Avondale still on track to close

Huntington Ingalls Industries is sticking to plans to close its Avondale shipyard near New Orleans, the company's Chief Executive Officer, Michael Petters, said in an interview in Bloomberg's Washington office. Shipbuilding will end at Avondale by mid- to late-2013, after it delivers its last amphibious ship. The company continues to seek a partner, such as a heavy manufacturer that will develop an alternative use, Petters said. The closure plans were first announced in 2010 when HII was still part of Northrop Grumman. The company is consolidating its Gulf Coast work at the company's shipyards in Pascagoula and Gulfport, Miss. (Source: Bloomberg, 04/10/12)