Destroyer leaves for homeport

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - The guided missile destroyer Gravely left Friday for Wilmington, N.C., where it’s scheduled to be commissioned Nov. 20. Gravely, DDG 107, which was delivered to the Navy in July, is the 27th Aegis-class destroyer to be built at Northrop's Pascagoula shipyard. (Sources: Mississippi Press, WLOX, 10/29/10) Previous story

Contract: Northrop Grumman, $48.1M

Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $48,107,835 modification to previously awarded contract for additional planning and advanced engineering services in support of the LHA replacement (LHA[R]) Flight 0 amphibious assault ship (LHA 7). Work will be performed in Pascagoula and is expected to be completed by May 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/28/10)

Maritime academy design closer

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Architects are moving in on a design for the $20 million Jackson County Maritime Trades Academy. The design was presented to the Jackson County Board of Supervisors during its regular meeting Monday morning. The federally funded academy at a nine-acre site is designed to provide a skilled workforce and help Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding expand its two- to four-year apprentice program from 610 to 1,000 students. Originally, the county planned to turn over ownership of the facility to the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Now Northrop Grumman will eventually own the building and handle daily operations. (Source: Mississippi Press, 10/26/10)

Oil found on seafloor

Scientists who were aboard two research vessels studying the Gulf of Mexico oil spill's impact on sea life have found substantial amounts of oil on the seafloor. The oil was in samples dug up from the seafloor in a 140-mile radius around the site of the well, said Kevin Yeager, a University of Southern Mississippi assistant professor of marine sciences. He was the chief scientist on the research trip, which ended last week. (Source: USA Today, 10/24/10) Previous story of oil found on seafloor

More federal waters opened

Another 7,000 square miles of federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico has been reopened to commercial and recreational fishing. That leaves just four percent still closed as a result of this summer’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the latest opening is 60 miles east of the well site, between the Florida-Alabama state line and Cape San Blas, Fl. (Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune, 10/22/10)

Contract: Northrop Grumman, $62M

Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $62,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee not-to-exceed modification to previously awarded contract for advance procurement of long lead time materials in support of Landing Platform Dock 27. Work will be done in Pascagoula, Miss., and is expected to be completed by August 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, Northrop Grumman, 10/20/10)

Oyster farming finds new importance

BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. - Scientists at Auburn University’s Shellfish Laboratory on Dauphin Island find their work has new significance in the wake of this summer's oil spill. Oyster farming is popular in other parts of the U.S., but was never found economically viable in coastal Alabama. Now, Auburn's Shellfish Lab is working with volunteers and leading experiments to see if such farming can be a money maker. A demonstration at Point aux Pines near Bayou La Batre may show a way. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 10/18/10)

Spin-offs can be winners

The Mobile Press-Register on Sunday took a closer look at what might happen with a spin-off of Northrop Grumman's shipbuilding sector. Some think a shipbuilding operation turned loose from the parent could be a winner for investors. The company says it's leaning toward a spin-off, but is also meeting with large buyout firms. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 10/17/10) Northrop Grumman owns shipyards in Pascagoula, Miss., Avondale, La., and Newport News, Va., and this past summer said it’s considering getting out of the shipbuilding business. At least one company, Cleveland Ship, has made its interest public. The company filed a Form 10 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a first step. (Source: Northrop Grumman, 10/15/10)

San Antonio won't deploy

NORFOLK, Va. - The USS Mesa Verde will deploy as part of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group in the summer of 2011, replacing the USS San Antonio, the U.S. Fleet Force Command announced. Work is still being done on the trouble-plagued San Antonio to return it to the fleet. (Source: NNS, 10/15/10) The first ship of its class, the San Antonio, LPD 17, has had a series of problems, including its propulsion system, since it was commissioned more than four years ago. An investigation found the shipbuilder, Northrop Grumman in Avondale, La., and the Navy at fault for not catching problems earlier. Mesa Verde, LPD 19, is the third ship of the class and was built by Northrop Grumman in Pascagoula, Miss.

Scientists optimistic about funding

Gulf Coast university researchers are optimistic about getting a fair share of the $500 million in grant money to study the effects of the oil spill. Experts from the Gulf Coast are most familiar with the ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico and could add a lot to the studies, said Denis Wiesenburg, vice president of research at the University of Southern Mississippi. The Gulf of Mexico Alliance, a consortium of the five Gulf states, will administer $500 million in grants that BP committed over 10 years. A board of scientists will manage the study effort, known as the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative. BP and the alliance will each choose half of the board members. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 10/14/10)

Report says ferries sold

MOBILE, Ala. - Two ferries built by Austal USA to shuttle people and goods between the Hawaiian Islands were sold at auction to the federal government. Hawaii Superferry ordered the two ferries in 2004, but the company filed for bankruptcy after a state law that allowed the company to operate while an environmental study was done was ruled unconstitutional. The Virginian-Pilot reported that the ships were sold for $25 million each to the U.S. Maritime Administration this week. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 10/12/10)

Contract: Austal, $203.7M

Austal USA, Mobile, Ala., is being awarded a $204,652,897 modification to previously awarded contract for the exercise of construction options for ships four and five of the Joint High Speed Vessel program. The JHSV will provide high speed, shallow draft transportation capability to support the intra-theater maneuver of personnel, supplies and equipment for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Army. Work will be performed in Mobile, Ala., and is expected to be completed by December 2013. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/12/10)

Infinity science center taking shape

HANCOCK COUNTY, Miss. – The Infinity Science Center, an interactive facility begin built near Stennis Space Center along Interstate 10, is beginning to take shape. Work began May 3 near the Welcome Center in South Mississippi not far from the state line with Louisiana. The building is scheduled to be finished in August. About 90 percent of the steelwork is up and 80 percent of the concrete is done. A "topping off" will be celebrated in the next few weeks. Backers are still raising some $2 million for the $12 million interactive exhibits. Infinity will highlight ocean, space and earth science through fun exhibits at the center. It's expected to open in the spring of 2012. (Source: Sun Herald, 10/10/10)

Signal International lands contract

Signal International won a $32.4 million contract with Transocean Offshore Drilling to refurbish and upgrade the company's Deepwater Navigator drillship. Signal will use its yards in Pascagoula, Miss., and Mobile for the work, which should take 160 days. Signal is hiring in all crafts at both yards. In Pascagoula it will hire 300 workers and in Mobile 100. The Pascagoula shipyard has 600 workers and the Mobile yard 240. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, Sun Herald, 10/08/10)

90 percent of federal waters now open

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this week reopened to commercial and recreational fishing another 2,927 square miles of Gulf of Mexico waters off eastern Louisiana. This is the eighth reopening in federal waters since July 22 in connection with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. No oil or sheen has been documented in the area since July 31. The remaining closed area now covers 23,360 square miles, or about 10 percent of the federal waters in the Gulf. (Source: NOAA, 10/05/10)

Fuel loaded on newest transport

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding achieved a key milestone by loading 100,000 gallons of fuel aboard the company's sixth San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship over the weekend. The loading of fuel is important as the shipbuilder prepares to light the San Diego's first generator and later send the ship to sea for its first sea trial. The generator light off for LPD 22 is scheduled for next month. The ship was christened in June and is scheduled for sea trials in the second quarter of 2011. The 684-foot long ship is capable of embarking a landing force of up to 800 Marines. It's powered by four turbo-charged diesels. (Source: Northrop Grumman, 10/06/10) Previous story

AFL-CIO gets in shipyard fight

The AFL-CIO is throwing its weight behind Louisiana shipworkers in a bid to save thousands of jobs. Northrop Grumman, owner of the Avondale shipyard, issued the first round of pink slips to workers on Monday. Northrop Grumman, which has 5,000 workers at the Avondale yard, said in July that it would close the yard and shift the work to its shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. The company also said it's looking at shedding all of its shipbuilding sector, including Pascagoula and Newport News, Va. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said his organization is meeting with government officials and prospective buyers of the shipbuilding unit to try and find a solution that will keep the unit on the job. (Source: The Hill, 10/05/10)

Bidder reported for shipyards

Bloomberg is reporting that Cleveland Ship LLC, formed to bid for a new class of U.S. Navy oilers, made an offer for Northrop Grumman Corp.’s shipbuilding unit. The Cleveland-based company did not specify the value of its Sept. 23 bid. Cleveland Ship said it had expressed interest earlier this year in buying Northrop Grumman's shipyard in Avondale, La. Northrop Grumman said in July it will be closing the Louisiana shipyard and consolidate work in Pascagoula, Miss. But the company also said it is considering selling its entire shipbuilding sector, which also includes Newport News, Va. (Source: Bloomberg, 10/04/10)

Oil spill impact: Signs looking good?

Some of the researchers most familiar with the northern Gulf of Mexico say the ocean looks like it should as fall begins, but they agree it could be years before any losses related to this summer's Deepwater Horizon oil spill become apparent. "Working from the grand caveat that most of the information we have is anecdotal and suggestive," said Monty Graham, a biologist at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, "it does not appear that there are large pools of oil running around on the bottom, wreaking havoc." (Source: Mobile Press Register, 10/03/10) Earlier last week, a NOAA scientist said more than 30,000 samples taken in the Gulf of Mexico show the Gulf is recovering from the spill. Janet Baran, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientist who is co-leading the subsurface oil monitoring program, said samples taken in about 10,000 locations in shallow to deep water, as well as the ocean floor, show no visible signs of oil. Oil content of the samples is now being described as being in parts per billion rather than million, representing a thousand-fold decrease in the amount of oil in the water, she said. (Source: Mississippi Press, 09/30/10)