Keel laid for new survey ship

MOSS POINT, Miss. - VT Halter Marine laid the keel Tuesday of a multimillion-dollar Navy research vessel named after Matthew Fontaine Maury, the father of modern oceanography. The T-AGS 66 research vessel is 253 feet long and can carry a crew of 67. It will take about 18 months to complete the ship, officials said. VT Halter Marine has about 1,800 employees at its Moss Point, Pascagoula and Escatawpa yards. (Sources: WLOX-TV, 02/01/11, Mississippi Press, 02/02/11)