Contract: Textron, $84M

Textron Inc., New Orleans, La., is being awarded an $84,087,094 modification to previously awarded contract N00024-12-C-2401 to exercise an option for construction of Landing Craft, Air Cushions (LCACs) 102 and 103 and their associated technical manuals under the Ship to Shore Connector (SSC) program. The SSC Program is the functional replacement for the existing fleet of LCAC vehicles, which are nearing the end of their service life. The SSC program involves air cushion vehicles designed for a 30-year service life. The SSC mission is to land surface assault elements in support of operational maneuver from the sea, at over-the-horizon distances, while operating from amphibious ships and mobile landing platforms. SSC provides increased performance to handle current and future missions, as well as improvements which will increase craft availability and reduce total ownership cost. Work will be performed in New Orleans (42 percent); Indianapolis, Ind. (20 percent); Camden, N.J. (14 percent); Norway (7 percent); Great Britain (4 percent); Livonia, Mich. (4 percent); Huntington, Calif. (2 percent); Eatontown, N.J. (2 percent); San Diego, Calif. (2 percent); Chanhassen, Minn. (1 percent); Corona, Calif. (1 percent); and Gold Beach, Oregon. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2019. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/31/15)

Gulf Coast engineering firm of year

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – UniversalPegasus International (UPI), a subsidiary of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), was named Gulf Coast Engineering Company of the Year on March 19 at the 3rd annual Oil and Gas Awards in Houston. The Oil and Gas Awards partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Energy Institute to support and promote the awards that recognize leading companies in the upstream and mid-stream oil and gas sectors. The ECoY award recognizes engineering excellence and notable achievements in the Gulf region. UPI was among 70 finalists for a Gulf Coast Oil and Gas Award. UPI provides expertise, efficiency and value in project management, engineering and construction management for the energy industry. UPI is headquartered in Houston. (Source: Huntington Ingalls 03/31/15) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding and Maritime Note: HII is the nation’s largest military shipbuilding company. HII’s Ingalls shipbuilding, located in Pascagoula, Miss., builds various ships for the U.S. Navy including some Zumwalt class (DDG-51) destroyers and helicopter landing ships.

GEO apps imagery for GoM

SEATTLE - Cray Inc. announced March 24 it has been awarded a contract to provide Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS), a global oil-and-gas company, with a Cray XC40 supercomputer and Sonexion 2000 storage system. The 5-petaflop Cray supercomputer will be one of the largest systems the company has delivered to a customer, and among the largest supercomputers deployed in the commercial sector. Headquartered in Norway with a North American regional center in Houston, PGS creates high-resolution seismic maps and 3D models of the earth's sub-surface, which oil and gas companies use to explore and produce offshore reserves. The new supercomputer and storage system will provide PGS with the advanced computational capabilities to run highly-complex seismic processing and imaging applications. These applications include imaging algorithms for the PGS Triton survey - the most advanced seismic imaging survey conducted in Gulf of Mexico. The new Cray systems are expected to be deployed this year. (Source: Cray Inc. 03/24/15)

Ingalls awarded DDG contract

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Huntington Ingalls Industries' Ingalls Shipbuilding division has received a $604.3 million contract modification to fund construction of the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) Aegis guided missile destroyer DDG 121 for the U.S. Navy. The ship is the third of five DDG 51 destroyers the company was awarded in June 2013. The five-ship contract, part of a multi-year procurement in the DDG 51 program, allows Ingalls to build ships more efficiently by buying bulk material and moving the skilled workforce from ship to ship. With the contract, Ingalls will be building DDGs over the next decade. Ingalls has delivered 28 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the Navy. Destroyers currently under construction at Ingalls are John Finn (DDG 113), Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) and Delbert D. Black (DDG 119). (Source: HII via Globe Newswire, 03/30/15)

Hijacked divers to get POW medals

Six Navy divers held captive in 1985 by jihadists for 17 days in Beirut, Lebanon, will be awarded the Prisoner of War Medal in a late April ceremony in Washington, D.C. All six are to be recognized for their sacrifice during the hijacking of Trans-World Airlines Flight 847. Steelworker 2nd Class Robert D. Stethem, who was murdered by the hijackers and thrown onto the airport tarmac, will posthumously receive the award. The divers were from the Little Creek, Va.-based Underwater Construction Team 1, who were flying home June 14, 1985, after finishing a project in Greece. The award “just kind of slipped through the cracks” over the years," said retired Capt. Bobbie Scholley, who heads the Navy Diver Foundation. The five surviving sailors who will attend: Engineering Aid 1st Class Stuart Dahl; Construction Electrician 1st Class Tony Watson; Equipment Operator 1st Class Jeffrey Ingalls; SW2 Class Kenneth Bowen; and CE2 Clinton Suggs. Stethem’s parents and brothers are also expected to attend. (Source: Navy Times 03/28/15) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding & Maritime Note: U.S. Navy diving is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The Panama City, Fla., naval dive and salvage command oversees most all diving, training and certification for the Navy.

Robotic sub-hunters

The robotic revolution that transformed warfare in the skies will soon extend to the sea, with underwater spy "satellites," drone-launching pods from the oceans’ floors and unmanned ships on the hunt for submarines. Officials at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has outlined new groundbreaking-technologies program that could alter the way Navy warfare is fought - in the same way drones have altered land and air warfare. One proposed system - dubbed "Upward Falling Payloads" - envisages robot pods on the ocean floor - activated as needed – to launch surveillance drones or provide a communications link for U.S. troops facing electronic jamming. Source: Agence France-Presse 03/27/15 Gulf Coast Shipbuilding and Maritime Note: Another maritime program, designed to deploy unmanned vessels on the ocean's surface to track submarines, could prove to be a "game-changer." It’s called Anti-submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel. A smaller experimental vessel recently passed six-week tests off the coast of Mississippi in the Gulf of Mexico without crashing. The next test is to include a full-sized prototype by fall 2015. Source: Agence France-Presse 03/27/15

Modified LCS questions remain

The Navy has yet to cement specific upgrades it will incorporate into the Freedom and Independence classes-modified Littoral Combat Ship conversion program. The service will procure 52 ships. The final 20 “frigates” will be outfitted with beefed up weaponry, sensors and armor. Navy plans to deliver its acquisition timeline to Defense Secretary Ash Carter on May 1. DOD established the Small Surface Combatant task force, a group charged with studying alternatives to the LCS. The buy-more decision is likely to be a boon for Austal USA of Mobile, Ala. and Lockheed Martin, which produce the two variants. Navy will begin buying new frigates in 2019, after the 32nd LCS is procured. That decision will allow the industrial base some consideration, without interruption, in their hull production lines. Incremental upgrades could be introduced as early as 2017. (Source: National Defense Magazine 04/2015)

MCM warfare: CNO, Miller

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, and U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), will be at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., on April 1 to provide remarks and take questions from media. The nation’s senior Navy officer and Florida District 1 congressman will provide remarks, and answer questions, following a tour of USS Independence (LCS-2) and its mine countermeasure (MCM) capabilities. USS Independence, built at Austal USA shipyards in Mobile, Ala., is the test ship for the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship mine countermeasure mission package that has been under development at Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, Fla. The media availability is to be at 11 a.m. at Pier Charlie. (Source: NAS Pensacola media advisory 03/30/15.

Research vessel arrives

GULFPORT, Miss. -- A 135-foot research vessel that will study marine science issues reached its home port Sunday, becoming the University of Southern Mississippi's newest and largest research vessel. The Point Sur, a $1 million investment, reached the state Port of Gulfport after a three-week voyage from Monterey, Calif. Southern Miss, the state's designated marine sciences institution, bought the vessel and paid for the trip with a $1 million grant from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. Officials said the purchase price was $875,000 and it cost $125,000 to sail the ship from California and through the Panama Canal to Gulfport. "It is the first oceanographic-class research vessel homeported in the northern Gulf of Mexico east of the Mississippi River,” said Monty Graham, chairman of the Southern Miss department of marine science. Among those awaiting for the ship's arrival were graduate students at USM, Stennis Space Center and the Gulf Coast Research Lab in Ocean Springs. Jim Franks, senior research scientist at GCRL, said the ship "will expand our research horizons for sure." (Source: Sun Herald, 03/29/15) Previous

Ingalls gets NSC contract

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. received a nearly $500 million contract to build an eighth National Security Cutter (NSC-8) for the U.S. Coast Guard at its Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula. U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, announced the award Friday. Cochran worked to provide $76.5 million in fiscal year 2014 funding for long-lead materials needed to maintain the production line for the construction of the 418-foot NCS-8. (Source: Sun Herald, 03/27/15)

P’cola port plant halted

Construction on a $50 million Port of Pensacola, Fla., manufacturing plant has been halted due to finances related to the falling price of crude oil. The project, announced by Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward last July, is being led by DeepFlex of Houston, Texas, an underwater pipe company. It was to be the largest private commercial development ever at the city-owned port. The project is 80 percent complete. The unexpected turndown of crude prices – having fallen 50 percent to less than $60 a barrel since the fall of 2014 – is blamed for a possible financial crunch for the company, said Port Director Amy Miller. Resumption of the construction may depend on a rise in oil prices. Pensacola News Journal 03/29/15 Previous story

NOLA CG medevac’s fisherman

NEW ORLEANS – A Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans-based HH-65 ‘Dolphin’ helicopter rescue crew medevaced a man from a fishing boat 17 miles south of Southwest Pass on March 24. The crew picked up the fisherman, who had been reportedly complaining of abdominal pain for three days. The fishing boat had tied up to a nearby oil platform; and the ailing man was transported to the facility’s helicopter pad. CG crewmembers brought the man directly to West Jefferson Medical Center. His condition was unknown. “This case illustrates why it is imperative to recognize the first signs of an emergency or survival situation and take immediate steps to mitigate risks or call for help,” said Lt. Cale Jurin, co-pilot of the helicopter. “In this case, the fisherman was lucky to be close to Good Samaritans on South Pass.” (Coast Guard 03/24/15)

Weeks Marine $9.2M contract

Weeks Marine Inc. of Covington, La., was awarded a $9,221,600 firm-fixed-price Army contract for construction and repair of existing earthen levees and stone dikes and subsequent hydraulic cutterhead dredging of borrow sites in Lake Pontchartrain, north of New Orleans. Work will be performed in St. John the Baptist Parish, La., with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2015. Bids were solicited via the Internet with eight received. Fiscal 2015 military construction funds in the amount of $9,221,600 are being obligated at the time of the award. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans,is the contracting activity (W912P8-15-C-0021). (DOD contracts 03/26/15)

Extra-fuel jets can’t launch from GRF

The Navy's Super Hornets and Growlers can't launch from the service’s newest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, if they’re carrying 480-gallon extended-flight fuel tanks under their wings because of a deficiency in the ship's high-tech catapults. The deficiency would "preclude the Navy from conducting normal operations" aboard GRD until it's corrected, says Air Force Maj. Eric Badger, spokesman for the Pentagon's testing office. The previously undisclosed issue with the General Atomics catapult system adds to shortcomings for the first in a new class of aircraft carriers being built by Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News, Va. shipyards. Flaws in the ship's landing system also are being fixed, and the Government Accountability Office has said other needed improvements are being deferred until March 2016 to stay within a congressionally-imposed $12.9 billion construction cap. The electromagnetic launch system puts more stress on the tanks than older steam-powered catapults; and would cause premature damage to the aircraft, according to documents. The issue apparently won't delay an April 8 meeting at the Pentagon to review awarding a potential $4 billion construction contract to HHI for the next carrier (John F. Kennedy), an unnamed defense official said. (Source: Bloomberg News 03/26/15) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding and Maritime Note: Huntington Ingalls Industries is the nation’s largest shipbuilder with headquarters in Newport News, Va. Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Miss., a division of HII, is a pioneer in the development and production of technologically advanced surface ships and warships for the Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps.
FOLLOW-ON NOTICE TO ABOVE STORY - Navy Cmdr. Thurraya Kent said the problem was discovered in April 2014 during testing at Lakehurst, N.J. "The Navy understands the issue, views it as a low technical risk, and has a funded plan in place to fix it," she said in an email to the the Newport News (Va.) Daily Press. "The fix will involve a software change and will be completed well before any planned operational launch and recovery of aircraft."

Working with Gulf aquatic preserve

TAMPA, Fla. – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Tampa Bay Aquatic Preserves partners with colleges and universities around the country – including the University of West Florida in Pensacola - to address environmental issues. The aquatic preserves provide students with hands-on experiences in coastal management. Instead of lying on the beach during their spring break, a group of Ohio State University students have been working with the office for nearly a decade. Representing various majors, students learn about Gulf Coast resources, explore the beach and see marine life up close. The Tampa Bay Aquatic Preserves was established in 1969 and includes four preserves in Pinellas, Hillsborough and Manatee Counties. (Source: Florida DEP 03/24/15)

Trenton finishes acceptance trials

MOBILE, Ala. -- The Austal USA-built USNS Trenton completed acceptance trials in the Gulf of Mexico, the Navy said Tuesday. The 338-foot, aluminum Joint High Speed Vessel was tested for a week by the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey. Trenton is the fifth JHSV catamaran built for the Navy. The ship is capable of carrying 600 short tons of cargo at an average speed of 35 knots. After trials, the ship will be delivered to the Military Sealift Command. The first four ships in the class have already been delivered. (Source: al.com, 03/24/15)

Offshore tech conference

The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) 2015, a technical and energy industry-sponsored event, will be held at NRG Park in Houston, Texas, from May 4-7. The conference is designed to advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and the environment. OTC is sponsored by 13 industry organizations and societies that include the Marine Technology Society. Among presentations will be about, among others, improvements and advances of aerospace technology to the energy industry. (Source: OTC 03/2015)

Gulf fishery council at Biloxi

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will meet in Biloxi, Miss., at the Golden Nugget from March 30-April 2. Committee meetings will convene beginning Monday at 8:30 a.m., and conclude at 10 a.m. Wednesday with a closed session. On Monday, the Sustainable Fisheries/Ecosystem Management Committee will review and discuss among other things, NOAA Climate Change Strategy. On Tuesday, the Reef Fish Management Committee will review: Recreational Red Snapper season projections. The council will reconvene at 1 p.m. Wednesday to receive presentations on Mandatory Safety Exams for All Commercial Fishing Vessels, among other things. Public comment will be from 3-5 p.m. The full council will resume Thursday at 8:30 a.m. to deliberate and take action on committee recommendations. (Source: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council 03/09/15) The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional Fishery Management Councils established by the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. The council prepares fishery management plans designed to manage fishery resources from where state waters end, out to the 200-mile limit of the Gulf of Mexico. These waters are also known as the Exclusive Economic Zone.

US/Mexico: Sharing GoM data

Scientific leaders from the U.S. and Mexico have taken steps to strengthen collaborations to develop better ocean-observing capabilities and improve Gulf of Mexico-wide data sharing at a meeting in Mexico City of the Consortium of Institutions for Marine Research (CIIMAR) in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Mexico's CIIMAR officially signed a memorandum of understanding joining with the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System Regional Association to pave the way for scientists in both countries to further share ocean information and begin including data gathered by Mexican scientists. "Ecosystems have no borders,” said Dr. José Piña, CIIMAR president. “That's why we must always work to move beyond the borders of our own organizations and governments for the betterment of the environment and for us all." The MOU comes as the U.S. Bureau of Energy Management is opening oil and gas lease areas in the Gulf and while the Mexican government is implementing energy reforms to allow for oil and gas exploration. (Source: Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System Regional Association 03/24/15)

Vitter: ‘Port Person of Year’

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) and Mexico’s general coordinator of ports Guillermo Ruiz de Teresa were selected to receive the American Association of Port Authorities’ (AAPA) 2015 ‘Port Person of the Year’ award. The selections were primarily based on their adept leadership toward the seaport and freight movement industry. Rep. Vitter has been a member of Congress for more than 15 years. He currently serves as chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. (Source: American Association of Port Authorities 03/20/15)

Miss. River commission meetings

VICKSBURG, Miss. - The Mississippi River Commission is conducting its annual high-water inspection of the Mississippi River. On March 25 in Vicksburg, Miss., and March 27, in Baton Rouge, La., the commission will host public meetings to hear concerns, ideas and issues from residents and stakeholders. The Vicksburg meeting will be at City Front at 1 p.m. The Baton Rouge session will be at City Dock above USS Kidd at 9 a.m. All meetings are open to the public. (Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 03/10/15)

Gulf sea turtle reprieve proposal

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have proposed to reclassify the green sea turtle under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and list turtles originating from Florida Gulf Coast and Pacific Coast Mexico breeding populations currently considered endangered, down to a threatened species category due to improvements in populations. After review of the global status of green sea turtles, both agencies are proposing to reclassify the species under an ESA agency to maintain federal protections while providing an approach for managers to address specific threats. The agencies have begun a 90-day public comment period for this proposal. Deadline for comments is June 22. (Source: NOAA 03/20/15)

Bumpy 2015 for floating rig fleet

The worldwide floating rig fleet may be in for bumpy 2015. The falling price of oil is resulting in operators cutting spending plans leading to drilling cancellations or postponements; and requests to rig owners to drop day rates by as much as 50 percent. Some owners have begun retiring older or idled rigs as the gap between supply and demand widens. As of March 12, there were 294 competitively active floating rigs worldwide. The utilization rate was 89.2 percent. Yet, there are 75 units scheduled to roll off contracts by the end of the year illustrating a problem for rig owners. Historically busy areas have the highest number of contracts ending. In the North Sea, 15 rigs with contracts end 2015. (Source: Rig Zone 03/17/14) Gulf Coast Shipping and Maritime Note: The Gulf of Mexico has six stacked floaters and eight with contracts potentially ending this year.

‘Good Samaritan’ aids crew in GoM

A maritime service firm’s vessel rescued four people from the crew boat of GIS Leonce, owned by Cut Off-based GIS Marine, in the Gulf of Mexico after midnight March 19 after the boat's engine caught fire. Coast Guard Lt. Lucas Mancini, based at the Morgan City, La., Marine Safety Unit, said the 113-foot Leonce was about 20 miles south of Port Fourchon, La., and returning to shore when its fire occurred. The cause is under investigation. The "Good Samaritan" vessel, Nicki Candies of Otto Candies LLC based in Des Allemands, La., helped get passengers off the boat and put the fire out. Lt. Mancini noted engine fires are more common as commercial and recreational boating picks up in the spring and summer. (Source: Times-Picayune 03/19/15)

CG seizes illegal GoM Red Snapper

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Heron seized about 120 Red Snapper from the Brownsville-based non-commercial boat Capt. Wallace B on March 18. The Heron conducted a law enforcement boarding of the fishing boat and discovered the illegal catch. Currently, only commercial fishing vessels with reef fish permits (with quotas) may fish in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Recreational fishing season for Red Snapper is closed. The boat was escorted to Port Isabel, Texas, and turned over to National Marine Fisheries Service. The vessel owner could receive civil penalties in excess of $20,000. During the last year, 64 miles of illegal fishing gear were removed from federal waters by Coast Guard authorities including unlit, unmarked longline and gill net. About 760,000 pounds of illegal Red Snapper are estimated to be taken annually from the Gulf of Mexico and south Texas waters without permit or license. (Coast Guard 03/21/15)

Avondale built LPD wraps up trials

The Avondale, La., built San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS New Orleans (LPD 18) recently completed five days of sea trials following an eight-month, $16 million maintenance period near its home port in San Diego. The crew tested damage control systems, navigational equipment and the propulsion plant, according to the Navy. The downtime followed an 8-month deployment. USS New Orleans is preparing for a Navy Board of Inspection and Survey review to test crews and systems as to whether it is ready for combat. The Big Easy, as the crew calls the ship, was built by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in Avondale; and commissioned in March 2007 during a Mississippi River ceremony. The Avondale shipyard closed last year. Source: Times-Picayune 03/19/15)

DOI finalizes new oil-gas regs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Interior finalized new and more stringent regulations Friday for oil and gas development on federal holdings, including offshore aimed at cutting carbon pollution. DOI’s new rules will require fracking operators to “construct sound wells, to disclose the chemicals they use and to safely recover and handle fluids used in the process.”In the coming months, the agency will also propose standards for reducing methane emissions at oil and gas sites on federal properties that includes the Gulf of Mexcio. (Source: Reuters 03/20/15)

'Big Foot' on way to Walker Ridge

HOUSTON – Chevron’s “Big Foot” semi-submersible production platform is on its way to installation in the Walker Ridge area of the Gulf of Mexico off the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Crowley and Signet Maritime combined eight tugboats to move the platform from Corpus Christi, Texas, to the GoM site by this coming mid-week. It is to be anchored in 5,200 feet of water. Big Foot is a dry-tree extended spars and tension leg platform (TLP) with an on-board drilling rig. First oil and gas is expected this year, Chevron said. (Source: Offshore magazine 03/17/15)

Gulf refinery workers OK new pact

More than 700 United Steelworkers (USW) union workers at the largest U.S. refinery unanimously approved a new contract in a vote at their Port Arthur, Texas, union hall on March 17. Return-to-work agreements, usually the final step before ratification votes, were under discussion. USW members at Port Arthur’s Motiva Enterprises (Shell-owned) refinery walked off Feb. 21 as part of the nation's largest refinery strike in 35 years. (Source: Maritime Professional 03/18/15) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding and Maritime Note: Norco and Covenant, La., along with Port Arthur USW workers are expected to return to their jobs this coming week.

Maritime biz tech symposium

The 4th annual SHIPPINGInsight 2015 Fleet Optimization Conference & Exhibition will be Oct. 13-14 in Stamford, Conn. The maritime industry technical symposium is designed to bring together ship managers and technology experts in panel sessions and interactive roundtables for informal network in addressing solutions to the challenges of operating ships more efficiently, said conference co-director Frank Soccoli. (Source: Maritime Professional 03/17/15)

Fisheries science workshop

The Marine Resource Education Program Southeast, a group created by fishermen, will host a Fisheries Science Workshop from April 14-16 at the Hilton Bayfront in St. Petersburg, Fla. “There are a lot of tough issues facing the managers of our wild fisheries,” said Gulf Seafood Institute’s Bob Gill, co-director of MREP-SE. There are some “profound changes” happening in the waters across the region, both natural and man-made – including the impact on the right to fish. Presenters are drawn from the National Marine Fisheries Service, research institutions and the fishing community. The goal of the program is to break down historical barriers to cooperation, forge new areas of involvement for fishermen in the regulatory system, and fully engage the industry in the development of the best available science. (Gulf Seafood Institute 03/07/15)

Ruling: Negative effect on seafood biz

The U.S. Department of Labor announced in early March it will no longer accept or process requests for H-2B visa prevailing wage determinations or foreign labor certifications, which could be a setback for Gulf of Mexico seafood processor from Florida to Texas. After a challenge from the non-profit rights group Florida Rural Legal Services, the Northern Florida District Court decision (Perez v. Perez) March 4 ruled DOL does not have the authority to issue regulations in the H-2B program, including standards for calculating prevailing wages of seasonal workers. The verdict vacates DOL’s 2008 H-2B regulation authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act. “The H-2B program has been the source of labor for Pontchartrain Blue Crab’s operation for more than 14 years,” said Gary Bauer, owner of the Slidell, La., processor. “The federal program was designed to provide small businesses with a source of legal immigrant labor and alleviate the shortages of labor these small businesses face year after year,” he said. The suspension could have negative economic consequences for seasonal employers, supply businesses and local communities, according to the H-2B Workforce Coalition, an organization designed to protect workers through a stable seasonal workforce. The coalition estimates about 2,300 employers and 33,000 foreign labor workers will be directly affected by the court’s decision. Some economists are estimating that for each H-2B worker, 4.64 American jobs are created and sustained. (Source: Gulf Seafood Institute 03/05/15)

Statoil bids on GoM leases

Statoil announced March 18 that it successfully bid on 14 leases of the U.S. Department of Interior’s Gulf Coast central region lease sale #235 in New Orleans. The acreage high bid “completes our ownership of the Monument prospect” and “strengthens our position in prioritised areas of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico,” says Jez Averty, Statoil’s senior VP of exploration for North America. Statoil's bids are subject to review and final approval by DOI. Statoil is an international energy company based in Norway that operates its Gulf of Mexico operations out of Houston. (Source: Statoil, 03/18/15) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding and Maritime Note: The DOI oil and gas lease sale drew $538,780,056 in high bids on 7,788 unleased blocks covering 41.2 million acres for exploration and development in the Central Planning Area, offshore of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. Statoil recently joined the Gulf of Mexico Foundation’s CEO Council. By partnering with GoMF, Statoil is pledging to support the ongoing work of restoring and preserving the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Corpus Christi-based foundation.

New LNG bunkering guidelines

HOUSTON – The U.S. Coast Guard has come out with additional guidance on procedures related to liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering (fueling of vessels). The USCG published two new policy letters on LNG bunkering, personnel training and waterfront facilities. With regard to simultaneous operations, USCG points to DNV GL’s recommended practice for “Development and Operation of LNG Bunkering Facilities” for guidance. Since U.S. ports do not have LNG liquefaction and storage facilities at this time, ships will have to rely on small-scale bunkering. This practice harbors certain risks not addressed by U.S. legislation until DNV GL’s Recommended Practice RP-0006: 2014-01 on the development and operation of LNG bunkering. (Source: Professional Mariner 03/17/15)

New NOAA hydrographic panelists

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration administrator Kathryn Sullivan has appointed new members to the Hydrographic Services Review Panel, a federal advisory committee that gives independent advice for improving a range of services and products that support navigation and coastal resilience. New members include Larry Atkinson, professor of oceanography at Old Dominion University in Virginia; David Maune, senior project manager of Dewberry Company in Fairfax, Va.; and Capt. Salvatore Rassello, director of nautical operations for Carnival Cruise Lines in Miami. The panel’s next public meeting is April 8-10 in Long Beach, Calif. The panel is composed of experts in hydrographic surveying, vessel pilotage, port administration, tides and currents, coastal zone management, geodesy, recreational boating, marine transportation and academia. (Source: Marine Technology News 03/12/15) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding and Maritime Note: Retired Rear Adm. Ken Barbor of the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi is among current panel members.

La. firm awarded FMS boat pact

Metal Shark Aluminum Boats of Jeanerette, La., was awarded a $15,309,410 Navy contract for the construction of 7-meter rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) in support of future Foreign Military Sales (FMS) requirements. The contract is to procure boats in a flexible baseline configuration that can be rapidly adapted and delivered to support specific FMS case requirements. The RHIBs support a range of missions including search and rescue, and insertion and extraction of forces. The work will be done in Jeanerette and is expected to be completed by February 2019. (Source: DOD 03/16/15)

GoM Initiative applications

JACKSON, Miss. - The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications through April 17 for the Gulf of Mexico Initiative (GoMI) through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). GoMI is a voluntary conservation program that provides financial assistance to eligible producers in the Bayou La-Terre and Rotten Bayou watersheds in Hancock and Harrison, Miss., counties that drain into the Gulf of Mexico. The program is focused on improving water quality, water quantity and fish and wildlife habitat within these watersheds. (Gulf Coast News 03/16/15)

LPD 26 to be christened

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Huntington Ingalls Industries' Ingalls Shipbuilding division will christen the company's 10th amphibious transport dock, John P. Murtha (LPD 26), on Saturday, March 21. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi will be the featured speaker. Ms. Donna S. Murtha, daughter of ship's namesake, is the ship sponsor. Mrs. Joyce Murtha, wife of the ship's namesake, will also attend. The ship is named for John P. Murtha, who represented Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District for 36 years, from 1974 until his death in 2010. (Source: HII, 03/16/15)

LTE wireless pilot project for GoM

Infrastructure Networks (INET) is planning to deploy a pilot LTE wireless broadband system in the Gulf of Mexico. The INET pilot deployment will be used to demonstrate the capabilities of industrial LTE wireless broadband service and coverage when coupled with 700 MHz spectrum INET leased from Verizon Wireless under the LTE in Rural America program. One of the advantages of LTE is its ability to provide wireless broadband service to moving vessels. INET’s study of existing communications options in the GoM it “became apparent that surface vessels operating offshore represented a large un-served market,” said Stanley Hughey, chief strategy officer of INET. The company plans to begin establishing substantial LTE network coverage over a wide area of the Gulf of Mexico upon successful completion of the pilot project. (Source: Cellular News 03/13/15)

CMR skeds March 17 meeting

BILOXI, Miss. – The Commission on Marine Resources – an agency of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources - will meet on Tuesday, March 17, at 9 a.m. in the auditorium of the Bolton Building (1141 Bayview Ave.) in Biloxi. CMR is tentatively scheduled to take action on the Office of Marine Fisheries’ “Oyster Basket Dredge and Gear Requirements” agenda item. (Source: MDMR 03/13/15)

Contract: Austal, $6.5M

Austal USA LLC, Mobile, Ala., is being awarded a $6,502,918 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-11-C-2301) to exercise an option for special studies, analyses and review efforts for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program. Austal will provide engineering and design services to reduce acquisition and lifecycle costs for the Independence variant LCS. Work will be performed in Mobile (72 percent) and Pittsfield, Mass. (28 percent), and is expected to be complete by March 2016. Fiscal 2014 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $2,000,000 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, 03/13/15)

First GoM LNG-powered OSV

The Harvey Energy, a special Offshore Supply Vessel (OSV), has been delivered to Shell Oil for its deepwater operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The vessel is chartered from Harvey Gulf International Marine. It is a first-of-its-kind in the region to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and diesel. The OSV was built by Gulf Coast Shipyard in Mississippi to meet requirements of the ABS “ENVIRO+, Green Passport” notation. It will run on 99 percent LNG fuel and be able to operate for around seven days before refueling. It will load from Harvey Gulf’s new LNG bunkering facility at their terminal at Port Fourchon, La.. More than 600 oil and gas drilling rigs and platforms are located within a 40-mile radius of the terminal. From there, the OSV will go to Shell’s platforms in the Gulf to bring equipment and drilling fluids. Shell has two more LNG-fueled vessels scheduled for delivery. LNG fuel is a new alternative for vessel operators in the Gulf of Mexico responding to new sulphur and nitrogen oxide emissions regulations, as part of the North American Emission Control Area (ECA). (Source: Marine Link 03/05/15)

Miss. oyster council meetings

BILOXI, Miss. – The Governor’s Oyster Council on Restoration and Resiliency will hold public meetings this month in three coastal Mississippi communities: March 16 at the Bay St. Louis Community Hall; March 17 at the MDMR Auditorium in Biloxi; and March 18 at the Gautier City Hall. All meetings are from 5:30- 7:30 p.m. Mississippi Department of Marine Resources’ executive director Jamie Miller will make a council presentation that will be followed by public discussion. The council and its Environment, Economy and Aquaculture and Emerging Technologies committees are meeting over the next couple of months to find ways to grow the industry that is a vital part of the Gulf Coast. The council plans to make recommendations in a June report to Gov. Phil Bryant, who set up the council in February. (Source: MDMR 03/12/15)

Clean Gulf conference

There will be a CLEAN GULF Conference & Exhibition from Nov. 10-12 in New Orleans. Key professionals and decision-makers from throughout the Gulf Coast will discuss the latest trends and best practices in response oil-spill operations. More than 2,000 attendees are anticipated. The conference will also feature an exhibit floor of more than 200 companies displaying the latest technologies and products for the industry. (Source: CLEAN GULF 03/15)

Gulf oil spill fisheries seminar

On March 18, the Oil Spill Science Outreach Team will hold a fisheries seminar entitled “Oil Spill Science Seminar: Five years later, what have we learned?” The seminar, at the Grand Hotel at Point Clear, Ala. is free and open to the public. Scientists will present the latest fisheries-related research about the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and dispersant application on Gulf of Mexico habitats, communities, and individual species. (Source: Gulf Sea Grant 03/10/15)

$500K Fla. marine-science challenge

The Gulf Coast Innovation Challenge is a $500,000 incentive-grant to grow the marine sciences on Florida’s Gulf Coast. “Thousands of jobs and tens of millions of dollars in economic activity are already tied to the businesses, resources, and habitats of our region’s waters,” said Teri A Hansen, president/CEO of Gulf Coast Community Foundation. “Yet this has been a largely hidden sector here, one that holds enormous potential for innovation and growth.” The challenge is open to individuals, institutions, governments, non- and for-profit businesses. Teams participate by creating a brief, online submission that explains how their solution will make a positive contribution to the Gulf Coast’s Blue Economy as well as provide a public benefit. Initial entries must be made by April 30. (Source: Gulf Coast Community Foundation 03/10/15)

Sea change for ocean management

SAN DIEGO - Ocean ecosystems around the world are threatened by overfishing, energy exploration, pollution and other consequences of industries. Data indicates ways to protect these ecosystems, but current management strategies sometimes can't react quickly enough, said San Diego State University biologist Rebecca Lewison. She and colleagues are endorsing a new approach called "dynamic ocean management" in a paper published March 11 in the journal BioScience. Lewison, and colleagues from Stanford University and NOAA, argue for an approach that incorporates real-time data from satellite data, ocean monitoring arrays and climate fluctuation reports into a conservation and sustainable resource use application. With support from NASA and the Center for Ocean Solutions, the researchers are working to develop approaches through which ocean managers and industry work together to manage resources. But, the success will depend on cooperation from industry in terms of contributing data and following the guidelines based on the information. (Source: Eurek Alert 03/11/15)

USM to host ocean-awareness camp

The University of Southern Mississippi is one of 20 American institutions to be hosting an ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp. The ‘Coastal and Ocean Awareness Science and Technology’-themed camp will be June 14-27 on the Hattiesburg campus. “We are the first university ever in the state of Mississippi to do so,” said Marks McWhorter, outreach coordinator for the Department of Biological Sciences. The camp will host for free 48 middle school students for a 2-week residential academic summer science camp. (Source: Southern Miss Now 03/10/15)

McCain questions LCS standards

U.S. Sen. John McCain, Armed Services Committee chairman, warned the Navy that the drive to upgrade the Littoral Combat Ship design to frigate capabilities may be a repeat of previous mistakes. There needs to be a specific capabilities-based assessment, the Arizona senator maintained, or there’s no clear operational requirement for upgrading the LCS. “The Navy must demonstrate what problem the upgraded LCS is trying to solve.” The biggest issue with LCS is survivability in combat. Navy Secretary Ray Rabus, speaking before the SASC on March 10, acknowledged that small ships aren’t as tough as full-size destroyers, but with survivability upgrades, it would meet fleet requirements.” To McCain’s beef: Are fleet standards set too low? (Source: Breaking Defense 03/10/15) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding and Maritime Note: Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala., builds one of the two LCS variants for the Navy.

Saving wildlife under 1-10

The Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition is crossing through the Panhandle after hiking and biking from Central Florid – and kayaking - across and under some of the largest barriers to its goal of establishing a continuous wildlife corridor. FWCE generally goes through un-touched segments of the nation's third-largest state. But the trail also goes through places like the heavily-traveled I-4 superhighway northeast of Lakeland. Places like bear, cattle and reptile crossings under I-4 are among the reasons why the wildlife corridor expedition started. Part of their mission is to bring attention to having safe crossings over dangerous places for wildlife. I-10 is presenting a double barrier to their mission because there aren’t any wildlife crossings. Before I-10 was built, “thousands of turtles, alligators, snakes, a lot of reptiles and amphibians were killed," says Matt Aresco, director of the Nokuse Plantation in Freeport - a 53,000-acre conservation project. I-10 is considered a vital link between large conservation lands to the west, including Eglin Air Force Base Reserve and Blackwater River State Forest, and the Conecuh National Forest in Alabama. It is also part of the planned Northwest Florida Greenway that would link state, federal, and private conservation lands across southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. One key was getting the first I-10 corridor wildlife underpass built under U.S. 27 near Tallahassee. It took the state a decade to approve it. (Source: WUSF 03/011/15)

Miss. oyster season to close

BILOXI, Miss. – Officials with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources has announced that oyster season within state waters will close at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 14. Oyster season opened in November. The order was made by virtue of the authority of the Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources, under provisions of Section 49-15-15 of the Mississippi Code authorizing the executive director of MDMR to allow a limited 2014-15 Mississippi oyster season. For more information, call the MDMR Oyster Hotline at 228-374-5167 or 1-800-385-5902. (Source: Mississippi Department of Marine Resources 03/06/15)

Protected species workshop

National Marine Fisheries Service’s shark ‘Protected Species Safe Handling, Release and Identification’ workshops will be held in St. Lucie, Fla., and Kenner, La., in the month of April. These workshops are mandatory for vessel owners and operators who use bottom longline, pelagic longline or gillnet gear, and who have been issued shark or swordfish limited access permits. Gulf Coast workshops are April 13 at the Holiday Inn on 10120 South Federal Hwy. in Port St. Lucie, Fla.; and April 28 at the Hilton Inn at 901 Airline Dr., in Kenner, La. Registration via Angler Conservation Education at (386) 682-0158. (Source: Federal Register 03/06/15)

Winning ocean exploration design tool

LAKE CHARLES, La. – Five engineering students from McNeese State University will work with Ocean Exploration Trust (OET) professional engineers to build and test a reduced recoil tool for deep-sea geological sampling that could provide insights into seafloor geological processes and oceanic crust formations. Their work involved creating a durable and cost-effective improvement to a rock-chipping hammer for a remotely operated vehicle capable of working in the ocean up to 13,000 feet. The students’ winning design was the result of OET’s 2014-15 Nautilus Engineering Design Challenge sponsored by CITGO Petroleum Corp. The new tool allows OET’s Nautilus Exploration Program to study geological structures that insufficient technology was unable to recover from the seafloor. (Source: 3BL Media 03/05/15)

LCS tests Hellfire modification

The Littoral Combat Ship program office has begun a series of surface warfare-mission tests on its modified Longbow Hellfire missile from a surrogate test platform. The SW mission package reached initial operational capability in November with its 30mm gun and 11-meter rigid hull inflatable boats. The Navy-chosen Lockheed Martin AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire radar-guided missile would be used to counter fast inshore attack craft threats. The missiles were acquired from the Army and designed to launch horizontally. Modifications were made to create a vertical launch configuration. The first of several test-runs was in late February and it was a success. (Source: U.S. Naval Institute News 03/05/15) Gulf Coast note: The LCS mine countermeasures (MCM) mission package testing is preparing for final operational tests later this year. Program officials have embarked the MCM package onto USS Independence (LCS 2) for a technical evaluation underway in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Fla. Afterwards, the program plans to conduct initial operational test and evaluation in July. Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., builds the Independence class of LCS.

15th annual Fla. oceans day

TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection, alongside public and private partners, will celebrate “Florida Oceans Day 2015” here at the Capitol on March 12. Exhibits from the 15th annual event will feature displays from the Florida Coastal Management Program, Deepwater Horizon restoration efforts, the Gulf of Mexico Alliance and Florida Coral Reef Conservation Program. (Source: Florida DEP 03/04/15)

Vessel discharge reform moves ahead

A bipartisan effort to establish and replace a patchwork of conflicting rules with a science-based federal framework for vessel discharge regulations was approved (S. 373) in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Senate bill 373 is called the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA). A coalition of 60 groups - including the American Waterway Operators - had been among those supporting VIDA. The coalition will work with the committee to bring S.373 to the full Senate in the spring. "The bill is good for the maritime transportation industry and the industries that rely upon it, good for the health of the nation's waterways, and good for the American taxpayer," said a letter from coalition to the committee. (Source: Marine Log 03/05/15)

GoM on brink of oil boom

There is an anticipated oil and gas production boom being projected for the Gulf of Mexico through 2016. The boom is to be led by new offshore projects and redevelopment of older fields. The Energy Information Administration indicated March 3 that oil and gas production will reach 1.52 million barrels a day in 2015 and leap to 1.61 million next year. That kind of production hasn't happened since 2010, the year of the Deepwater Horizon spill. Oil companies are beginning production at five deepwater projects already – including Chevron’s Jack/St. Malo fields, Stone Energy's Cardamom Deep and Cardona projects, and Hess’ Tubular Bells project. Thirteen more fields are expected to start production by 2016. The developments as a whole are forecast to boost GoM production by 265,000 barrels per day by year’s end. There are 11 project-area sites expected to start in 2015, along with 2016 anticipated projects, within the central and east sector of the Mississippi Canyon alone – located south of the mouth of the Mississippi River. (NOLA 03/03/15)

La. tug to deliver Ranger

BREMERTON, Wash. – The Navy’s mothballed aircraft carrier USS Ranger – decommissioned since 1993 – began its 16,000-mile tow from here to a Brownsville, Texas, scrapyard March 5. The carrier served from 1957-93 when it entered Puget Sound Naval Shipyard’s Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility. The Navy announced a deal Dec. 22 to pay International Shipbreaking of Brownsville a penny, and the value of the ship’s scrap metal, to take it away. The five-month trip will go around South America because it won’t fit in the Panama Canal. Crosby Tugs of Golden Meadow, La., has been contracted to tow the carrier. With Ranger’s departure, there is only two carriers remaining in the Bremerton mothball fleet - USS Independence and USS Kitty Hawk. The Navy is holding Kitty Hawk in reserve until USS Gerald R. Ford becomes active. Ford is scheduled to join the fleet in March 2016. (Source: Kitsap Sun 03/03/15)

LCS reverse osmosis prototype

Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center completed tests in February on a “reverse osmosis” system prototype for Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships (LCS). The LCS Program Office will move forward with funding from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) for development of a hardened Reverse Osmosis Unit with filter pre-treatment capable of producing 4,000 gallons of water a day. Current ROU with LCS produce 2,000 gallons daily. The systems being developed for LCS will enable crews to have access to fresh water all the time, said NAVFAC EXWC commander Capt. Mark. K. Edelson. Water is a “key resource” for sailors; and the ability of these systems to convert seawater into fresh water takes on even greater importance in combat or deployed. The center expects to receive the hardened RO unit in the first quarter of FY 2017. The unit will eventually transition to a shipyard environment for a six-month test on a deployed LCS. Performance data from new units will allow the LCS program to proceed with upgrading the LCS water purification system. (Source: NAVFAC EXWC 02/27/15) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding and Maritime Note: Austal USA shipyards in Mobile, Ala., build one of the two LCS variants.

Speed up LCS upgrades

The Navy hopes to expand and speed up technological upgrades to its fleet of Littoral Combat Ships onto the existing fleet before 2019, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus told lawmakers on March 4. Navy’s procurement plan calls for a new, more highly armed and survivable LCS variant, which will be called a Frigate (FF) by 2019. The final 20 ships in a planned buy of 52 LCS would be equipped with additional lethal and survivability technologies. (Source: Military.com 03/04/15) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding and Maritime Note: Austal USA shipyards of Mobile, Ala., builds one of the two variants of LCS. Mabus is a former governor of Mississippi.

GC students earn MDMR awards

BILOXI, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources presented five Gulf Coast students with its Excellence in Marine Sciences awards as part of the Region VI Science and Engineering Fair. The award winners included: MacKenzie Valentine of Bayou View Elementary for her exhibit: “Is There a Dead Zone for Plankton in Brickyard Bayou?”; Steve Rocha of Bayou View for: “Can Oysters Clean Water?”; David Alexander of St. Patrick Catholic High School for: “Solar Storm 2”; Adara Rutherford of Hancock HS for: “Seasonal Variations of Water Quality in Bay St. Louis and the Mississippi Sound”; and Chazmyn Riley of St. Patrick Catholic for: “Does Acidification Affect Marine Life.” The winners received a monetary award designed to enhance exhibits for future competition. MDMRis dedicated to enhancing, protecting and conserving all marine interests of the state. (Source: MDMR 03/03/15)

VT Halter Marine launches tug

ESCATAWPA, Miss. -- VT Halter Marine recently launched the Articulated Tug Barge (ATB) tug Kim M. Bouchard, the first of two ATB tugs under a major expansion program for Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc., Melville, N.Y. The launch was held at VT Halter Marine's Moss Point Marine shipyard in Escatawpa, near Pascagoula. Used to transport liquid petroleum, construction of this unit began January 2014 with delivery scheduled for June 2015. (Source: Marine Log, 03/04/15)

USMC task force to use JHSV

A new Marine Corps task force set to become active in Central America in time for the hurricane season in June will use a new sea-basing platform – Joint High-Speed Vessel Spearhead – to transport troops around the region. Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-South, a unit comprising about 250 Marines to be headquartered in Honduras, will answer a range of needs ranging from partner- nation training to humanitarian assistance and counter-drug missions. Current planning has the task force active from June to November before redeploying to the states until the following summer. Its work will augment small Marine detachments already in the region, including a civil affairs team in Belize, and security cooperation teams in Honduras, El Salvador, Belize and Guatemala. (Source: Marine Corps Times 03/02/15) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding: Construction of Spearhead began on in July 2010 at the Austal USA shipyard facility in Mobile, Ala.