of-living raise set for early next year. (Source: Sun Herald, 12/01/09)

New artificial reef in place

The 176-foot-long Great Wicomico is now an artificial reef about 13 miles south of Mississippi's Horn Island in the Gulf of Mexico. The ship entered service in 1945 and became part of the Omega Protein fishing fleet in 1960. Omega Protein, which operates a pogy fishing fleet out of Moss Point, Miss., donated the ship for the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Artificial Reef Bureau. Artificial reefs create habitats for sea life. Mississippi's artificial reef program began in 1999. (Source: Mississippi Press, 11/25/09)

Dewey arrives in San Diego

SAN DIEGO - The Navy’s newest destroyer has arrived at its new homeport of San Diego. Dewey conducted training and readiness drills on its way from the Northrop Grumman Shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. The ship also made a port visit to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where crew members did community service projects. Dewey is the 55th ship in the Arleigh Burke class of destroyers. Dewey’s commissioning is scheduled for March 6 at Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station. (Source: Navy Times, 11/24/09)

Two die in shipyard blast

MOSS POINT, Miss. – Two people died and four were injured late Friday after an apparent flash fire in a tank on a 120-foot tugboat at VT Halter Marine in Moss Point. A crew was cleaning the tank and getting it ready to paint when there was an explosion. The cause is not yet known. The company has 200 workers at its Escatawpa site. VT Halter Marine builds small naval ships, research ships, tug-barge combinations and oilfield support vessels. (Sources: Sun Herald, 11/20/09, Mississippi Press, 11/21/09)

Shipbuilder offers contract extension

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Northrop Grumman wants to extend the current labor contract with workers by two years, and in doing so, has offered a December bonus, two raises and no increase in health care coverage for workers during the two years. The unions have endorsed the proposal. Workers on each shift are expected to receive handouts explaining the terms when they go to work Monday. Union workers at the Ingalls, Avondale and Gulfport yards will have the Thanksgiving holidays to consider the offer. A vote is planned for Dec. 1. The current three-year contract is set to end in March. (Source: Sun Herald, 11/20/09)

LCS completes acceptance trials

MOBILE, Ala. - The future USS Independence, LCS 2, successfully completed acceptance trials this week. Acceptance trials are the first opportunity to test the ship and its systems. During two days underway, the ship completed demonstrations of the combat systems suite, steering, anchoring and propulsion. The ship achieved a top speed of almost 45 knots during the full power demonstration. The ship is expected to be turned over to the Navy next month, with commissioning Jan. 16 in Mobile, Ala. The ship was built by Austal USA, and is a new breed vessel designed for littoral, or near shore, service. (Source: NNS, 11/19/09)

NMOC gets new commander

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – The Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command has a new commander. Rear Adm. Jonathan W. White relieved Rear Adm. David W. Titley in a change-of-command ceremony Friday. Titley, who served as NMOC commander since December 2007, was assigned to be the Oceanographer and Navigator of the Navy in April. White was chosen in September as to replace Titley as head of NMOC. White most recently served as chief of staff. He’s been in the Navy for 26 years. (Source: Sun Herald, 11/16/09)

GCRL releases seatrout

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. – The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory released 16,000 tagged hatchery-raised seatrout this week into the wild at two Bay St. Louis locations. The Seatrout Population Enhancement Cooperative program is designed to enhance the seatrout population. The fish released Thursday are among the first to be raised in the new Marine Aquaculture Visitors' Pavilion at GCRL’s Cedar Point site. The laboratory is developing a similar program for red snapper. (Source: Mississippi Press, 11/13/09)

LPD-17 class life-cycle awarded

TEWKSBURY, Mass. - Raytheon has been awarded a $197 million Navy contract for life-cycle engineering and support of the LPD 17 class, the Navy's new generation of amphibious warfare ships. As a member of the LPD alliance, Raytheon is the total ship electronics systems integrator for the LPD 17 class as well as the prime contractor for life-cycle engineering and support. Work on the LPD 17 program is performed in San Diego, Calif.; Portsmouth, R.I.; and by Raytheon Technical Services Company, New Orleans, La., and San Diego. (Source: Raytheon, 11/12/09) Gulf Coast note: The LPD-17 class is built by Northrop Grumman at its Gulf Coast shipyards.

Cutter turned over to CG

PASCAGOULA, Miss – The Coast Guard on Friday accepted delivery of the Waesche, the second of the new National Security Cutters built at Northrop Grumman’s Pascagoula shipyard. The ceremony held on the 418-foot Waesche’s flight deck signaled the transfer of ownership of the ship from Northrop Grumman Corp. to the Coast Guard. The Bertholf, the first of eight planned Legend-class cutters, was delivered to the Coast Guard in May 2008 at the Pascagoula shipyard. The third cutter, the Stratton, is about 30 percent complete in the Pascagoula shipyard. (Source: Mississippi Press, 11/07/09)

NOAA slates dedication, commissioning

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - NOAA officials will commission the Pisces, the agency’s newest and most advanced fisheries survey vessel, and dedicate the agency’s new fisheries laboratory Friday. The recently completed NOAA laboratory replaces the facility that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The ship and laboratory will support fisheries research in the Gulf of Mexico, southeastern United States, and Caribbean. (Source: Sun Herald, 10/03/09)

NOAA slates dedication, commissioning

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - NOAA officials will commission the Pisces, the agency’s newest and most advanced fisheries survey vessel on Friday. It will also dedicate the agency’s new fisheries laboratory on the same day. The recently completed NOAA laboratory replaces the facility that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The ship and laboratory will support fisheries research in the Gulf of Mexico, southeastern United States, and Caribbean. (Source: Sun Herald, 10/03/09)

Signal gets $50M contract

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Signal International will construct components to be used in a drillship reliability upgrade program for Noble Corp., an offshore drilling contractor for the oil and gas industry. The $50 million contract was announced Monday. The work will be performed at shipyards in Pascagoula and Orange, Texas. (Source: Mississippi Press via AP, 11/03/09)

USS New York in NYC

NEW YORK - The Northrop Grumman-built USS New York, LPD 21, arrived in New York Monday to the cheers of well-wishers who lined the waterfront. The ship, built in New Orleans, left its homeport of Naval Station Norfolk, Va., Oct. 29 to make the voyage to its namesake for a 10-day long celebration and a commissioning ceremony scheduled Nov. 7. More than seven tons of steel recovered from the World Trade Center was used for the ship’s hull. (Source: NNS, 11/02/09)

Marine scientiests gather in Biloxi

BILOXI, Miss. - Marine scientists and researchers are meeting in Biloxi this week for the Oceans '09 conference at the coliseum convention center. They're sharing information about ongoing projects and networking with colleagues. South Mississippi has a lot of activity in marine science issues, including the work at Stennis Space Center and the Gulf Coast Research Lab. (Source: WLOX-TV, 10/27/09)

Atlantic Marine to work on oiler

MOBILE, Ala. - A Navy oiler not used for more than a dozen years has been handed over to the Chilean government, and Mobile's Atlantic Marine will play a key role in its $30 million revitalization. Chile acquired the vessel in May under a foreign military sales agreement, where it pays the U.S. government a reactivation fee and the government handles the work. In this deal, the price tag was $29.95 million, which includes repairing or replacing equipment and training the sailors. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 10/25/09)

Asian tiger shrimp reported in coastal waters

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. - Scientists at The University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Laboratory are keeping watch for Asian tiger shrimp in coastal waters and are asking local shrimpers to do the same. Within the last month, several have been caught in local waters. The potentially invasive, large shrimp are aggressive toward other shrimp. “These shrimp are in competition for resources needed by our native species and they also carry diseases that can affect both shrimp and crabs,” said Harriet Perry, director of the Center for Fisheries Research and Development at GCRL. “We’ve been aware for some time that these shrimp have been periodically taken in trawls in waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico, but these are the first specimens captured in Mississippi waters,” Perry said. The primary concern is the potential transfer of viral diseases to native shrimp. (Source: USM, 10/22/09)

USM program gets donation

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - The Department of Marine Science at The University of Southern Mississippi received a donation of Fledermaus 3D visualization and software licenses from Interactive Visualization Systems for a third consecutive year. The licenses, nearly a $200,000 value, are to be used by the university’s hydrographic science graduate degree program, one of a select group of internationally recognized accredited hydrographic training programs. (Source: USM, 10/21/09)

LCS completes builder's trial

MOBILE, Ala. – Independence, the high-speed trimaran combatant ship being constructed by shipbuilder Austal USA as part of the General Dynamics Littoral Combat Ship Team, successfully completed a series of tests known as builder's trials on Oct. 18 in the Gulf of Mexico. The trials included more than 50 demonstration events to test the ship and all its systems in preparation for final inspection by the Navy before delivery. Events during the trials included reaching a sustained speed of 44 knots during the required four-hour full-power run, with a top speed in excess of 45 knots. (Source: General Dynamics via PR Newswire, 10/21/09)

Northrop Grumman 3Q report

Northrop Grumman Corp. reported that third quarter 2009 earnings from continuing operations totaled $487 million compared with $509 million in the third quarter of 2008. Third quarter 2009 net pension adjustment reduced earnings from continuing operations by $47 million compared with an increase to earnings from continuing operations of $42 million in the third quarter of 2008. (Source: Northrop Grumman, 10/21/09) Gulf Coast note: Northrop Grumman has shipbuilding operations in Pascagoula and Gulfport, Miss., and Avondale, La.

Makin Island commissioning set

NORTH ISLAND, Calif. – The Pascagoula, Miss.-built USS Makin Island will be formally commissioned in a ceremony on Naval Air Station North Island Saturday. The ship arrived in San Diego in mid-September, bringing over 1,000 sailors and their families to the San Diego community. Makin Island is the final amphibious assault ship built in the LHD-1 Wasp-class, but is the first of the class built with gas turbine engines and electric drive, as well as other energy saving systems. (Source: NNS, 10/19/09)

GCRL site for ocean policy task force

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. - The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory will serve as one of four satellite access sites for a video conference by a federal task force charged with helping recommend a national policy on oceans, coasts and Great Lakes issues. The meeting of the Gulf Coast Regional Ocean Policy Task Force is Monday from 3:30 to 7 p.m., and will be broadcast live from the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans. Other satellite locations are at Dauphin Island, Ala.; Corpus Christi, Texas; and St. Petersburg, Fla. The group will hold six meetings across the United States before drafting an ocean policy plan by December. An interim report last month noted the need to address issues such as overfishing, wetlands loss and nutrient pollution in rivers that leads to problems such as the Gulf of Mexico's perennial "dead zone." (Sources: Mississippi Press, 10/18/09; New Orleans Times-Picayune, 10/16/09)

White to head oceanography command

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead announced Friday that Rear Adm. (lower half) Jonathan W. White will be assigned as commander of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command at John C. Stennis Space Center, Miss. White is currently serving as chief of staff of the command. (Source: DefenseLink, 10/16/09) Note: NASA's Stennis Space Center is best known for testing the space agency's rockets, but the Navy is the single largest tenant at the center in South Mississippi. In addition to the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, it's also home to the Naval Oceanographic Office, a Naval Research Laboratory detachment and special warfare operations.

LCS takes trial run

MOBILE, Ala. - The littoral combat ship Independence left its dock at Austal Tuesday for a day at sea, according to Jim DeMartini, General Dynamics Corp. spokesman. The ship, currently in builder's trials, is expected to head out at least one more time before it is handed over the U.S. Navy in mid-November for final inspection. One of a new class of shallow-water warships, it was built at Austal USA's Mobile shipyard as part of a team led by General Dynamics. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 10/14/09)

USS New York departing New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, La. – The USS New York is scheduled to leave the New Orleans area Tuesday after more than three years of construction at Avondale. The 684-foot amphibious transport dock ship, which contains more than seven tons of steel from the World Trade Center, will head for its namesake city, where it will be commissioned Nov. 7. Then it will move to its homeport of Norfolk, Va. The ship was built by Northrop Grumman’s Avondale shipyard. (Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune, 10/13/09)

Navy secretary visits shipyard

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus toured Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding’s shipyard in Pascagoula and the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport Thursday. “The most impressive thing here is the quality of the workforce,” Mabus said of the shipyard workers. Mabus, former governor of Mississippi who was appointed to the secretary’s post in May, toured a variety of ships under construction, including Gravely, San Diego, Waesche and Dewey. (Source: GlobeNewswire, 10/08/09)

Bender creditors file complaint

MOBILE, Ala. - Bender Shipbuilding's unsecured creditors are worried over the shipyard's plan to sell most of its Mobile assets, alleging that Bender is pursuing a deal that favors management and would likely leave creditors out in the cold. The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors late Tuesday filed a limited objection. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 10/08/09)

Austal may have another union vote

MOBILE, Ala. - A union could get a third try at organizing Austal USA’s workers after an administrative law judge ruled the shipyard committed unfair labor practices before an April 2008 election. Austal said it is considering appealing the decision, released last week, to the full National Labor Relations Board. If the shipbuilder does not appeal, the decision will become binding and workers will vote for the third time in seven years on whether they want to be represented by the Sheet Metal Workers International Association. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 10/07/09)

Cutter shines in acceptance trials

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - The Northrop Grumman-built Waesche, the second in a new class of cutters, successfully completed its Coast Guard acceptance trials in the Gulf of Mexico this week, the company said Friday. Waesche, under construction at the Pascagoula shipyard, is the second in the U.S. Coast Guard’s Legend class, an eight-ship national security cutter program. Delivery is expected in early November. The WMSL 751 performed well this week during testing of propulsion, electrical, damage control and combat systems, the company said. The ship's builders trial was in August. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 10/03/09)

Bender expects to have new owner

MOBILE, Ala. - Most of Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co.'s Mobile operations will have a new owner by Dec. 15. That’s according to documents obtained by the Press-Register and the shipbuilder's chief executive, Tom Bender. The shipyard has hired New Orleans-based Global Hunter Securities LLP to handle the sale of about 80 percent of its property along the Mobile riverfront. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 10/01/09)

Contract: Swiftships, $181M

Swiftships Shipbuilders LLC, Morgan City, La., is being awarded a $180,998,189 fixed-price letter contract for the detail design and construction of nine patrol boats and associated equipment and services for the Iraq Navy. The contract is for nine Swiftships model 35PB1208E-1455 patrol boats along with six 30mm gun weapons systems, machine gun mounts and cradles, spare parts, and contractor engineering technical services. Sixty percent of the work will be performed in Morgan City, La., and 8 percent in Ocean Springs, Miss. Other work sites are Detroit, Mich., and Charlottesville, Va., and is expected to be completed by August 2012. The Naval Sea Systems Command is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/25/09)

VT Halter Marine set to hire 150

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - VT Halter Marine plans to hire 150 employees soon. The company was awarded a second contract from OSG Ship Management to build a 350,000 barrel articulated tug barge unit. The work should begin in November 2009, and be finished by the middle of 2010. Halter is currently working on a similar vessel for the same company. (Source: WLOX-TV, Mississippi Press, 09/23/09)

Giant squid found in Gulf of Mexico

Scientists from NOAA’s Fisheries Service captured a giant squid while conducting research off the Louisiana coast. This is only the second known giant squid obtained from the Gulf of Mexico. The first was collected in 1954. The squid, just over 19 and a half feet long and 103 pounds, was collected on July 30, during a 60-day scientific study by NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center and the Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service. The scientists were aboard the NOAA research vessel Gordon Gunter when the squid was caught in a trawl at a depth of more than 1,500 feet. (Source: NOAA, 09/21/09)

SUPSHIP command changes

PASCAGOULA, Miss. – Navy Capt. William J. Galinis has replaced Capt. Mary E. "Beth" Dexter as commander of the Navy's Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, Gulf Coast during a ceremony Friday at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. SUPSHIP, a field activity of the Naval Sea Systems Command, administers Defense Department ship construction contracts awarded to private shipyards across the Gulf Coast. (Source: Mississippi Press, 09/19/09)

Navy changes LCS buying plans

The Navy has canceled plans to split a three-ship purchase of littoral combat ships in 2010 between two competitors in favor of a two-stage buying process. The Navy next year wants to award to either General Dynamics of Lockheed-Martin a winner-take-all fixed price contract for up to 10 ships by 2014. And in 2012 the Navy wants to open up the competition to other shipbuilders and buy another five ships with the winning design. Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., is part of the General Dynamics team. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 09/17/09)

Northrop's Sugar sets retirement

LOS ANGELES – Ronald D. Sugar, chairman and CEO of Northrop Grumman since 2003, has announced he'll retire in June 2010. Sugar will step down from his chairman and CEO positions and the company's board of directors at the end of the year. He’ll continue as an employee officer advising the company until his retirement date. Wesley G. Bush, president and chief operating officer, will become CEO and president Jan. 1, 2010. Bush was also elected to the Northrop Grumman board of directors, effective immediately. Northrop Grumman's largest operation on the Gulf Coast is its shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. (Source: Northrop Grumman, 09/16/09)

Senate, House differ on ship buys

WASHINGTON – A Senate panel’s version of the defense spending bill for the upcoming fiscal year differs from the House version in number and mix of Navy ships. The Senate panel wants two littoral combat ships, a version of which is built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. The House wants four. The Senate panel also wants two DDG-51 destroyers built by Northrop Grumman in Pascagoula, Miss. That’s one more than in the House wants. The Senate panel also provides money for Northrop Grumman to start construction on another amphibious assault ship. The bill still has to go to the full Senate. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 09/12/09)

Signal wins grant for upgrade

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - A $2.5 million equipment upgrade may create up to 150 jobs at Signal International's Pascagoula yard once the market improves, company leaders said. With the help of a federal grant, Signal will purchase a profile cutting system, semi-auto beveler, 750-ton brake press and roll form press. The grant will pay for about $1.6 million of the upgrade, and Signal will pitch in $600,000. (Source: Mississippi Press, 09/10/09)

Contract: Lockheed, $13.5M

Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded a $13,495,982 modification to previously awarded contract for management and engineering services to maintain and modify the design of DDG 51 Class combat system compartments and topside arrangements. The required services for DDG 51 Class ships and CG 47 Class ships include program management and operation support, quality assurance, configuration management, ship design integration, fleet lifecycle engineering support, installation support, firmware maintenance, combat system test and evaluation, Navy furnished material support, special studies, and future-ship integration studies. Twenty-two percent of the work will be done in Pascagoula, Miss. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/04/09)

Gulf fish farm proposal inches closer

Large-scale commercial fish farming in the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico is now a step closer. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday declined to block the plan, despite concerns from some fishing and environmental advocates. That paves the way for the region to be the first to develop open-ocean aquaculture in federal waters. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council earlier this year approved a plan to allow production of native fish, such as snapper and grouper, in underwater cages and pens. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, New Orleans Times-Picayune, 09/04/09)

Burge retiring from USM

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Cecil Burge is retiring as the University of Southern Mississippi's vice president of research and economic development, effective Dec. 31. A national search for a successor will begin later this fall. Burge has been with Southern Miss for nearly 40 years. During his tenure, external funding topped $100 million for the first time in school history in fiscal year 2007, including more than $40 million in marine aquaculture research. (Source: Hattiesburg American, 09/03/09)

Navy takes delivery of Dewey

The Navy took delivery of its 57th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the Dewey, Aug. 17. The 9,500-ton ship built by Northrop Grumman in Pascagoula, Miss., completed its combined super trial in June in the Gulf of Mexico. The Dewey, hull number DDG 105, is named for Adm. George Dewey, the Navy hero of the Battle of Manila Bay in the Spanish-American War. The Dewey’s commissioning is scheduled for December. (Source: Navy Times, 08/24/09)

Austal takes hit on earnings

A $23 million write-down on loans to bankrupt client Hawaii Superferry Inc. took a bite out of annual earnings for Australian shipbuilder Austal Ltd. Austal earned $7.65 million in the year that ended June 30, down 82 percent from the previous year. Austal runs a shipyard in Mobile, Ala., that’s expected to play a big role in future growth through military contracts. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 08/22/09)

Ship handed over to Navy

NEW ORLEANS - Northrop Grumman Ship Systems delivered the $1.2 billion ship that will become the USS New York to the Navy at 9:11 a.m. Friday. It will be formally named this fall in its commissioning in New York City. The ship has forged in its bow stem 7 1/2 tons of steel from the World Trade Center, which collapsed during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It's the fifth of 10 San Antonio-class landing platform dock ships. (Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune, 08/21/09)

Contract: Northrop Grumman, $16M

Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $15,978,754 modification to previously awarded contract to exercise options for the accomplishment of follow yard class services for the DDG 51 Class Aegis destroyer program and will provide expert design, planning, and material support services for both DDG 51 ship construction and modernization. Work will be performed in Pascagoula and is expected to be completed by August 2010. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 08/21/09)

Horizon delivers crew boat

MOBILE, Ala. - Horizon Shipbuilding delivered the 182-foot aluminum crew boat Isla San Gabriel to a Mexican customer, part of a $17 million, two-vessel contract the Bayou La Batre shipbuilder won in early 2008. A sister vessel is scheduled for delivery in October. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 08/21/09)

Atlantic Marine Holding CEO retires

MOBILE, Ala. - Ron McAlear is retiring as chief executive officer of Atlantic Marine Holding Co., but will remain as a senior adviser to Atlantic Marine's board of directors. McAlear came to Mobile in 2003 to run Atlantic Marine's local operations, which was purchased by J.F. Lehman & Co. in 2006. Atlantic Marine has about 1,400 full- and part-time employees. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 08/20/09)

Cutter completes builder's trials

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - The Northrop Grumman-built Waesche, second in a new class of national security cutters, successfully completed builder's trials in the Gulf of Mexico this week. Propulsion, electrical, damage control and combat systems were tested. Waesche, under construction at the Pascagoula shipyard, is the second in the Coast Guard's Legend class, an eight-ship national security cutter program. A third cutter is about 25 percent complete at the Pascagoula yard. (Source: Mississippi Press, 08/19/09)

Mobile manatee study launched

MOBILE, Ala. - Up to two dozen manatees make their summer homes in Mobile Bay and the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, and researchers want fishermen, boaters and beachgoers to help find them this week. Over the next few days, Dauphin Island Sea Lab scientists will be joined by about six Florida experts as they scour the area in an airplane, three boats and on foot to look for manatees. The effort is part of the Mobile Manatee Sighting Network's ongoing study of Alabama's seasonal manatee population, which scientists say has increased. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 08/18/09)

New GCRL lab to open in March

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. – A new 5,260 square-foot red snapper lab at the Cedar Point site of the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory will be finished by March 2010, allowing lab workers to abandon a temporary wooden structure. The red snapper facility, which received a $1.3 million National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration grant, is one of several coming to the University of Southern Mississippi's Ocean Springs facility. (Source: Mississippi Press, 08/17/09)

Barge-builder plans layoffs

MADISONVILLE, La. - A barge-building yard in St. Tammany Parish will begin the first in a series of layoffs next month in preparation for eventual closure. About 235 people work for Trinity Marine Products, which builds tank barges for the offshore oil industry. The company plans to complete eight barges already under construction. The first cuts involve 88 workers. (Source: Times-Picayune, 08/07/09)

Raytheon to review hydrographic course

Raytheon has been awarded a task order to develop and support recertification of curricula through the Naval Education and Training Professional Development and Technology Center in Pensacola, Fla. It was issued under an existing Navy contract. The performance period is to March 31, 2010. Raytheon will review and revise existing course curricula for the education of junior officers and foreign navies in the essentials of hydrographic science. (Source: Raytheon via PRNewswire, 08/05/09)

Singapore Technologies 2Q report

Singapore Technologies Engineering reported its profit fell 9 percent for the second quarter of 2009 to $75.91 million from the second quarter 2008. It's the parent company of VT Halter Marine, which has 1,500 workers at shipyards in Pascagoula, Moss Point and Escatawpa, Miss., and ST Mobile Aerospace Engineering, which has 1,200 workers at Brookley Field Industrial Complex in Mobile, Ala. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 08/05/09)

Both LCS teams submit bids

Bids to build the next Littoral Combat Ships were submitted by both industry teams to the Navy. Lockheed Martin’s proposal was sent July 31 and General Dynamics was sent by the Aug. 3 deadline. The competition winner will receive two construction contracts and the other team one for the ships in the 2010 budget, with a cost cap is $460 million per ship. (Source: Defense News, 08/03/09) Gulf Coast note: The Lockheed team includes Bollinger Shipyard of New Orleans and the General Dynamics team includes Austal USA of Mobile, Ala.

Lockheed submits LCS FY10 proposal

The Lockheed Martin-led team submitted its proposal for the Littoral Combat Ship fiscal year 2010 contract to the Navy July 31. A contract is expected to be awarded this coming fiscal year for additional LCSs. The Navy is proceeding with a limited competition with winners of the Flight 0 phase of the program, Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics. (Source: Lockheed Martin via PRNewswire, 08/03/09) Gulf Coast note: Bollinger Shipyards in New Orleans is part of the Lockheed team and Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., is part of the General Dynamics team.

LPD 21 finishes acceptance trials

AVONDALE, La. - The amphibious transport dock ship, LPD 21, returned to the Northrop Grumman Avondale shipyard last week after a successful Navy acceptance trial, which included tests of the propulsion, control, combat, damage control systems and more. The ship, which will be named the USS New York, is the fifth in the San Antonio-class series. The bow stem contains 7.5 tons of steel recovered from the World Trade Center after the 2001 terrorist attack. The ship is scheduled for commissioning in New York City Nov. 7, 2009. (Source: Northrop Grumman, 07/30/09)

First Lady to sponsor cutter

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - First Lady Michelle Obama will sponsor the third National Security Cutter. Officials celebrated the ship’s construction Monday at keel laying ceremony. The First Lady will christen the cutter at a Pascagoula ceremony next summer. The 418-foot cutter, WMSL 752, is named in honor of Dorothy C. Stratton, the first female commissioned officer in the Coast Guard. The cutter is more than 20 percent complete and scheduled to be delivered in the summer 2011. (Source: Sun Herald, Mississippi Press, 07/21/09)

Academy gets MDA funding

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Jackson County's Board of Supervisors have agreed to accept the Mississippi Development Authority's nearly $20 million grant to build a maritime training facility. The Hurricane Katrina community development block grant money will be used to develop a shipbuilding academy to help local shipyards better train their employees. Northrop Grumman will be the major tenant, but VT Halter Marine and Signal International will also use the facility. (Source: Mississippi Press, 07/21/09) Background story, Alliance Insight, July 2009

LHA 6 keel ceremony held

PASCAGOULA, Miss – A keel authentication ceremony was held Friday for LHA 6, the newest class of large-deck amphibious assault ships. LHA 6, named America, will replace the Tarawa class and is slated for completion in 2013. Northrop has been working on the ship for about three years, designing it and buying materials. LHA 6 will use many of the same systems designed and built for the recently delivered USS Makin Island. (Source: Mississippi Press, 07/18/09)

Group picks site for Ticonderoga

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - State-owned Lowery Island on the west bank of the Pascagoula River is targeted as the site to moor the decommissioned USS Ticonderoga. Jack Hoover, president of a group that wants to bring the ship to Pascagoula, announced the site at a meeting Thursday. The city is planning a condominium, public marina and retail shopping on the island, he said. Hoover said the Navy has given the group until October to submit an application for the ship, which is scheduled to be scrapped. (Source: Mississippi Press, 07/10/09)

Halter Marine gets grants

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - VT Halter Marine received three grants totaling more than $2.87 million as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Assistance to Small Shipyards program. A total of 14 small shipyards in 10 states will receive $17.1 million in grants from the Maritime Administration to make capital and infrastructure improvements for better efficiency. (Source: Sun Herald, 07/09/09)

Contract: Sauer, $7M

Sauer Inc., Jacksonville, Fla., is being awarded $7,021,100 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract for the design and construction to renovate three facilities at Stennis Space Center, Miss., including building 3205 and a new stand-alone buoy blast & paint facility for the National Data Buoy Center. Work is expected to be completed by January 2011. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 07/09/09)

Nanoparticle aquatic impact studied

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. – A Gulf Coast Research Laboratory scientist is studying the possible toxic effects of nanoparticles on aquatic life. Robert "Joe" Griffitt, an assistant professor, is investigating a world measured in billionths of a meter. Nanotechnology is a fast-growing segment of the high-tech economy, but there are concerns about the health effect on aquatic life. Griffitt’s research will provide a better understanding. (Source: Mississippi Press, 07/09/09)

Bender owes $37.6M

MOBILE, Ala. - Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co. owes its 20 largest unsecured creditors more than $37.6 million, according to documents filed this week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Bender has yet to reveal its debt-to-assets ratio in court. The 91-year-old Mobile business filed for Chapter 11 reorganization a week ago, forced to take that action after four of its creditors filed suit in an effort to force Bender's liquidation to pay debts. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 07/08/09)

LPD 21 finishes builder sea trial

NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Northrop Grumman-built New York, LPD 21, performed builder's sea trials this week in the Gulf of Mexico. The ship's bow stem contains seven-and-a-half tons of steel recovered from the World Trade Center following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. LPD 21 is being built at the company's Avondale facility in Louisiana. New York is the fifth amphibious transport dock ship in the San Antonio class of amphibious assault force. The 684-foot, 105-foot-wide LPD transport dock ships are used to transport and land Marines, equipment and supplies by embarked air cushioned or conventional landing craft, expeditionary fighting vehicles, amphibious assault vehicles, helicopters, and vertical take off and landing aircraft. (Source: Northrop Grumman, 07/02/09)

Bender files Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Bender files Chapter 11 bankruptcy
MOBILE, Ala. - Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co. is seeking bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11. The move comes after a group of creditors filed an involuntary petition to force the shipyard into bankruptcy. Bender said it intends to continue operating as a full service shipyard, though it will downsize and maintain a workforce of about 300 workers. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, EnergyCurrent, 07/01/09)

LCS sea trial delayed

MOBILE, Ala. - The littoral combat ship Independence remained moored in Mobile Tuesday, and lead contractor General Dynamics isn’t saying when the trimaran built by partner Austal USA might head out for four days of sea trials. It was originally scheduled to leave Monday, but a problem with the propulsion system delayed that. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 07/01/09)

Dewey completes "super trial"

PASCAGOULA, Miss. – The Aegis guided missile destroyer Dewey (DDG 105) successfully completed its combined super trial last week in the Gulf of Mexico, paving the way for delivery to the Navy later this summer. The destroyer built by Northrop Grumman at its Gulf Coast facilities in Pascagoula is 510 feet and 9,500 tons. It has an overall beam of 59 feet and a navigational draft of 31 feet. Four gas-turbine propulsion plants power the ship to speeds above 30 knots. (Source: Northrop Grumman, 06/30/09)

Maritime center dedication set

MOBILE, Ala. – Gov. Bob Riley will be on hand Monday to dedicate the 22-acre site of the Maritime Science Center, which is scheduled to open in a year. The $12 million facility will train up to 700 people annually in trades for the shipbuilding industry. Local shipyards have said that, despite the struggling economy, they anticipate needing even more workers. Construction of the state-run center begins in October. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 06/28/09)

LCS builder's trial set

MOBILE, Ala. - The littoral combat ship Independence is set to go to sea for the first time Monday for a builder’s trial. Built by Austal USA, the aluminum trimaran ship has been under construction for more than three years. Acceptance trials are scheduled for August, with delivery slated for September. Austal is part of the General Dynamics LCS team. A rival team led by Lockheed Martin has completed its own version of the shallow-water vessel built to a different design. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 06/27/09)

More LCS competition?

The House approved a spending bill that would open the littoral combat ship program to more competition if costs aren’t contained by the two current teams. Under the $550 billion measure, the Navy would get enough money to buy three vessels in fiscal 2010 from Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics, which is working with Austal USA's shipyard in Mobile. If the teams fail to meet a cost ceiling of $460 million per ship, the Navy could develop a technical data package that could be shopped to new bidders. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 06/26/09)

Marine supplier gets new digs

MOBILE, Ala. - W&O of Jacksonville, Fla., a subsidiary of PON Holdings B.V. of the Netherlands, has moved from its facility at Brookley Field Industrial Complex to a 40,000-square-foot building in Theodore. W&O said growth over the past three years led to the move to a facility twice as large as its old location. W&O supplies marine valves, pipe fittings, engineered products and valve automation tools, and has been in Mobile 22 years. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 06/25/09)

Ship outfitted for NOAA

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's newest fisheries survey vessel is being outfitted at VT Halter Marine and should be ready in July. The 208-foot Pisces is docked in Bayou Casotte and will study, monitor and collect data on sea life and ocean conditions. It's designed for 40-day missions and will carry about 21 crew and 15 scientists from the NOAA Fisheries Service's Mississippi lab in Pascagoula. (Source: Mississippi Press, 06/20/09)

MARAD to repossess ferries

MOBILE, Ala. - The U.S. Maritime Administration plans to repossess and sell a pair of fast ferries built at Austal USA for Hawaii Superferry Inc., which owes $136.8 million to the agency. MARAD guaranteed the loans used to buy the ferries. The ferries are now docked at Atlantic Marine in Mobile. MARAD needs approval from bankruptcy court in Delaware. Hawaii Superferry Inc. filed for Chapter 11 reorganization May 30. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 06/24/09)

Contract: Northrop, $213.8M

Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $213,772,399 modification to previously awarded contract for the procurement of long lead time materials in support of LPD 26, the tenth LPD 17 Class ship. The Navy is modifying the contract for advanced procurement/manufacture, inspection, test, storage and maintenance of LLTM items and accomplishment of preconstruction activities to support the orderly construction of LPD 26. Work will be performed in Pascagoula and is expected to be completed by December 2013. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 06/23/09)

Contract: Austal, $99.6M

Austal USA, Mobile Ala., was awarded a $99,557,548 modification to previously awarded contract for long lead time material for Ships 2 and 3 of the Joint High Speed Vessel Program. This contract provides for main propulsion engines, aluminum, waterjets, reduction gears, generators, and other components. Work will be performed in Detroit, Mich., (38 percent); Chesapeake, Va., (18 percent); Henderson, Australia, (13 percent); Gulfport, Miss., (10 percent); Ravenswood, W.Va., (9 percent); and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., (4 percent); Mobile, Ala., (3 percent); Auburn, Ind., (2.6 percent); Winter Haven, Fla., (1 percent); Gardena, Calif., (1 percent); and Davenport, Iowa, (.4 percent). Work is expected to be complete by July 2013. The Naval Sea Systems Command is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 06/19/09)

Whale shark focus of expedition

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. – Biologists from the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Lab took to the water recently to get a closer look at whale sharks, which gather by the hundreds in June and July within 30 miles of the coast. The crew of researchers and volunteers spent last week on their first whale shark fact-finding expedition to learn more about the fish. (Source: Sun Herald, Mississippi Press, 06/17/09)

Taylor, others oppose fish farms

Rep. Gene Taylor and 36 other lawmakers asked the Department of Commerce to reject a plan to allow fish farms in the Gulf of Mexico. The lawmakers, citing environmental concerns, wrote to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke in opposition to a Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council plan. The council, with representatives from Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana, Florida and Alabama, approved the plan in January following months of debate. (Source: Sun Herald, 06/15/09)

Creditors push bankruptcy

MOBILE, Ala. - Three creditors of Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co. filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition in federal district court to have the shipyard's assets liquidated. They hope to get money they say they are owed. Bender called the assertions invalid, and the company said it expects the case to be dismissed. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 06/11/09)

LCS gets thumbs up

The Pentagon's top officer offered a thumbs up Tuesday for the littoral combat ship. Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he needs them deployed today. It was in response to a question at a hearing of the Senate defense appropriations subcommittee. Austal USA's shipyard in Mobile, Ala., is building a version of the LCS. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 06/10/09)

USM to upgrade data center

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – The University of Southern Mississippi awarded Dell, Inc. to upgrade the Data Center for the Department of Marine Science at the Stennis Space Center Teaching and Research Site. The upgrade includes equipment racks that will house a high performance computing cluster of multiple blade servers and up to 27 terabytes of storage. (Source: University of Southern Mississippi, 06/09/09)

Signal finishes driller upgrade

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Signal International has completed the final phase of the upgrade of Frontier Drilling semisubmersible Frontier Driller ahead of schedule. The upgrade and modernization program was performed at the East Bank yard in Pascagoula. The rig has now returned to drill for Shell on Viosca Knoll Block 783 in the Gulf of Mexico. (Source: Energy Current, 06/04/09) Signal International is one of the largest marine and fabrication companies in the Gulf of Mexico with two production facilities in Pascagoula and four in Texas.

Navy building dedicated

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. — The Naval Oceanographic Office has dedicate a new ocean sciences building that consolidates many of the agency’s operations. The $47.1 million building includes 171,600 square feet of space and is within walking distance of NAVOCEANO’s headquarters. NAVOCEANO’s Stennis operation employs about 1,000 Navy and civilian workers. The command operates a fleet of survey ships that map ocean bottoms and collect other data to support Department of Defense operations. (Source: Sun Herald, 05/27/09)

Suit filed against Bender

MOBILE, Ala. - Bender Shipbuilding & Repair faces another lawsuit stemming from a $76.5 million contract for three vessels for GulfMark Offshore Inc. Engine supplier Louisiana Machinery Co. LLC of Reserve, La., said it has not been fully paid for engines delivered to Bender and intended for the GulfMark ships. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 05/28/09)

Contract: US Marine Inc., $61.6M

United States Marine Inc., Gulfport, Miss., is being awarded a $61,562,641 contract for detail design and construction of 10 Mark V Patrol Boats for the Kuwaiti Navy under the Foreign Military Sales Program. The vessel is designed for coastal patrol and interdiction, and other special operations at sea. Work will be performed in Gulfport, Miss., and is expected to be completed by June 2013. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 05/22/09)

LCS radar tested

MOBILE, Ala. - A Coast Guard jet made six low passes – 300 to 500 feet – over the Mobile River near Austal USA Thursday, allowing radar tests aboard the littoral combat ship Independence. Austal is part of a General Dynamics Corp.-led team competing to build dozens of the LCS warships. The Independence and a second LCS on order have aluminum trimaran hulls. A team led by Lockheed Martin Corp. delivered the first of its steel-hulled ships to the Navy in the fall and is working on a second vessel. (Source: Mobile Press Register, 05/21/09)

Mabus OKd as Navy secretary

Former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus was confirmed as secretary of the Navy. The Senate voted unanimously Monday night to confirm Mabus, who succeeds Donald C. Winter. Mabus served in the Navy from 1970-72 as a surface warfare officer, and was Mississippi governor from 1988-92. (Source: AP via Sun Herald, 05/19/09)

VT Halter names chief

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - VT Halter Marine has appointed William E. "Bill" Skinner as chief executive officer and Paul J. Albert as chief operating officer. Former CEO Boyd E. "Butch" King, who was recruited to lead the shipbuilder out of bankruptcy in 2002, died April 20 of a heart attack. Halter is a subsidiary of Alexandria, Va.-based VT Systems, which is owned by Singapore Technologies Engineering. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 05/19/09)

Bender wins $2.5M contract

MOBILE, Ala. - Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co. won a $2.5 million contract to work on a pair of 632-foot Department of Transportation Maritime Administration cargo vessels. The two vessels are the Cape Victory and the Cape Vincent, both roll-on, roll-off vessels that carry wheeled and tracked vehicles. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 05/19/09)

Special ops craft launched

GULFPORT, Miss. - United States Marine Inc. launched the first of two 82-foot Mark V Special Operations Craft awarded by the Naval Sea Systems Command. The first craft will undergo sea trials before its delivery in July and the second will be launched in August. The two craft will eventually be used by the Bahrain navy through a Foreign Military Sales program. The aluminum hull, deck and cabin top are built by Trinity Yachts at its New Orleans facility. The sections are then transported to USMI’s facility in Gulfport for final assembly, outfitting, painting, sea trials and delivery. (Source: The Sun Herald, 05/16/09)

Coast Guard pondering UAVs

The U.S. Coast Guard is still in the market for an unmanned aerial system to extend the surveillance reach of the new National Security Cutter fleet, the head of acquisition for the service said May 11. The Coast Guard ended its planned vertical takeoff UAV program, and has been monitoring other UAV programs, said Rear Adm. Gary Blore, assistant commandant for acquisition. He said the Navy’s Fire Scout appears to be the farthest along but "we’re still waiting for [maritime] radar to be integrated on Fire Scout." (Source: Aviation Week, 05/12/09) Gulf Coast note: Fire Scouts are built in part in Moss Point, Miss., and the first National Security Cutter was built in Pascagoula, Miss.

Christening scheduled

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - The USS Gravely, Northrop Grumman's 27th Aegis guided missile destroyer, will be christened Saturday at Northrop's shipyard in Pascagoula. The ship is named for the late Navy Vice Adm. Samuel L. Gravely Jr., the Navy's first black admiral. Gravely died in 2004. The USS Gravely will have a crew of 276 officers and enlisted personnel. (Source: AP via Sun Herald, 05/12/09)

Work done on two rigs

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Signal International said Monday that two rigs owned by Diamond Offshore are back in service after simultaneous work at Signal’s Pascagoula and Port Arthur, Texas, sites. The amount of the contract for the work was not released. Signal International is one of the largest marine and fabrication companies in the Gulf of Mexico region. It has two production facilities in Pascagoula and four in Texas. (Source: The Sun Herald, 05/11/09)

Contract: Northrop, $77.3M

Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Inc., a sector of Northrop Grumman Corp., Newport News, Va., is being awarded a $77,266,923 modification to previously awarded contract for procurement of additional long lead time materials in support of the construction preparation efforts for the second aircraft carrier of the Gerald R. Ford Class. Work will be performed in Newport News, Va., and is expected to be completed by October 2010. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 05/11/09) Gulf Coast note: Northrop Grumman also has shipyards in Pascagoula and Gulfport in Mississippi and New Orleans, La.

Shipbuilding proposal holds no surprises

The defense budget proposal unveiled Thursday includes $1.9 billion to buy three Littoral Combat Ships and $2.2 billion for one DDG-51. Two teams, General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin, will compete to build the LCS ships, while the DDG-51 is likely to be built by Northrop Grumman in Pascagoula. The General Dynamics LCS team includes Austal USA of Mobile, Ala. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 05/08/09)

Austal, Baldwin honored

Site Selection, a magazine that tracks economic development projects, recognized Austal USA and the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance in its May issue. Shipbuilder Austal received an honorable mention in the top North American deals category, and the Baldwin alliance received an honorable mention among Top Economic Development Groups of 2008. Recent alliance accomplishments include Segers Aero Corp., a $7 million project that created 100 new jobs. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 05/05/09)

Small-boat threat system tested

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - NetFires LLC, a joint venture between Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, conducted the second captive flight test of the Non Line-of-Sight-Launch System Precision Attack Missile. The system is also one of the key Littoral Combat Ship mission modules to combat small-boat threats. The LCS Mission Module can fire as many as 45 PAM missiles from three container launch units. With a range greater than 25 miles, the PAM missile gives the LCS an increased surface warfare weapon capability. (Source: Raytheon, 05/04/09) Gulf Coast note: The Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala., is building LCS ships for the Navy.

Austal to build another LCS

The Navy on Friday awarded a contract to a Bath Iron Works-led team for the construction of Coronado (LCS 4), the second Littoral Combat Ship to feature a high-speed trimaran hull. The 419-foot surface combatant ship will be manufactured by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. It’s scheduled for delivery to the Navy in May 2012. Bath Iron Works in Maine is a subsidiary of General Dynamics. (Source: PRNewswire, 05/01/09)

Command shipping out

NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Navy Reserve Forces Command will officially pull up anchor Friday for its new home in Norfolk, Va., ending 36 years of a national naval headquarters presence in New Orleans. For the first time in almost a century the Navy will not have an admiral based in the city. The Navy remains in the region through the Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base in Belle Chasse, the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center near the University of New Orleans and the Marine Forces Reserve. The closing is part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure round. (Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune, 04/25/09)

VT Halter chief dies

PASCAGOULA, Miss. – The chief executive officer of VT Halter Marine, Boyd E. King, died Monday at Singing River Hospital. He was 65. King, who retired as a brigadier general in 1998 after 35 years of service in the Army, was appointed CEO in 2003. VT Halter Marine operates a yard at Pascagoula and two at Moss Point, building commercial and government vessels. (Source: Mississippi Press, 04/21/09)

GCRL opens new facility

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. - The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Lab will soon open a new facility, the Marine Environmental Research Laboratory, at Cedar Point to study marine animals and their environment. About a dozen buildings are under construction or finished at the 200-acre site near the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Dr. Jeff Lotz, chairman of the Department of Coastal Sciences at GCRL, expects a ribbon-cutting in the fall. (Source: The Sun Herald, 04/20/09)

LHD 8 delivered to Navy

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding delivered to the Navy the amphibious-assault ship Makin Island (LHD 8) during a short ceremony Thursday on the flight deck. Makin Island is the eighth USS Wasp-class amphibious assault ship built in Pascagoula. It’s 844 feet long, 106 feet wide and has a speed in excess of 20 knots. It has the first gas turbine/electric-powered propulsion system ever used on large deck amphibious assault ships. (Source: Northrop Grumman, 04/16/09)

Austal trims workforce

MOBILE, Ala. - Austal USA laid off 15 employees Friday and plans to cut another 47 jobs. The cuts are due to Austal finishing work on a second ferry and a contract Austal expected falling through. After the layoffs, Austal will employ 1,067 workers at its Mobile River shipyard. (Source: Mobile Press Register, 04/11/09)

Mobile maritime museum breaks ground

MOBILE, Ala. - Groundbreaking was held Thursday for GulfQuest, a $36 million maritime museum on the downtown Mobile waterfront. GulfQuest, the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico, will be between the Convention Center and Alabama cruise terminal. The museum, slated to open in 2011, will feature interactive exhibits. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 04/09/09) Gulf Coast note: Pensacola, Fla., also hopes to build a maritime museum at a proposed multi-purpose maritime park.

IG raises reporting issues

The Navy wrongly reported tens of billions of dollars in shipbuilding equipment as expenses instead of construction costs, the Pentagon Inspector General says. The IG also questions the Navy’s system of ship evaluation and says some of the service’s internal controls are lacking. (Source: Aviation Week, 04/09/09)

Northrop, GD reach ship agreement

The New York Times is reporting that Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics agreed on Wednesday to a deal clearing the way for three DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyers to be built at GD-owned Bath Iron Works in Maine. The newspaper cites Pentagon officials. Northrop, which planned to build one of the destroyers in Pascagoula, Miss., will contribute major components to the ships. In return, Northrop will restart production of DDG-51s, an older model destroyer, in Pascagoula. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates had said Monday that if the two companies could not reach an agreement, only one DDG-1000 stealth ship would be purchased by the Navy. (Source: New York Times, 04/08/09)

Fire Scout preps for final exam

Fire Scout unmanned helicopters will be ready for their first deployment later this year, paving the way to full-rate production, possibly before 2010. A story in the April issue of Seapower said two Fire Scouts will be aboard the guided missile frigate USS McInerney when it deploys with the Fourth Fleet to the Southern Command’s area of operations. Fire Scouts, built in part in Moss Point, Miss., were intended for use on Littoral Combat Ships, but delays in that program prompted the Navy to test the system on a frigate. (Source: Seapower, April 2009) Gulf Coast note: Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., is building one of the LCS prototypes.

Gates wants just three DDG-1000s

Defense Secretary Robert Gates affirmed Monday the Pentagon’s plan to end production of the DDG-1000 Zumwalt destroyers at three ships, but he wants them built by Bath Iron Works in Maine. He also wants to restart production of the DDG-51 Arleigh Burke class at Northrop Grumman' shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. Gates also announced plans to order three littoral combat ships instead of two in the coming fiscal year. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 04/06/09)

Cargo ships to park at former base

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - A New England company will park two cargo ships at the former naval base on Singing River Island so they can be call upon for the government in case of a national emergency. Jackson County Port Authority Tuesday approved a sublease contract with Reading, Mass.-based Darkwater Marine Services to berth the ready reserve fleet vessels. The agreement goes to the Jackson County Board of Supervisors on Monday. (Source: Mississippi Press, 04/01/09)

Mabus tapped as Navy secretary

Ray Mabus, former governor of Mississippi, is being tapped as secretary of the Navy. Governor from 1988 to 1992, Mabus was President Clinton's ambassador to Saudi Arabia. He endorsed President Obama before the 2008 primary season and campaigned on his behalf. Mabus has spent the last several years in business. Mabus served in the Navy as a surface warfare officer. The nomination must be confirmed by the Senate. (Source: Washington Post, 03/28/09)

Norhrop has $23B backlog

ST. MARTIN, Miss. - Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding has a $23 billion backlog of business and nine ships to be delivered within the next year. That’s according to president Mike Petters, keynote speaker at the Jackson County Economic Development Foundation's Spring Investors Meeting. Housing and insurance costs remain the biggest challenges for the company locally, Petters said. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 03/27/09)

Training, maintenance concerns raised

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The chairman of the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee has raised concerns about the Navy’s manning, training and maintenance. Rep. Solomon Ortiz of Texas cited recent collisions, grounds and a fatal accident, as well as 10 ship commanders being relieved of duty for failure to maintain training over the past three years. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 03/26/09)

Makin Island Navy sea trials completed

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - The amphibious assault ship Makin Island, LHD 8, has successfully completed Navy acceptance sea trial in the Gulf of Mexico. The builder sea trial was in February. The ship has the first gas turbine/electric-powered propulsion system ever used on large deck amphibious assault ships. Makin Island is 844 feet long and 106 feet wide and weighs 42,800 tons. Its 70,000 horsepower hybrid propulsion system will drive it to speeds in excess of 20 knots. It’s designed to transport a force of almost 2,000 Marines and use helicopters, landing craft and amphibious assault vehicle. Makin Island is scheduled for commissioning at its San Diego homeport in October 2009. (Source: Northrop Grumman, 03/20/09)

Contract: Lockheed, $49.9M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Maritime Systems and Sensors, Integrated Defense Technologies, Baltimore, Md., is being awarded a fixed price contract not-to-exceed $49,877,689 for FY08 MK 41 Vertical Launching System production and delivery requirements. The MK41 VLS program is integral to the navies of nine allied and friendly foreign nations. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy and the governments of Turkey and Australia under the Foreign Military Sales Program. Fourteen percent of the work will be performed in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., 64 percent in Baltimore, Md., 19 percent in Minneapolis, Minn., 2 percent in Eagan, Minn., and 1 percent in Virginia Beach, Va. Work is expected to be completed by December 2012. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/20/09)

Contract: Rolls-Royce, $5.7M

Rolls-Royce Marine International Inc., Walpole, Mass., is being awarded a $5,672,842 cost plus fixed fee contract for a Compact High-Power High-Density Waterjet. The objective of this contract is for research to implement the waterjet technology developed in Phase I to resolve the anticipated cavitation erosion issues. This includes the preparation of the detailed design and fabrication of two full-scale waterjet prototypes for demonstration. Seven percent of the work will be done in Pascagoula, Miss., 90 percent in Walpole and 3 percent in Sweden. Work is expected to be completed September 2011. The Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Va., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/19/09)

Contract: C&G Boat, $17.6M

C&G Boat Works, Inc., Mobile, Ala., was awarded a $17,584,236 modification to previously awarded contract to exercise an option to construct two Yard Patrol Training Craft used to train midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy. Work will be performed in Mobile and is expected to be completed by March 2011. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/18/09)

Study: Stretch out LCS production

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Navy should consider stretching out production of the littoral combat ship past the planned 2019 cutoff, according to a 90-page report released by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. The military wants to build 55 of the close-to-shore vessels as replacements for vessels being phased out. Austal USA's shipyard in Mobile is nearing completion of one LCS prototype. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 03/18/09)

Bender, customer reach agreement

MOBILE, Ala. - Bender Shipbuilding & Repair reached an agreement with one of its largest customers, Overseas Shipholding Group, to cancel millions of dollars in contracts. The settlement ends obligations under three contracts that include six tug-barge combinations and two tugs, work valued in excess of $500 million. The problem has been delays, which Bender blamed on workforce and supply issues created by Hurricane Katrina, which hit the region in 2005. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 03/17/09)

Contract: Northrop, $31.8M

Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $31,800,000 basic ordering agreement for Post-Shakedown Availability for DDG 51 Class Destroyers. The orders to be issued are for PSA planning and support services and will include advance planning, engineering support, on-site engineering liaison, craft assistance, the ordering and processing of required material in support of PSAs. If necessary, orders may be issued to NGSB for PSA planning and support and emergent industrial availabilities for DDG 51 Class Destroyers built by Bath Iron Works Corp. if BIW is unable to perform the work. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Miss. and in the ships' homeport, which may include Norfolk, Va.; San Diego, Calif.; and Mayport, Fla., and is expected to be completed by September 2012. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (Source: DoD, 03/16/09)

Navy presses for more littoral ships

Navy officials pressed their case to buy more than 50 new littoral warships despite frustration on Capitol Hill over ballooning costs and the Navy's lack of future planning for the ship program. Navy officials told the House Armed Services panel Tuesday that they are committed to buying 55 Littoral Combat Ships and to cutting the cost of the ships after the price of the first two more than doubled. But Navy officials were met with skepticism from lawmakers who grilled them. (Source: The Hill, 03/10/09)

Contract: LPI, $7.3M

LPI Technical Services, Chesapeake, Va., is being awarded a $7,315,330 contract to provide engineering and technical services for shipboard systems and equipment associated with firefighting, damage control, and personnel protection. About three percent of the work will be done in Pascagoula, Miss., and the rest in Norfolk, Va., (30 percent), San Diego, Calif., (30 percent), various unspecified locations (14 percent), Mayport, Fla., (10 percent), Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, (10 percent), and Ingleside, Texas, (3 percent). Work is expected to be completed by March 2012. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division, Panama City, Fla., is the contracting activity (Source: DoD, 03/09/09)

OSG wants to cancel Bender contracts

MOBILE, Ala. - Overseas Shipbuilding Group wants to cancel millions of dollars in contracts with Bender Shipbuilding & Repair. Bender said Wednesday it's weeks away from resolving the dispute. A Bender executive said the problem stems from repeated delays in delivering six tug-barge combinations and two tugs. Much of the blame is placed on materials and workforce issues created by Hurricane Katrina. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 03/05/09)

$533.7B defense budget proposed

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Defense Department would get a baseline budget of $533.7 billion in fiscal year 2010, up from $513.3 billion appropriated by Congress in 2009, under the president's budget. It's part of the $3.55 trillion budget the White House released Thursday. (Sources: Wall Street Journal, Aviation Week, Washington Post, 02/26/09) Gulf Coast note: The DoD budget is important to this region, which is home to military bases as well as large and small defense contractors, including major shipbuilding operations in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama

Austal reports profit fell

Austal Ltd.'s profit fell 43 percent in the first six months of its budget year as the company invested in building its Mobile operations to handle Navy contracts that the Australian company hopes to win. Profit for the six months ended Dec. 31 was $10.9 million. The company employs about 1,000 people at its Mobile River shipyard. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 02/24/09)

Northrop picks process VP

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Northrop Grumman appointed Dave Belanger vice president of Quality and Process Excellence for Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding - Gulf Coast. He reports to Irwin F. Edenzon, sector vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding's Gulf Coast operations. Belanger comes to the Gulf Coast from Newport News, Va., where he was most recently director of quality and technical services. (Source: Globe Newswire, 02/23/09)

Analyst concerned over modernization

The Navy's 30-year modernization plan could become a victim of its own ambition. That's according to Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments analyst Robert Work, who says the 313-ship plan would leave the service lacking capabilities to meet current challenges. Among his recommendations: work on smaller, manned and unmanned undersea vehicles and autonomous systems; buy more littoral combat ships; and end the DDG-1000 program at three ships and restart DDG-51. (Source: Aviation Week, 02/18/09)

BAE Systems to develop railgun

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota - BAE Systems was awarded a $21 million, 30-month contract from the Office of Naval Research to develop an advanced electromagnetic railgun for the Navy. The railgun, including a composite launcher, will be demonstrated by 2011. Railguns use electrical energy instead of chemical energy to launch projectiles at hypervelocities with a range in excess of 200 nautical miles. One advantage is the safety and logistics aspect because it uses no explosives in firing or storage. BAE Systems has partnered with IAP Research and SAIC on the project. (Source: BAE Systems, 02/16/09) Gulf Coast note: Gulf Coast shipbuilders are involved in the development of next-generation warships; BAE Systems has operations in the Gulf Coast.

Contract: Northrop, $8.9M

Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded an $8,999,980 modification to previously awarded contract for systems engineering, design and technical services to support the detail design and construction of the DDG 1000 Zumwalt Class Destroyers. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Miss., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 2009. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 02/12/09)

Stennis' SBT 22 gets new complex

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - Special Boat Team 22 will open a new two-building, $9.7 million riverine operations complex Friday. The unit specializes in riverine missions, often in support of Navy SEALs. Officials say SBT 22 has grown in the last four years, adding 68 percent more special warfare combatant-craft crewmen. There are 400 sailors permanently assigned to SBT 22 and a technical training school for foreign sailors at Stennis. The team has a fleet of 30 riverine craft. (Source: Navy Times, 02/10/09)

LHD 8 finishes builder's sea trials

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - The amphibious assault ship Makin Island (LHD 8) returned from successful three-day builder's sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico this week. The ship is the eighth USS Wasp-class amphibious assault ship being built by Northrop Grumman at its Gulf Coast facilities in Pascagoula. The ship is 844 feet long and 106 feet wide and weighs 42,800 tons and is designed to transport and land a Marine Expeditionary Unit by helicopter, landing craft and amphibious assault vehicle. It will also have secondary missions of sea control and power projection by helicopter and fixed-wing vertical short take-off and landing aircraft; command and control; and mission support, including a hospital with six operating rooms. Makin Island is scheduled for commissioning at her San Diego homeport in October 2009. (Source: Globe Newswire, 02/10/09)

Contract: Northrop, $16.6M

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Bethpage, N.Y., is being awarded a $16,615,880 modification to previously awarded contract to provide integration services for mission packages that will deploy from and integrate with the Littoral Combat Ship. The Navy plans to use spiral development to improve mission capability in identified mission areas. Mission package capabilities are focused on primary mission areas of mine warfare emphasizing mine countermeasures, littoral anti-submarine warfare, and littoral surface warfare operations including prosecution of small boats. About 12 percent of the work will be done in Panama City, Fla., and the largest portion, 47 percent, in Bethpage, N.Y. Work is expected to be completed by September 2009. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 02/09/09) Gulf Coast note: Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., is involved in building LCS ships for the Navy

Training center near shipyard in works

MOBILE, Ala. - Mississippi plans to spend at least $20 million in Hurricane Katrina recovery money on a new Mississippi Shipbuilding and Metal Trades Academy near Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding's Pascagoula shipyard, Gov. Haley Barbour told about 100 people at the second annual Gulf States Shipbuilders Consortium in Mobile. Ground will be broken in the spring for the facility operated by Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. The new training center will collaborate with a similar $12 million facility Alabama's two-year college plans on the east bank of the Mobile River near shipbuilder Austal USA. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 02/07/09)

NSF, Navy data on Google Earth

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - The Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command here and the National Science Foundation have entered agreements with Google to provide data for the popular program. According to NSF, a new feature called "Oceans in Google Earth" enables users to dive beneath the surface of the sea and explore oceans. It includes videos, photos, diagrams and texts that illustrate glacial, geological and ocean processes influencing the behavior of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in Antarctica. The Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command entered a cooperative research agreement to share with Google unclassified information about oceans. The CRADA allows Google to use unclassified bathymetric data sets and sea surface temperatures from the Naval Oceanographic Office as well as meteorological data from Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center, both subordinate commands of NMOC. (Sources: NSF, NNS, 02/02/09)

Murtha favors split LCS buy

Murtha favors split LCS buy
MOBILE, Ala. – Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha said that if both sides competing for a shipbuilding contract can get costs down, he’d favor buying ships from both. Murtha, D-Pa., made the comment after visiting Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile. Austal is part the General Dynamics team competing to build littoral combat ships for the Navy. The other team is led by Lockheed Martin. Both sides have been criticized for cost overruns. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 01/30/09)

Panel OKs offshore fish farms

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. - A federal panel approved the nation’s first offshore fishing farming industry Wednesday and will send the package to the Secretary of Commerce for final approval. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council voted 11-5. The vote came after a meeting where the council heard from proponents and opponents. Under the plan, fish will be raised in offshore pens far out in the Gulf of Mexico. (Source: The Sun Herald, 01/28/09)

Contract: General Dynamics, $37.7M

General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, is being awarded a $37,750,000 basic ordering agreement for Post-Shakedown Availability on the Littoral Combat Ship, USS Independence, LCS-2. The orders to be issued will encompass services that include program management, advance planning, engineering, material kitting, liaison, scheduling and participation in PSA planning conferences and design reviews, and preparation of documentation as required by the Contract Data Requirement List. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif. (53 percent); Norfolk, Va. (24 percent); and Mobile, Ala. (23 percent) and is expected to be completed by December 2012. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 01/28/09)

Schools get math, science funds

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Some $25,000 will go to help Alabama and Mississippi schools grow their math and science programs, Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding said. The grants of up to $5,000 go toward science, technology, engineering and math projects in middle schools. Schools that received grants are Phillips Preparatory School, Mobile, Ala., and in Mississippi, Magnolia Junior High in Moss Point, Gautier Middle School in Gautier, Hancock Middle School in Hancock County, and North Gulfport Middle School in Gulfport. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 01/28/09)

Offshore pens vote nears

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. - Fishery officials are expected to decide next week on a proposal for a new industry that would raise fish in offshore pens far out in the Gulf of Mexico. The plan would permit as many as 20 aquaculture operations to raise fish now available only by catching them in the wild. The decision by the Tampa-based Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has sparked controversy among academics, sportsmen, scientists, fishing industry groups, and others. (Source: Sun Herald, 01/23/09)

Northrop to write off $3B

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Northrop Grumman Corp. will record a fourth quarter loss of $3 billion to $3.4 billion, due to a drop in the book value of its shipbuilding and space technology activities. The company determined that the book value exceeded the fair value. As a result of this charge, the company will report a net loss for the fourth quarter and 2008 when it issues its report Feb. 3. (Source: Northrop Grumman, 01/22/09) Gulf Coast note: Northrop Grumman has a large presence on the Gulf Coast, including shipyards and an unmanned aerial systems plant.

Board OKs tax break for Northrop

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Jackson County supervisors gave Northrop Grumman a 10-year tax exemption on a portion of $75 million the company spent primarily on Katrina repairs. The exemption would save the company an average of $150,000 a year over the 10 years for a total of $1.5 million. (Source: The Sun Herald, 01/21/09)

US Joiner opens new digs

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - US Joiner has moved into a new $4.5 million facility that is the largest capital investment for the six-year-old company. US Joiner specializes in marine design and engineering, material management and the installation of marine interiors. The new 110,000 square-foot facility includes a warehouse and office space. The Virginia-headquartered company also has operations in New Orleans and San Diego. Its previous location in Pascagoula was damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. (Source: Mississippi Press, 01/13/09)

Taylor urges shipyard upgrade

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. - U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor thinks Northrop Grumman should upgrade its Pascagoula shipyard and become certified to build nuclear-powered ships. That's what he said during a town meeting Monday. Taylor also wants the Navy to buy more DDG 51 destroyers, which cost far less than the next-generation DDG 1000, in order to more rapidly increase the size of the Navy fleet. (Source: Mississippi Press, 01/14/09)

Signal lands $50M contract

MOBILE, Ala. - Signal International won a $50 million contract to construct components to be used in a drillship reliability upgrade program for Noble Corp., an offshore drilling contractor for the oil and gas industry. About 200 Pascagoula workers will build the accommodations block and heliports at the East Bank Yard while 800 workers at Signal’s Orange, Texas, facility will construct the stern and sponsons – about 75 percent of the work. Some Pascagoula Signal workers laid off in November and December will be recalled. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, Sun Herald, 01/13/09)

Lockheed gets DDG-51 work

ORLANDO, Fla. - Lockheed Martin was awarded a $15 million contract as part of the Navy's Modernization Program for the DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. The contract for initial Machinery Control System shipsets and related equipment includes options and engineering services which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $51.5 million. Lockheed Martin provides marine engineering control systems for all Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. (Source: PRNewswire, 01/08/09). Northrop Grumman builds DDG-51 destroyers on the Gulf Coast.

Researchers look for manatee

MOBILE, Ala. - Dauphin Island Sea Lab researchers searched unsuccessfully Monday for a manatee seen over the weekend in a Satsuma creek. Scientsts said they'll continue searching the area this week. The Sea Lab and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 2007 launched a manatee sighting network to gather scientific data on manatees in the Mobile Bay area. More than 100 sightings were reported in Alabama waters last year, Sea Lab officials said. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 01/06/09)