VT Halter wins contract

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- VT Halter Marine said it has secured a contract to build an articulated tug barge, with an optional second unit, for Bouchard Transportation Co. The option must be exercised within 60 days of the initial contract award, the company said in a news release. The barge is 625 feet by 91 feet by 47 feet, has a 250,000-barrel capacity and will be used to transport liquid petroleum. Construction will begin in April at VT Halter Marine’s Pascagoula, Miss., facility, with delivery scheduled for mid-2015. (Source: Mississippi Press, 02/13/13)

HII eyes energy for Avondale

Huntington Ingalls Industries will open an office in Houston to help market its closing Avondale, La., shipyard. The company is pursuing opportunities in the energy infrastructure market for the yard. Located on the Mississippi River near New Orleans, the 268-acre facility has the potential to employ up to 10,000 highly skilled craft workers, the company said. (Sources: Mississippi Press, Globe Newswire, 02/05/13) HII owns Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. Previous