Ingalls wins NSC contract

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Ingalls Shipbuilding division has received a $497 million fixed-price, incentive-fee contract from the U.S. Coast Guard to build a seventh Legend-class National Security Cutter (WMSL 756). Construction on the ship will begin in January 2015. Ingalls has delivered the first three NSCs and has three more under construction. Hamilton (WMSL 753) is 81 percent complete and will deliver in the third quarter of 2014; James (WMSL 754) is 52 percent complete and will launch in April, and the sixth NSC (WMSL 755) began construction late last year and is scheduled for launch in the fourth quarter of 2015. The seventh ship, WMSL 756, is scheduled for delivery in 2018. (Source: Huntington Ingalls, 03/31/14)

Signal gets contract

MOBILE, Ala. -- Signal International's ship repair yard in Mobile has been awarded a $4.5 million contract to repair and drydock a Navy tanker, the 615-foot-long USNS Lawrence H. Gianella. The ship will arrive at Signal Ship Repair facility in May and stay for 45 days. The ship is a Military Sealift Command vessel that normally delivers petroleum for the Defense Department. It is managed by Houston, Texas-based Ocean Ships, Inc. Signal plans to hire as many as 150 employees to repair the ship, starting at the beginning of May. (Source: al.com, 03/28/14)

USS Jackson christened Saturday

MOBILE, Ala. -- The Navy will christen its newest littoral combat ship, the future USS Jackson (LCS 6), in a ceremony at the Austal USA Shipyard here Saturday at 10 a.m. CDT. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, a native of Mississippi, will deliver the principal address and Dr. Katherine Holmes Cochran will serve as the ship's sponsor. Cochran is the daughter of Mississippi U.S. Senator Thad Cochran. LCS 6 is the first U.S. Navy vessel christened in tribute to the capital city of Mississippi, and honors the state's deep ties to the U.S. Navy and the shipbuilding industry. Jackson will continue to undergo outfitting and testing at Austal USA. The ship is expected to deliver to the Navy in early 2015 following acceptance trials. (Source: DoD, 03/20/14)

Contract: HII, $602M

Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being provided funding in the amount of $601,990,190 under previously awarded contract (N00024-13-C-2307) to fund construction and exercised options for one DDG 51 class ship in fiscal 2014. The modification also provides $79,400,000 in advanced procurement funding for the fiscal 2016-2017 ships. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Miss. (56.3 percent); Cincinnati, Ohio (6.9 percent); Walpole, Mass. (4.5 percent); York, Pa. (1.9 percent); Camden, N.J. (1.4 percent); Erie, Pa. (1.3 percent); Charlottesville, Va. (1 percent), and other locations less than one percent (26.7 percent), and is expected to be completed by July 2023. 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, 03/14/14)

NGI partners with Mexico

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- A research consortium led by Mississippi State University has partnered with a group of institutions in Mexico to advance the study of the Gulf of Mexico's ecosystem. The Northern Gulf Institute and the Consorcio de Instituciones de Investigación Marina del Golfo de México (CiiMar-GoM) signed a memorandum of agreement to support joint research activities of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and other organizations and governmental agencies with an interest in research and educational programs for the Gulf of Mexico region. Headquartered at the MSU Science and Technology Center at Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, NGI is a NOAA cooperative institute whose members include the University of Southern Mississippi, Louisiana State University, Florida State University, Dauphin Island Sea Laboratory and MSU. In addition, NGI has an agreement with the Harte Research Institute of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi to support joint research activities. (Source: NGI, 03/14/14)

Ingalls appoints development VP

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Ingalls Shipbuilding has announced that Mike Lipski will be the company's vice president of business development, effective April 1. Lipski will be responsible for coordinating capture team efforts for new contracts and managing all business development activities. This includes working with the company's government and customer relations teams to optimize business development activities with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard. Lipski began his career with Ingalls in 2007 and since November 2012 has been director of business development and strategic planning for Ingalls. (Source: HII via Globe Newswire, 03/12/14)

Keel ceremony held for Trenton

MOBILE, Ala. -- Austal USA held a keel laying ceremony for the future USNS Trenton on Monday. Trenton is the fifth joint high speed vessel. The ship will be christened in the earlier part of this year after the final phases of assembly. Austal, the general contractor for the $1.6 billion joint high speed vessel program, is building 10 of the ships for the Navy. Four of them have already been launched. (Source: al.com, 03/10/14)

Contract: Austal, $683.7M

Austal USA, Mobile, Ala., is being provided funding in the amount of $683,716,119 under previously awarded contract (N00024-11-C-2301) for construction of two fiscal 2014 littoral combat ships. The three contract line items being funded for each ship are for the basic seaframe construction, selected ship systems integration and test, and selected ship systems equipment. Work will be performed in Mobile, Ala. (51 percent), Pittsfield, Mass. (13 percent), Cincinnati, Ohio (4 percent), Baltimore, Md. (2 percent), Burlington, Vt. (2 percent), New Orleans, La. (2 percent), and various locations of less than two percent each totaling 26 percent, and is expected to be complete by June 2018. Fiscal 2014 shipbuilding and conversion, Navy contract funds in the amount of $683,716,119 will be obligated at time of award and 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, 03/10/14)