Navy accepts LCS 10

MOBILE, Ala. -- The Navy accepted delivery of the future USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) during a ceremony, Dec. 23. Gabrielle Giffords is the ninth littoral combat ship (LCS) to be delivered to the Navy and the fifth Independence variant to join the fleet. The Independence variant is noted for its unique trimaran hull, ability to operate at high speeds and large flight deck size. Delivery marks the official transfer of LCS 10 from the shipbuilder, an Austal USA-led team, to the Navy. It is the final milestone prior to commissioning, which is planned for 2017 in Galveston, Texas. Following commissioning, Gabrielle Giffords will be homeported in San Diego with her fellow ships USS Freedom (LCS 1), USS Independence (LCS 2), USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), USS Coronado (LCS 4), USS Jackson (LCS 6) and USS Montgomery (LCS 8). (Source: NNS, 12/27/16)

SLB, Transocean GoM pact

The Schlumberger (SLB) company announced on Christmas Day the signing of two 10-year pressure control equipment management service contracts in the Gulf of Mexico on behalf of Transocean (RIG) valued at some $350 million. The first pact calls for SLB to manage Transocean’s Cameron risers in the Gulf of Mexico. The agreement includes storage, maintenance, inspection, repair, recertification and data-driven riser management on the rigs. For the second contract, Schlumberger will provide a comprehensive suite of solutions to maintain and service blowout preventer systems and other pressure control equipment for nine of Transocean’s ultra-deepwater and harsh environment drilling rigs. These programs will assist in the reduction in the total cost of ownership for the offshore equipment and increase time associated with pressure control equipment through integrated technical, operational and commercial solutions. (Source: Marine Link 12/25/16)

Exploration in the GoM

Forty-nine ultra-deepwater field discoveries have been made in the last decade in the Gulf of Mexico, according to Clarksons Research. Offshore exploration and production in the GoM began back in the 1930s. By the end of 1975, a total of 444 shallow water-fields had been discovered in the area - 256 have been brought into production. Gas fields predominated, accounting for 75 percent of the discoveries. Compelled by the need to find new reserves, oil firms active in the GoM began pushing into deeper waters: The first deepwater discovery was in 1976. The average distance to shore of the 129 offshore discoveries in the area since 2007 was 145km, while 93 were in water depths of 500m or more. The focus has also shifted from gas to oil: 58 percent of the 129 finds were oil fields (93 deepwater finds). The GoM has been dubbed one corner of the “Golden Triangle” of deepwater E&P and has accounted for 16 percent and 19 percent of deepwater and ultra-deepwater finds globally since 2007. (Source: Marine Link 12/21/16)

Albert takes helm at VT Halter Marine

Paul J. Albert has been appointed as the President and CEO for VT Halter Marine. Albert, who joined VTHM as Senior VP of Production in 2002, was named COO in 2009. He had served as the Interim President and CEO since July 2016. VT Halter Marine is located out of Pascagoula, Miss. (Source: Marine Logistics Professional 12/19/16)

GoM refineries cashing in

Gulf of Mexico refiners are cashing in on Mexico’s rising fuel demand and shipping record volumes to its neighbor that has failed to expand its refining network to supply a fast-growing economy. The fuel trade could top a million barrels per day (bpd) at times in 2017 as Mexico becomes increasingly dependent on the U.S. for strategic energy supplies and business worth more than $15 billion annually to refiners. The rise in Mexico's fuel imports reflects an economy that, after expanding 27 straight quarters, has been unable to increase its refining output to satisfy its energy demands. It has led to a rapid reversal in energy trade between the two countries. (Source: Marine Link 12/22/16)

48M acre GoM oil & gas lease-sale

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced Dec. 22 that it will offer more than 48 million acres from offshore Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi for oil and gas exploration and development in a lease-sale that will include all available unleased areas in the Central Planning Area. “As one of the most productive basins in the world, the Gulf of Mexico remains an important component of our domestic energy strategy to create jobs, foster economic opportunities, and reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil,” said BOEM Director Abigail Ross Hopper. BOEM will live stream Central Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 247 on March 22, 2017. (Source: Marine Link 12/22/16)

Direct Asia service from NOLA port

The France-based CMA CGM announced Dec. 23 a new direct weekly container service to Asia from the Port of New Orleans’ Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal. Part of the company’s PEX3 service, the inaugural vessel is scheduled to arrive on Jan. 31 for service by terminal operator Ports America. “CMA CGM is proud to be expanding our presence in New Orleans, further showing our commitment to the Gulf (or Mexico) region,” said Marc Bourdon, CMA CGM America LLC President. The new service offers a 26-day transit time from Asia to New Orleans, which positions (NOLA) to grow the recently opened Mississippi River Intermodal Terminal’s service to key markets such as Memphis; Chicago; Detroit; and Toronto, which are serviced daily by CN Railroad. (Source: Marine Link 12/23/16)

CG medevacs crewman in south La.

The Coast Guard medevaced a 46-year-old man from the motor vessel E.R. Calais near Port Sulphur, La., early morning on Dec. 22. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watch standers received a report at 3:25 a.m. that a crew member had sustained a hand injury aboard the vessel. Watch standers launched a Coast Guard Station Venice (La.) response boat crew that arrived at 4:25 a.m. and transferred the man to emergency services in Venice. He was transported to Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans where he was reported in stable condition. (Source: Coast Guard 12/22/16)

CG medevacs cruise passenger

NEW ORLEANS – Coast Guard Station Venice, La., medevaced a 60 year-old woman from a cruise ship some 14 miles south of the Southwest Pass on Dec. 19. Late Sunday, watch-standers at the Eighth Coast Guard District Command Center received a call from the cruise ship Carnival Triumph requesting the medical evacuation of a woman in need of dialysis. CG Sector New Orleans directed the launch of a 45-foot response boat from its Venice base. The boat crew transferred the stabilized passenger to an awaiting emergency medical services’ vehicle at CS Venice about 1:30 a.m. (Source: Coast Guard 12/19/16)

China returns Stennis drone

WASHINGTON – China returned an underwater drone Dec. 20 to the U.S. after seizing the vessel last week. The seizure raised tensions in a relationship that has been tested by President-elect Trump's signals of a tougher policy toward Beijing. The Chinese navy vessel that seized the drone returned it near where it had been taken. It was received by the USS Mustin about 50 miles northwest of Subic Bay, the Philippines, in the South China Sea, according to the Pentagon. China's defense ministry said in a statement that it handed the drone back after "friendly consultations." The U.S. said the drone was being operated by civilian contractors collecting unclassified scientific data in international waters. (Source: Fox News 12/20/16) Gulf Coast Note: The underwater drone was being operated by the Naval Oceanographic Office at Stennis Space Center, Miss., when it was seized Dec. 15.

Contract: HII, $1.46B

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Huntington Ingalls Industries announced Dec. 19 that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula was awarded a $1.46 billion contract for the detail design and construction of the amphibious transport dock ship Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28). “Building LPD 28 allows the entire LPD industrial base to maintain a hot production line so that our sailors and Marines receive quality amphibious warships as efficiently and affordably as possible,” said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. Ingalls has built and delivered 10 ships in the San Antonio class of amphibious warships. The 11th, Portland (LPD 27), launched last year and is scheduled for sea trials in mid-2017. (Source HII 12/19/16)

Ingalls delivers cutter Munro

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula delivered the National Security Cutter Munro (WMSL 755) to the Coast Guard on Dec. 16. Munro is scheduled to sail away in February and is to be commissioned in Seattle, Wash., on April 1, 2017. (Source: HII 12/16/16)

Group to study oil spill effects

The Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced Dec. 15 it has awarded $2.1 million in grants. A team led by University of South Florida College of Marine Science professor Dr. Steven Murawski was provided a $1 million grant to explore how oil spills- like Deepwater Horizon (DWH) in 2010 - impact the economic, ecological and social system aspects of fishing communities. The team includes University of Miami bio-physical modeler Dr. Claire Paris and environmental science and policy expert Dr. James Sanchirico from the University of California at Davis. DWH released some two million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico resulting in significant impacts on coastal communities of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. Murawski’s team will be using high-resolution, fishery-dependent data sets to identify how communities were affected by the DWH spill. Working with key fisheries stakeholders and local decision-makers, the team plans to identify adaptive strategies for communities to mitigate the effects of future spills. The project has the potential to transform disaster planning and fisheries management responses to such disasters in the Gulf of Mexico. (Source: Marine Link 12/15/16)

China seizes SSC drone

An underwater drone operated by the Naval Oceanographic Office at Stennis Space Center, Miss., was seized Dec. 15 by China in the South China Sea. The Department of Defense has called upon China to immediately return the unmanned underwater vehicle that was collecting military oceanographic data such as salinity and water temperature. The unclassified ocean glider was being retrieved by the survey ship USNS Bowditch (T-AGS 62) when it was seized by the Chinese ship about 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay, Philippines. The gliders are piloted by civilian workers at the oceanographic office at Stennis Space Center. The office has more than 130 such UUVs. (Source: GCRL, 12/16/16) Pentagon statement

Contract: HII, $51M

Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $51,047,637 cost-plus-fixed fee modification to previously awarded contract N0024-16-C-2415 to exercise option year one for life cycle engineering and support (LCE&S) services for the LPD 17 class Amphibious Transport Dock Ship Program. The services include post-delivery planning and engineering, homeport technical support, class integrated product data environment, data maintenance and equipment management, systems integration and engineering support, LPD 17 class design services, research engineering, obsolescence management, class material readiness, emergent repair provision, training and logistics support, ship alteration development and installation, material management, operating cycle integration, availability planning, and configuration data management. Work will be performed in Pascagoula (96 percent); Norfolk, Va. (1 percent); San Diego, Calif. (1 percent); Mayport, Fla. (1 percent); and Sasebo, Japan (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by December 2017. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/15/16)

Contract: Austal, $7.8M

Austal USA LLC, Mobile, Ala., is being awarded a $7,800,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-11-C-2301) to exercise options for core Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) class services and LCS class services for the LCS program. Austal USA will assess engineering and production challenges and evaluate the cost and schedule risks from affordability efforts to reduce LCS acquisition costs. Work will be performed in Pittsfield, Mass. (60 percent); and Mobile (40 percent), and is expected to be completed by December 2017. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/15/16)

BP to proceed with GoM project

BP has agreed to proceed with a $9 billion oil project in the Gulf of Mexico some 100 miles from Grand Isle, La., amid low crude prices that have sparked thousands of layoffs in the region. "This announcement shows that big deep water projects can still be economic in a low price environment in the U.S. if they are designed in a smart and cost-effective way," Bob Dudley, BP Group chief executive, said in a news release. The second phase of the company's Mad Dog project will include a second floating production platform on the Gulf floor in water some 4,500 feet deep, the company said. Oil production is expected to begin in late 2021. (Source: Houma Courier 12/02/16)

Raytheon-Forest partial pact

Raytheon Co., Goleta, Calif., is being awarded a $101,967,288 performance-based logistics, firm-fixed-price requirements contract for repair support of 10 weapon replaceable assemblies for the AN/ALR-67(V)3 for F/A-18 A/B/C/D/E/F aircraft. The contractor is also responsible for managing technical and configuration changes, and obsolescence. This is a four-year base period contract with a one one-year option period, which if exercised, brings the total estimated value to $128,175,612. Work will be performed in Goleta (44.9%); Jacksonville, Fla. (13.3); Port Mugu, Calif. (8.7); Lansdale, Pa. (8.6); Forest, Miss. (7); Tucson, Ariz. (7); Chatsworth, Calif. (5.2); San Diego (3.5); and Hudson, N.H. (1.8). Work is expected to be completed by December 2020. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (N00383-17-D-A001). (Source: DoD, 12/09/16)

BR, NOLA ports: $1.75M grant

U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administrator Paul “Chip” Jaenichen visited the Port of Greater Baton Rouge, La.’s container-on-barge operation Dec. 6 and congratulated the state for earning a $1.75 million grant for both the PGBR and Port of New Orleans. The grant is for acquiring specialized container loading equipment to increase efficiencies to the current container-on-barge shuttle service operated by SEACOR AMH between the two Mississippi River cities. The shuttle service fulfills a market need by repositioning empty containers from Memphis to Baton Rouge for the increasing volume of resin exports from the Baton Rouge area. According to a DOT study, there is a savings to Louisiana of $118 per round-trip between New Orleans and Baton Rouge if moved by barge rather than overland. (Source: Marine Logistics Professional 12/07/16) Gulf Coast Note: SEACOR AMH is part of SEACOR Holding’s Inland River Services group, which owns covered and open hopper barges, tank barges, and inland river towboats; and provides ancillary services along U.S. Inland River Waterways. SEACOR AMH’s corporate offices are in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and with offices in Mobile, Ala.

Gulfstream earns DHS contract

Gulfstream Shipbuilding of Freeport, Fla., won a contract through the Department of Homeland Security for a custom aluminum passenger-vehicle ferry to service the New York and Connecticut waters. The 118-foot crew boat-style vessel will be capable of transporting passengers, freight and vehicles in and around the waters of the Eastern Long Island Sound and Gardiner’s Bay. The vessel has an expected delivery date of April 2017. (Source: Marine Link 12/08/16) Gulf Coast Note: Gulfstream Shipbuilding, located north of Destin, has built a variety of vessels, including Coast Guard-approved passenger vessels, oil field support vessels, mega yachts, and casino vessels that range from 60- to 300-feet long.

Contract: Raytheon, $34.3M

Raytheon Co. Integrated Defense Systems, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $34,259,681 modification to previously awarded contract N00024-15-C-2414 to exercise option year two for life cycle engineering and support (LCE&S) services for LPD 17 class integrated shipboard electronic systems. The services to be provided will include LCE&S services including post-delivery planning, logistics and engineering, homeport technical support, integrated product data environment, data maintenance, equipment management, systems integration and design engineering, software support, research engineering, obsolescence management (both technical and logistics), material readiness support, emergent repair planning, training and logistics support; planning yard support of integrated electronic systems including Fleet Modernization Program planning, ship alteration development and installation, material management, configuration data management, research engineering, logistics documentation, and other logistics and executing activity coordination, management; and sustaining engineering and obsolescence management support for unique LPD 17 class integrated shipboard electronic systems. Work will be performed in San Diego (88 percent); Norfolk, Va. (7 percent); Sasebo, Japan (3 percent); Mayport, Fla. (1 percent); Pascagoula, Miss. (1 percent); and is expected to be completed by December 2017. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/09/16)

Boiling point over Navy ship cuts

The Navy is rejecting $17 billion in ordered cuts from its FY 2018 budget. The infighting between the Defense and Navy secretaries is at a boiling point. The Navy has refused to submit a budget that incorporates the cuts over the next five years that SECDEF Ash Carter ordered last December. The standoff has been brewing for months since Carter ordered the Navy to begin cutting shipbuilding programs – such as the Littoral Combat Ship - and investing in weapons systems and aircraft. SECNAV Ray Mabus insists cuts to shipbuilding are the "least reversible" thing because of the long timelines to build, and damage to the industrial bases. Mabus insists it would be foolish to send over a budget with ship cuts when President-elect Trump has gone on record wanting to grow the fleet. SECDEF's office is preparing another letter for the Navy soon that outline his priorities. In December 2015, Carter directed the Navy to cut the overall buy of LCS from 52 to 40 and to pick one variant and builder – Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., or Lockheed Martin of Wisconsin. The deadline for submitting budgets to OSD is Dec. 8. (Source: Navy Times 12/07/16)

Harvey Gulf: Long-term thinkers

In an interview three years ago, Harvey Gulf has said it was committed to a long term policy it claims would sustain the firm in the best, and worst, of times. Owner Shane Guidry was asked in 2016 how hat panned out. As it turns out, Harvey Gulf has seen its share of the pain plaguing the entire sector. With its headcount down some 500 personnel, Harvey Gulf’s fleet of 59 vessels still has 34 on the water. True to its formula, 26 of the 34 are operating on time charters. That’s the way it will stay, he said. “We’re long-term thinkers and fortunately we don’t live for today and we don’t live to sell stock.” Last quarter, its EBITDA was more than Seacor, Tidewater, GulfMark, and Hornbeck combined. Returns were over 60 percent. That’s from understanding clients’ needs, and “getting down in the weeds” with crew members, and working with them to “understand what’s coming next, how we all survive together, in your personal lives and in the business,” insists Guidry. He is projecting the firm’s EBITDA will be over $160 million this year. Facing a much different landscape, he maintains that, aside from the necessary belt tightening, little has changed in terms of how the firm operates. Pressed to explain, Guidry responded: “You have to decide: do you want to live for today or tomorrow?” (Source: Marine Link 12/06/16) Gulf Coast Note: Harvey Gulf International Marine is a marine transportation company specializing in providing Offshore Supply and Multi-Purpose Support Vessels for deep water operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Its HQ is in New Orleans; and has an operations facility at Port Fourchon, La.

HII turns over Finn to Navy

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division delivered the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) guided missile destroyer John Finn (DDG 113) to the Navy on the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The ship’s namesake helped shoot down Japanese warplanes during the attack, and was the first Medal of Honor recipient of WWII. The signing of turnover documents to the Navy took place at 7:38 a.m., the time of the attack on Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941. Ingalls has delivered 28 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the Navy. Other destroyers currently under construction at Ingalls include Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), Paul Ignatius (DDG 117), Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) and Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121). Construction of Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123) is scheduled to begin in 2017. (HII 12/07/16)

ZF Marine grows La. presence

ZF Marine, the marine business unit of the global German-based ZF Group, has secured a new location for its Gulf of Mexico/Inland Waterway sales and service operations. The company opened its wholly owned location in the greater New Orleans area at St. Rose, La., in late 1996, the first satellite location outside of ZF’s North American marine HQ. Twenty years later, ZF Marine is moving to Elmwood, La., a short drive from its current location, and at almost triple the size. The firm will establish a new role as ZF Marine’s North American commercial and fast craft center of competence. The facility will be able to support repair and overhaul activities, localized spare parts, and warehousing. The Elmwood location is planned to open in the second quarter of 2017. (Source: Marine Link 12/05/16)

Russia drops joint GoM development

Russia's largest oil producer Rosneft and ExxonMobil have decided not to proceed with a joint development of oil blocks in the Gulf of Mexico due to "lack of prospects", Interfax news agency reported Dec.2. In 2011, both firms signed an agreement, which included offering Rosneft equity interests in Exxon exploration projects in North American, including deep water Gulf of Mexico and fields in Texas. (Source: Marine Link 12/05/16)

Ex-Navy man long shot for VA

Slidell, La., lawyer John Wells, a retired Navy surface warfare commander, is being trumpeted as a candidate for Secretary of Veterans Affairs in President-elect Donald Trump's administration. Local Republicans admit he’s considered a long shot for the post. On Nov. 22, the St. Tammany Republican Parish Executive Committee unanimously passed a resolution suggesting Trump appoint the 66-year-old Wells. He is executive director of the non-profit Military-Veterans Advocacy based in Louisiana. The organization provides comprehensive legal advocacy and assistance in obtaining benefits for current and former military members around the nation. Wells retired from the Navy in 1994. (Source: Times-Picayune 11/28/16)

DDG 117 launched

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Ingalls Shipbuilding launched Paul Ignatius (DDG 117), the company’s 31st Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) guided-missile destroyer, on Nov. 12. , the company said in a nced in a Nov. 16 release. Paul Ignatius was moved via Ingalls’ rail car system to a floating dry dock. Once on the dry dock it was moved away from the pier and ballasted to float the ship. Ingalls has delivered 28 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the U.S. Navy. Other destroyers currently under construction at Ingalls include John Finn (DDG 113), Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) and Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121). Construction on Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123) is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2017. (Source: HII, 11/16/16)

GoM output up; rig, spending dips

Capital spending by oil producers has been lower in the Gulf of Mexico and the world through 2016, says Loren Scott, Louisiana State University emeritus economics professor. The count in the GoM fell to 14 offshore rigs in early 2016 down from 56 in 2014. Drill ships are not working. Yet, oil production will continue to rise in 2017 because of deep water projects from 10 years ago, Scott said. The Energy Information Administration anticipates GoM oil output averaging 1.79 million barrels per day in 2017; and reach a record 1.91 million bpd in late 2017. The decline in working rigs has taken a toll on employment. The Lafayette area should lose 9,000 jobs maybe 5,000 next year. Houma could be down 5,400 jobs this year and 4,000 next. Louisiana as a whole should lose over 17,000 jobs in 2016. GoM shipyards have shed workers. Edison Chouest Offshore of Cut Off has laid off more than 1,000. (Marine Link 11/22/16)

La. port to extend discounts

In October, Chett Chiasson, executive director of the Greater Lafourche Port Commission in south Louisiana, said utilization of offshore vehicles in the state's waters of the Gulf of Mexico was very low. Since March 2015, the port has been giving tenants a 20% reduction on basic land rentals. It was approved until December, “but given current conditions, we anticipate extending it into 2017,” he said. About 80 firms, including oil and gas companies, hold 140 leases at the port. The 1,200-acre port services about 90 percent of all deep water activity in the GoM. It’s considered a key one-stop service spot by the oil industry. (Source: Marine Link, 11/22/16)

LCS 10 completes GoM trials

The USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10), a fifth Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship built by Austal USA’s shipyards in Mobile, Ala., successfully completed acceptance trials Nov. 18 in the Gulf of Mexico. The milestone involved the execution of intense comprehensive tests by the Austal-led industry team while underway. Acceptance trials are the last significant event before delivery of the ship, which is expected soon. Austal USA is progressing on a steady pace with seven ships currently under construction. The Omaha (LCS 12) and Manchester (LCS 14) are preparing for trials. Tulsa (LCS 16) will be christened and launched in early 2017. Final assembly is underway on Charleston (LCS 18); and modules for Cincinnati (LCS 20) and Kansas City (LCS 22) are under construction in Austal’s module manufacturing facility. (Source: Marine Link 11/25/16)

Two Gulf Shores restoration projects

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation approved $63 million for six projects across Alabama, including one each at Fort Morgan and Bon Secour, as part of the fourth round of grants from the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund established to restore natural resources damaged during the 2010 BP oil spill. The Gulf Shores area acquisitions will eliminate the likely risk of future development in those pristine natural habitats. The acquisition project for the Bon Secour-Little Lagoon watershed protects covers about 935 acres of a diverse coastal habitat in Gulf Shores. The Gulf Highlands project on the Fort Morgan peninsula covers 113 acres with 2,700 feet of Gulf frontage. (Source: Mullet Wrapper 11/23/16)

New PC may bode well for GC ports

LONDON - The Panama Canal has overtaken the Suez Canal as the favored transit route for carriers operating services between Asia and the US East/Gulf coasts following the widening of the Central America waterway. A recently published network of the Ocean Alliance and The Alliance, which will launch April 2017, indicates more carriers are pledging support to the Panama Canal, according to Drewry Shipping Consultants. The average size of ships transiting the Panama Canal will likely surpass the 8,000-TEU Suez average by April 2017, according to Drewry. Traffic on the Asia-US West Coast route has risen by 1.4 percent over the first 10 months of 2016 compared to 1.1 percent for the East Coast. Volumes to the US Gulf Coast have surged 20 percent, but remain a small fraction of the total Asia-US trade. (Source: JOC 11/22/16)

Contract: HII, $43.6M

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $43,569,211 fixed-price incentive (firm target), undefinitized contract action modification to previously awarded contract N00024-13-C-2307 for long lead time material and associated non-recurring engineering and pre-production activities required to support ship construction efforts for the DDG-125 ship. Work will be performed in Pascagoula (26.9 percent); Indianapolis, Ind. (20.1 percent); York, Pa. (16 percent); Milwaukee, Wis. (15.7 percent); High Ridge, Mo. (9.2 percent); Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (8 percent); and Shreveport, La. (4.1 percent), and is expected to be completed by July 2022. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/22/16)

CG rescues shrimpers

Coast Guard New Orleans personnel saved two shrimpers Nov. 19 after their boat sank near the bank of Proctor's Point in Lake Borgne, La. The St. Bernard Sheriff's Office alerted the CG that the shrimpers' skiff had sunk, forcing them to swim to shore. CG crews were deployed on 24-foot response boat and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter to locate the men. The helicopter crew hoisted the boaters aboard and transferred them to CG Air Station New Orleans where they were treated by emergency medical personnel. There were no injuries. The men were not identified. (Source: Times-Picayune 11/20/16)

La. firm Lake Pontchartrain pact

Crosby Dredging of Galliano, La., was awarded a $13,126,775 firm-fixed-price contract for wetland restoration in existing shallow open water via borrow dredging from a designated borrow pit within Lake Pontchartrain. Both bottomland hardwood-wet and marsh platforms will be constructed. The work requires retention dike construction, board road placement, and a jack-and-bore effort to provide the dredge disposal pipeline access to the construction site. Work will be performed in Lacombe, La., with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2018. Army Corps of Engineers of New Orleans is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 11/18/16)

Award for SUPSHIP Gulf Coast

The Department of the Navy recognized more than 50 acquisition professionals and organizations for exceptional efforts in the acquisition field during a Pentagon ceremony Nov. 17. The 2016 Acquisition Excellence Awards event was hosted by Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition) celebrating individuals and teams for upholding key tenets of acquisition. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding Gulf Coast, located at Pascagoula, Miss., was presented the Field Acquisition Activity Award. (Source: Marine Link 11/20/16)

GIS-La. launches ‘Warhorse’

Gulf Island Shipyards, a division of Gulf Island Fabrication Inc., launched its newly built M/V HOS Warhorse on Nov. 2 at its Jennings, La. facility. The HOS Warhorse, the first of a two vessel contract for Hornbeck Offshore Services, will be relocated to Gulf Island Shipyard’s Houma, La., location for final outfitting, testing, commissioning and delivery to Hornbeck during the first quarter of 2018. Warhorse is 365 feet long and will be outfitted with two large, heave-compensated cranes and can accommodate 102 people. The vessel will be certified for worldwide operations.(Source: Marine Link 11/17/16)

Reverse course in the GoM

The Obama administration has banned offshore drilling in the Arctic setting a potential collision with President-elect Donald Trump, who vowed to “unleash” new energy production in the U.S. The Interior Department’s move is part of a new five-year plan for energy development in federal waters, and would temporary halt exploration in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas off the Alaskan coast. Additionally, the department dropped plans to allow companies to drill for oil and natural gas in the Atlantic Ocean off of four southern states. The Interior Department’s final plan, which would dictate offshore drilling through 2022, offers 11 potential leases for sale off the nation’s coasts. Ten of those are in the Gulf of Mexico. (Source: Washington Post 11/18/16)

Sub Drum restoration ceremony

Six years of restoration efforts on the WWII submarine USS Drum – a fixture at USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, Ala., - culminates Saturday Nov. 19 with a special ceremony marking 75 years since its commissioning. As a team, Tom Bowser and Leslie Waters have led the efforts to maintain and restore the submarine. Bowser is a submarine veteran. He has volunteered over the past 10 years to help in the restoration. Waters is employed at Battleship Park and has been working on Drum for 19 years. The ceremony is at 11a.m. Saturday at the Aircraft Pavilion at Battleship Park. The public is invited. Drum was donated to battleship park in 1969. (Source: WKRG 11/17/16)

Contractor completes GoM campaign

BISSO MARINE, a Gulf Coast-based full service offshore and subsea infrastructure services contractor, completed a 2-month saturation diving campaign in the Gulf of Mexico using its construction barge Bisso Subsea Vision to configure a variety of services including several subsea abandonments in water depths of up to 700 feet. The barge also recently completed the laying and burial of several miles of bundled pipeline in Gulf. The fully classed 12-man saturation system on the Bisso Subsea Vision has a 3-man bell deployed through a moon pool and a side-launched hyperbaric rescue chamber. BISSO MARINE is headquartered in Houston, and has a logistics base in New Orleans. (Source: Marine Link 11/16/16)

NYC ferries being built on GC

Horizon Shipbuilding of Bayou La Batre, Ala., has landed contracts for projects along the Gulf Coast to New York City. Horizon is contracted to build at least 10 NYC aluminum passenger ferries. The contract could reach as much as $40M, and has created about 80 new jobs. The ferries are part of an effort by NYC’s mayor and Economic Development Corporation to expand and improve public transportation in the city. “We specifically chose the Gulf (Coast) because the oil industry is down a little bit, so there’s manpower available here to shift to the passenger vessel industry,” said Hornblower Company’s CEO Terry MacRae in NYC. The firm will be operating the NYC ferry service. Metal Shark Aluminum Boats of Jeanerette, La., is also building identical ferries as part of the project, and even though the two companies are collaborating, there are more ferries up for grabs for construction contracts. (Source: WKRG 11/16/16)

LHA-8 would be built at Ingalls

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced Nov. 9 that the next amphibious assault ship would be named after Bougainville Island in the Solomons, the location of a strategic WWII battle. The future Bougainville (LHA-8) will be the third America-class ship and the first Flight 1 design that reintroduces a well deck for surface connector operations. The future Bougainville is expected to be bought in the FY 2017-18 budgets. It will be built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., and should be delivered in 2024. USS America (LHA-6) – also built at Ingalls - has no well deck and instead devotes a massive amount of internal space for aviation maintenance, storage and support for more aircraft and for the larger next-generation aircraft such as the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter and MV-22 Osprey. The Bougainville will strike a middle ground, maintaining that emphasis on aviation while adding back a small well through reductions in medical and other spaces. (Source: USNI News 11/09/16)

Ingalls’ DDG 113 completes sea trials

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Ingalls Shipbuilding announced Nov. 11 it successfully completed the third and final round of sea trials for the guided missile destroyer John Finn (DDG 113). The Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) destroyer spent two days in the Gulf of Mexico testing the ship’s various systems for acceptance trials. The Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey spent time onboard evaluating the ship’s overall performance. The Navy required three sea trials as part of the restart of the DDG 51 program. Shipbuilders will put the final touches on the ship for its delivery in December. Ingalls has delivered 28 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the Navy. Others under construction are the Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), Paul Ignatius (DDG 117), Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) and Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121). Construction of Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123) is scheduled to begin in mid-2017. (HII 11/11/16)

At-sea Marines set F-35B milestone

An aircrew from Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 at Yuma, Ariz., proved that maintaining an F-35B fifth-generation jet could be done at sea aboard the amphibious assault ship USS America. They took apart one of seven F-35Bs aboard and conducted a power module and engine swap, then put it back together Nov. 9. It was a new milestone for the program. Aboard “amphibs,” there is less room than on aircraft carriers. It is key that maintenance personnel know how to complete such complex jobs. The full process took a week, officials said, as the crew entered every action into the Autonomic Logistic Information System maintenance software. The seven F-35Bs aboard USS America will continue testing at sea for another week. This final round of developmental tests comes just two months before the first operational squadron is to deploy permanently with F-35Bs to Japan, where they will eventually be assigned to USS Wasp in 2018. (Source: DOD Buzz 11/10/16) Gulf Coast Note: USS America was primarily constructed at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss.

Battleship commissioner passes away

Former Alabama state Sen. John Malcolm Tyson, 91, a longtime resident of Mobile, and an emeritus member – and among the founders - of the USS Alabama Battleship Commission, passed away Nov. 7. Tyson, a graduate of the University of Alabama, served in the Navy as a combat pilot during WWII and the Korean War. He remained in the Naval Reserve as a pilot and Judge Advocate General for over 40 years, retiring at the rank of commander. He was a member of the Reserve Officers Association and the 2001 Veteran of the Year. As an Alabama state senator, Tyson sponsored the legislation and was one of the founders of the University of South Alabama, and served as Member of the Board of Trustees for over 10 years. He fought for the Veteran's Cemetery at Mobile, and a VA Level One hospital for the Gulf Coast. Today, there is a VA hospital at Biloxi, Miss. (Source: AL.com 11/98/16) Gulf Coast Note: He is the father of former Mobile District Attorney John Tyson Jr., and grandfather of actor Richard Tyson.

GoM groups seek info from gov’t

Seeking information related to the changes to the financial assurances and bonding required of offshore oil and gas producers, four oil and gas industry trade groups – National Ocean Industries Association, Independent Petroleum Association of America, Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, and the Gulf Economic Survival Team - have submitted Freedom of Information Act requests to both the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Department of the Interior (DOI). The trade groups collectively represent the entirety of the offshore oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico. They have joined to push for consideration of the FOIA requests and continue to urge BOEM, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and DOI to be responsive to industry concerns regarding its Notice to Lessees No. 2016-N01, which changed the existing regulations for securing decommissioning liability for the offshore oil and gas industry. (Source: Marine Link 11/07/16)

Gulfport CBs refine training

GULFPORT, Miss. - Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1 Seabees completed the Naval Expeditionary Combat Command Integrated Exercise Oct. 24-28 here at the Naval Construction Battalion Center. NIEX is an exercise in the command's advanced phase of readiness training in preparation for upcoming deployments and focusing on command and control of the battalion while supporting units in an operational environment. NMCB 1 established a maritime operations center in an expeditionary environment with operation planning teams and working groups. NMCB 1 is a Seabee battalion specializing in contingency construction, disaster response, and humanitarian assistance. (Source: Navy Expeditionary Combat Command 11/03/16)

Ingalls hosts SECNAV

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Huntington Ingalls Industries hosted Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, a former governor of the state, at the Ingalls Shipbuilding division Nov. 4. Mabus met with members of Ingalls’ leadership and addressed an audience of shipbuilders during his tour of the facilities. (HII 11/04/16)

Pemex to seek GoM partners

Mexican state-oil producer Pemex will look for tie-ups in the Ayatsil-Tekel-Utsil, and Chicontepec fields, as well as in seven onshore areas next year, according to a published document Nov. 3. Pemex’s 2016-2021 business plan will seek partners to develop six shallow water areas in the northern region of the Gulf of Mexico in 2018. The company will also look to form partnerships to improve operations, or even reconfigure its Tula, Salamanca and Salina Cruz refineries in 2017-18. (Marine Link 11/03/16)

NOLA’s Kelly heads NMRA

The National Marine Representatives Association (NMRA) has elected its 2011-12 officers and board members. One new officer and three new board members are joining the association's leadership group. Chris Kelly of Waters & David Co. in New Orleans is now president. Ken Smaga of ComMar Sales LLC in Land O' Lakes, Fla., is treasurer. Three new NMRA board members were elected to serve 3-year terms and include Rob Gueterman of GSW and Associates in Tampa, Fla., and Paul Perry with JB Dunn Co. in Fort Pierce, Fla. Existing members include Doug Peterson of The Gartner Group in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Source: Marine Link 11/01/16)

New GoM player: M2 Subsea

A newly formed subsea services business based in Texas has secured a private equity investment to acquire a fleet of 32 remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). M² Subsea Limited has attracted investments from a fund advised by Alchemy Special Opportunities, and is now set to become one of the largest independent providers of ROV services globally; and offer customer solutions for inspection, repair, maintenance, decommissioning and light construction. M² Subsea expects to create up to 50 onshore and 100 offshore jobs operating primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, West Africa; and in the Asia Pacific and Middle-Eastern regions by the end of 2017. (Source: Marine Link 11/02/16)

HII agrees to buy Camber Corp.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Huntington Ingalls Industries announced Nov. 2 that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Camber Corp., a Huntsville, Ala.-based government services company. The planned acquisition has been approved by HII’s board of directors and is expected to close in late 2016, subject to certain regulatory approvals and closing conditions. Camber is a provider of sophisticated mission-based and information technology solutions including agile software and network engineering, modeling simulation and training, unmanned systems, systems engineering, and data analytics. (Source: HII 11/02/16)

Ex-MNG boss on HII’s board

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced Nov. 1 that retired Army Maj. Gen. Augustus Leon Collins has been elected to its board of directors. Collins served in the Army and the Mississippi National Guard for more than 35 years, holding numerous command and staff positions. He retired Aug. 31 after serving five years as the Commanding General of both the Mississippi Army and Air National Guard. He currently serves as CEO of MINACT Inc., a Mississippi-based contractor supporting the Labor Department’s Job Corps program in multiple states. (Source: Huntington Ingalls 11/01/16) Gulf Coast Note: HII is America’s largest military shipbuilding company with yards in Pascagoula, Miss., and Newport News, Va.

GC search near Pass Christian

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard is searching [Nov. 1] for a person in the water near Pass Christian Harbor, Miss. Coast Guard Sector Mobile, Ala., received a report of an African-American male, about 40 years old or older, wearing a white T-shirt, who fell into the water and drifted away from shore. Assets involved in the search include CG Response Boat from Gulfport, Miss.; Mississippi Department of Marine Resources; and Pass Christian Fire and Police departments. Anyone with information is requested to contact Sector Mobile (251) 441-6211. (Source: CG District 11/01/16)

Austal-built LCS suffers new setback

Littoral Combat Ship USS Montgomery (LCS-6) suffered damage Oct. 29 during a transit through the Panama Canal on its way to its new homeport in San Diego. The ship was crossing from the Atlantic to the Pacific when it collided with one of the walls of the lock and suffered damage to the hull while under control of the local Panama Canal Pilot. The damage sustained was an 18-inch crack between the port quarter and transom plates about 10 feet above the waterline. It posed no water intrusion or stability risk, according to the ship’s commander. The ship is now on the Pacific side heading to its new homeport. Days after its commissioning, the Mobile, Ala.-based Austal USA-built Montgomery suffered two separate engineering casualties Sept. 13 on its first intended transit of the Panama Canal. (Source: US Naval Institute News 10/31/16)

Miss. River container-on-barge grant

The U.S. Transportation Secretary announced $4.85 million in grants to six Marine Highway projects along the waterways of 17 states and along the Mississippi River. The goal of the Maritime Administration’s Marine Highway Program is to expand the use of U.S. navigable waterways to relieve landside congestion and reduce air emissions by increasing efficiency of surface transportation systems, including an expansion of existing marine operations along the Mississippi River between New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Memphis, Tenn. A grant for $1.75M was awarded to establish a container-on-barge service along the Mississippi River between New Orleans, Minneapolis, Minn., and Chicago, Ill. The new service is designed to collect empty containers in Memphis and transport them to Baton Rouge to meet customer demand for chemical industry exports. The service offers a waterway alternative to reposition empty equipment that would otherwise move via truck or rail. The operation, which will commence with five barges per week, could potentially eliminate about 12,500 truck trips each year. (Source: Marine Link 10/25/16)

Contract: Lockheed, $60.9M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded a $60,930,793 modification to previously awarded contract N00024-14-C-5104 to exercise option year three for ship integration and test of the Aegis Weapon System (AWS) for AWS Baselines through Advanced Capability Build (ACB) 12. The contract provides for Aegis shipboard integration engineering, Aegis test team support, Aegis modernization team engineering support, Ballistic Missile Defense test team support, and AWS element assessments. This contract will cover the AWS ship integration and test efforts for five new construction DDG 51 class ships and the major modernization of five DDG 51 class ships. It will additionally cover the integrated combat system modifications and upgrades for all current ships with all AWS baselines up to and including ACB 12. Work will be performed in Camden, N.J. (27 percent); Norfolk, Va. (22 percent); Pascagoula, Miss. (16 percent); San Diego, Calif. (13 percent); Bath, Maine (10 percent); Moorestown, N.J. (6 percent); and various places below one percent (6 percent), and is expected to be completed by November 2017. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/31/16)

Contract: HII, $9.6M

Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $9,635,835 cost-plus-award-fee order against previously awarded basic ordering agreement N00024-16-G-2303 to provide program management, advanced planning, engineering, design, material procurement/kitting, liaison, scheduling, and participation in planning conferences and design reviews in support of the post shakedown availability (PSA) for USS John Finn (DDG 113). This PSA support shall commence prior to the date the shipyard is required to provide final drawings and related data for construction of the individual ship to the Navy. Work will be performed in Pascagoula (75 percent); and San Diego, Calif. (25 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2018. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion, and Repair Gulf Coast, Pascagoula, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/31/16)

F-35Bs start Phase III on LHA 6

PACIFIC OCEAN - Five Marine Corps F-35B Joint Strike Fighters landed onboard the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) on Oct. 28. America will embark seven F-35Bs -- two for the third shipboard phase of developmental test (DT-III) and five to conduct operational testing. Phase III is to evaluate Short Take-off Vertical Landing (STOVL) operations in a high-sea state, shipboard landings, and night operations. America, the first ship of its class, is an aviation-centric “amphib” that incorporates key designs to accommodate the fifth-generation fighter. (Source: USS America 10/31/16) Gulf Coast Note: USS America was built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss.

La. shipbuilder delivers 20th cutter

Bollinger Shipyards, a Louisiana-based shipbuilder that operates 10 shipyards throughout south Louisiana, has delivered its 20th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to the U.S. Coast Guard - USCGC Lawrence Lawson. The 154-foot Sentinel-class patrol craft has a flank speed of 28 knots, state of the art command, control, communications and computer technology, and a stern launch system for the vessel's 26-foot cutter boat. The CG took delivery Oct. 20 in Key West, Fla. and is scheduled to be commissioned at Cape May, N.J., in early 2017. (Source: Maritime Global News 10/20/16)

Seafloor inks distro deal

Seafloor Systems has signed an International Distributorship Agreement with Teledyne RESON and Teledyne BlueVew - business affiliates of Teledyne Instruments. BlueView manufactures a variety of underwater surveying systems, including 3D imaging sonars and multi-beam inspection sonars. RESON manufactures the SeaBat Multibeam Sonar systems, including the new SeaBat T-series. Seafloor has been a distributor for Teledyne Odom/RESON for many years, and is known in the industry for providing turnkey single beam and multibeam hydrographic survey equipment and vehicles including the EchoBoat-ASV. (Source: Marine Technology 10/20/16) Seafloor provides and supports customized integrated turn-key sonar solutions; and has supplied multiple SeaBat T-series sonars to three different U.S. Geological Survey offices, and to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers in New Orleans.

Contract: IMIA, $21.5M

International Marine and Industrial Applicators LLC, Spanish Fort, Ala., is being awarded a $21,463,020 firm-fixed-price contract for the accomplishment of preservation and non-submarine safety structural repairs and maintenance on USS Maine (SSBN 741). This contract will provide preservation; hull and structural repair; anode removal, repair and replacement; lead bin repair and fabrication; de-ballasting and re-ballasting; and safety track repair requirements. Work will be performed in Bremerton, Wash., and expected to be completed by December 2017. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received. The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Bremerton, is the contracting activity (N4523A-17-C-0001). (Source: DoD, 10/21/16)

Mine-hunting over GoM

The Norfolk, Va.-based Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 15 conducted its annual airborne mine countermeasures (AMC) training at Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, Fla., and over the Gulf of Mexico, for nearly two weeks this month. HM-15’s annual Helicopter Advanced Readiness Program training is conducted at Panama City in order for the squadron to receive technical support for equipment and MH-53E aircraft used in mine-hunting. HM-15 was also at NSWC Panama City to focus on a combination of scenarios involving the mine counter-measures triad of AMCM, surface and underwater mine- countermeasures. The training was developed to simulate a real-world scenario that included two explosive ordnance units, and the San Diego-based mine sweeper, USS Champion (MCM 4). (Source: Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City 10/18/16)

Retired USS Drum sailors reunite

Sailors once assigned to the former Sturgeon-class fast attack submarine USS Drum (SSN 677) gathered in San Diego in mid-October for a first major reunion since the ship’s decommissioning in 1995. As part of the festivities, the group toured the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS San Francisco (SSN 711), home-ported at Naval Base Point Loma. Drum was commissioned April 15, 1972, and earned two Navy Unit Commendations, seven Meritorious Unit Commendations, and the Battle Efficiency Award in 1991. (Source: Submarine Squadron 11 10/18/16) Gulf Note: Currently, the USS Drum sits on Mobile (Ala.) Bay as part of Battleship Park, alongside the WWII battleship USS Alabama (BB-60).

SOST announces four appointments

Four new appointees to the University of Southern Mississippi’s new School of Ocean Science and Technology (SOST) were recently made within the school’s administrative structure. Housed within the College of Science and Technology, SOST has brought together marine-related research and education programs under one administration and harnesses elements from key areas of USM, including the Division of Marine Science based at John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock county; the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL) and Division of Coastal Sciences in Ocean Springs; and the University’s fleet of five research vessels. Dr. William “Monty” Graham was appointed in June as director. He is a former marine scientist at the University of South Alabama’s Dauphin Island (Ala.) Sea Lab. Dr. Robert Grifitt has assumed duty of chair for the Division of Coastal Sciences and associate director of SOST. Dr. Jerry Wiggers is currently interim chair for the Division of Marine Science and associate director of SOST. Dr. Read Hendon was named associate director of GCRL and director of the Center for Fisheries Research and Development. USM is in an opportune position with SOST to fortify its reputation as a national leader in marine science research along the Gulf of Mexico. SOST holds the distinction of being the only school in North America to offer an undergraduate degree in marine science with an emphasis in hydrographic science. (Source: Southern Miss Now 10/18/16)

GSSC’s fall meeting Oct. 18

The Gulf States Shipbuilders Consortium (GSSC) announced that its fall meeting will be Oct. 18-19 in Mobile, Ala. Highlights of the meeting include a presentation by Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.). Byrne will deliver an update from Washington at the official kick-off at the GulfQuest Maritime Museum. Byrne is a member of the House Rules, Armed Services, and Education and the Workforce committees; and a member of the Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus. In keeping with GSSC’s mission related to maritime workforce development, the speaker lineup for the two-day event represents a broad range of topics including worker safety, apprenticeship programs, and building the talent pipeline. (Source: Marine Link 01/17/16)

CG’s Mobile Bay test burns

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard Research and Development Center, in conjunction with the Naval Research Laboratory, Joint Maritime Test Facility, Bureau of Safety of Environmental Enforcement and other federal, state, and local stakeholders, will be conducting a series of controlled test burns of crude oil at Little Sand Island in Mobile Bay, Ala., during the week of October 17. The pre-planned burns will allow researchers from the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to gather critical data to help oil spill responders determine best practices for operational use at site-specific burns, development of new equipment and procedures, and to train response personnel. There will be several controlled test burns during the week. Each will burn about five gallons of oil for about 10 minutes, producing a small plume of black smoke. (Source: Coast Guard 10/14/16)

O&G pipe firm opens Hernando ops

The Tunica, Miss.-based Schulz Xtruded Products, a German-based manufacturer of pipes used in the oil, gas and aerospace industries, will be opening space for a new product line - corrosion-resistant Oil Country Tubular Goods pipes - at a new Hernando, Miss. operation. The company is investing more than $50 million in the operation that has added 50 jobs. "The product they're making here is something that only three or four (firms) in the world are doing,” said Hernando Mayor Chip Johnson. The manufacturer has been in Tunica for six years. The Hernando facility will finish pipes transported by truck from Tunica to meet an increasing demand for corrosion-resistant OCTG pipes. The Hernando operation includes establishing one of the biggest pilger mills in the world. Pipe shells extruded in Tunica are sent to Hernando for cold forming. In addition to pipes for the oil and gas industries, Schulz uses proprietary processes to extrude titanium pipes for the aerospace industry. (Source: Clarion-Ledger 10/11/16)

GoM tuna’s habitat damaged by spill

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill has impacted the Atlantic bluefin tuna’s spawning habitat in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a joint report from Stanford University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Four million barrels of crude oil was spilled into the Gulf could have near- and long-term impacts on the population. The spill occurred during peak spawning season when eggs and larval fish are particularly vulnerable to environmental stressors. The study was published in Nature: Scientific Reports. Although the spill encompassed only a small proportion of those spawning grounds, researchers report the potential for a significant impact on eggs and larval bluefin tuna in the GoM. Researchers concluded that the oil-spill impacts, combined with multiple stressors of ocean warming and fishing pressure, could make it more difficult for this unique population to rebuild. (Undercurrent News 10/12/16)

La. LNG plant construction

NuBlu Energy has begun construction of a natural gas liquefaction plant in Port Allen, La., along the Mississippi River. The plant is to support the region’s rail, marine, long haul transportation, power generation, gas interruption, asphalt and other energy markets. It is scheduled to be operational and producing liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the second quarter of 2017. The planned capacity of the facility is 90,000 gallons per day with an initial start-up capacity of 30,000 GPDs. (Source: Marine Link 10/07/16)

CG rescues trio in La.

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard rescued three people from a sinking vessel near Dulac on Oct. 8. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report at 9:42 p.m. of a vessel taking on water near Terrebonne Bay. The vessel’s pump was reportedly not keeping up with the flooding; and water was about three-feet deep. The CG launched a 29-foot small Response Boat from CG Station Grand Isle, and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from CG Air Station New Orleans. Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office also launched a marine unit. The CG helicopter arrived at 10:48 p.m., hoisted the three people aboard and transported them to CGAS New Orleans without any medical concerns. (Source: Coast Guard 10/09/16)

BIW won’t protest CG award

Bath Iron Works officials in Portland, Maine, have decided not to formally protest the Coast Guard’s decision to award a multi-billion dollar cutter contract to Eastern Shipbuilding Group of Panama City. Under federal rules, BIW had 10 days to file a protest. The contract was for building the first nine of a new class of offshore patrol cutters. The entire 25-ship contract had an estimated value of about $10.5 billion. Representatives from General Dynamics-owned BIW met with CG officials to discuss the contract decision about a week after the announcement. BIW competed for the contract against Eastern Shipbuilding and Bollinger (La.) Shipyards, both of which are non-unionized yards. (Source: Portland Press 10/06/16)

HII-built cutter completes trials

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division announced Oct. 7 that the company’s sixth Coast Guard National Security Cutter Munro (WMSL 755) has successfully completed acceptance trials. Munro spent two days in the Gulf of Mexico proving the ship’s systems. The Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey was on board with Ingalls’ test and trials team, which led the sea trials and conducted extensive testing of the propulsion, electrical, damage control, anchor-handling, small boat operations and combat systems. HII-Ingalls has delivered five of eight NSC to the Coast Guard. Three are under construction, including Munro (WMSL 755), set to be delivered by year’s end; Kimball (WMSL 756) in 2018; and Midgett (WMSL 757) in 2019. (Source: HII 10/07/16)

LCS 8 damaged by tug

The Gulf Coast-built Littoral Combat Ship USS Montgomery’s (LCS 8) hull was damaged by a tug Oct. 4 while going from Naval Station Mayport, Fla., to sea ahead of Hurricane Matthew. The damage was a foot-long crack amidships, along a weld seam, about three feet above the waterline, according to a report obtained by Navy Times. The intrusion was allowing about a gallon of seawater into the ship every three minutes until sailors plugged the crack and installed dewatering systems. Additionally, five of the horizontal beams in the hull were bent. An investigation into possible causes is underway, and the ship will receive more permanent repairs upon her return to port.” USS Montgomery, alongside the cruiser Anzio and amphibious assault ship Iwo Jima, were sortied from Mayport ahead of the hurricane. (Source: Navy Times 10/06/16) Gulf Coast Note: Previously, Montgomery suffered a pair of engineering failures within 24 hours of departing Mobile, Ala., on Sept. 16. Austal USA of Mobile builds the Independence class of LCS.

Pre-LCS test of Longbow

The Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships program office completed a restrained firing test of the Longbow Hellfire missile for the ships’ Surface-to-Surface Missile Module, the Navy announced Oct. 6. The Longbow has been undergoing developmental testing for incorporation into the module, part of the LCS surface warfare package. The demonstration launch showed the module's ability to withstand heat and fire in the event of an unplanned rocket motor ignition. The test was conducted at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, Va. Prior to integrating and testing the Longbow aboard an LCS, a series of tests must be accomplished to prove the safety of the system. The Navy plans to deploy the Longbow missile aboard an LCS by December 2017. Structural test firing from an LCS is scheduled for March 2017. (Source: Navy News Service 10/05/16) Gulf Coast Note: Austal USA shipyards of Mobile, Ala., builds the Independence class variant of LCS.

CG medevacs cruise passenger

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard medevaced a 64-year-old male with heart attack-like symptoms from the cruise ship Carnival Triumph, about 100 miles south of Southwest Pass, on Oct. 5. Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans launched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew to the scene. The man was hoisted aboard and transported to the air station where emergency medical services then delivered the patient to West Jefferson Medical Center. (Source: Coast Guard 10/05/16)

LCS 4 arrives for WestPac

The Littoral Combat Ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) arrived in the U.S. Seventh Fleet on Oct. 3, destined for the first-ever deployment of an Independence class LCS to the Western Pacific, after having to undergo an engineering repairs in Hawaii. Coronado had been deployed since June 22. It departed Pearl Harbor on Aug. 26, but days later suffered an engineering casualty and returned to Pearl Harbor. Coronado, built by Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., has been armed with RGM-84D Harpoon Block 1C cruise missiles. It also has a larger flight deck than Freedom-class LCS; carries two MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with the ZPY-4 search radar. Its helicopter detachment also operates an MH-60S Seahawk, the first time that type has deployed aboard an LCS to the Western Pacific. (Source: Sea Power 10/04/16)

Contract: HII, $120M

Huntington Ingalls Inc., Ingalls Shipbuilding Division, Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $120,000,000 fixed-price-incentive modification to previously awarded contract N00024-16-C-2427 for additional long lead time material in support of Landing Helicopter Assault (LHA) Replacement (LHA(R)) Flight 1 Amphibious Assault Ship (LHA 8). Work procurement includes machinery control system components and software, cargo and aircraft elevators, gas turbines and refrigeration units. Work will be performed in Cincinnati, Ohio (17 percent); and in other locations throughout the U.S. that are to be determined (83 percent), and is expected to be completed by June 2020. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/03/16)

Pensacola port needs changes

Changes to the shipping industry throughout the latter half of the 20th century has locked Pensacola, Fla., out of becoming a major commercial port hub. The port’s importance has dwindled. Pensacola’s hopes for becoming a home in the offshore oil and gas industry have fallen flat. City leaders are thinking about new uses for the port’s 50 waterfront acres. The Pensacola City Council has allocated $100,000 to study the best use of the property, and how do we successfully transition it into the 21st century. Something has to change. Leadership has acknowledged that the port is on track to need a subsidy from the city if no new revenue streams aret found. (Source: Pensacola News Journal 10/04/16)

Gulf Coast work on EMB-5

General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding of San Diego was awarded a $106,175,548 modification to a previously contract for the procurement of additional long lead time material, engineering, and non-production support for the Expeditionary Mobile Base 5 (formerly Mobile Landing Platform Afloat Forward Staging Base). This action allows the procurement of whole ship sets of interior out-fittings; steel plates; hull and piping, ventilation and machinery insulation; heating, ventilation and air conditioning; emergency switchboards; piping; valves; steel shapes; ballast water treatment system; Aqueous Film Forming Foam system; and knuckle-boom crane. The majority of work will be performed in Crozet, Va. (32.28%). Gulf Coast locations are to include Belle Chasse, La. (7.52%); Mobile, Ala. (2.94%); and Youngsville, La. (1.47%). The Naval Sea Systems Command in the District of Columbia is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 10/03/16)

BP: Deepwater Horizon film inaccurate

BP has criticized the new "Deepwater Horizon" motion picture as being an inaccurate Hollywood dramatization of the deadly oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. "The 'Deepwater Horizon' movie is Hollywood's take on a tragic and complex accident. It is not an accurate portrayal of the events that led to the accident, our people, or the character of our company," the British oil and gas company said in a statement. 'Deepwater Horizon', released in the U.S. on Sept. 30, focuses on the hours before and after the explosion from a well blowout on the BP rig, leading to the worst offshore oil disaster in American history. Eleven workers were killed; and millions of barrels of oil spewed onto Gulf Coast shorelines for nearly three months. (Source: Marine Link 09/30/16)

Airlifting ‘Gitmo’s civilians to P'cola

The U.S. Navy is preparing to airlift some 700 military spouses and children from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., ahead of one of the more powerful storms in the Atlantic Ocean since Hurricane Felix in 2007. Hurricane Matthew was moving slowly northward near Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba. It was a Category 4 storm early Oct. 3 with about 130 mph winds. By early Oct. 4, Matthew’s eye is due over eastern Cuba, where the U.S. Navy operates a naval base and detention facility. The remaining “Gitmo” military and civilian personnel will shelter in place to provide support and recovery efforts, the Navy said in a statement. (Source: Marine Link 10/02/16) Navy Region Southeast is coordinating with U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Transportation Command for the airlift to NASP. Family members would remain in Pensacola until it is safe to return to 'Gitmo'. NASP has quarters to house the families, and Fleet and Family Service Center counselors will be available to provide assistance. Pensacola Naval Hospital will also be assisting the evacuees by providing medical care and prescriptions. Heather Mattson, the wife of an army sergeant major stationed at NAVSTA Guantanamo Bay, arrived to PNAS on Sunday with her son, two dogs and cat. "I am so appreciative of everyone that is helping," Mattson said via PNH's Facebook page. "This has been so well organized."

Marines may deploy with LCS

QUANTICO, Va. - The Navy's newest frigate version of Littoral Combat Ship could carry contingents of Marines, according to a new Marine Corps operating concept. The new Marine Corps Operating Concept continues the tradition of deploying Marines in non-traditional vessels and sea-basing platforms, but opens the door for future operations on a broader role in maritime security, counter-piracy operations, and sea control aboard smaller surface ships, LCS, future frigates, T-AKE dry dock cargo ships, and Arleigh Burke destroyers. A survivability upgrade will soon transform the LCS program into future frigates with more weaponry and retrofits for existing LCS. The process of building and fielding the future frigate is expected to begin after 2018. (Source: Military.com 09/29/16) Gulf Coast Note: One of the two variants of current LCS (Independence class) is built by Austal USA shipyard of Mobile, Ala.

5-year GoM strategic plan

The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System Regional Association (GCOOS-RA) has released a new five-year Strategic Plan designed to provide a roadmap for developing ocean tools, technologies and applications to improve GoM forecasts, as well as the ability to protect the environment and support human safety and Gulf economy. GCOOS is one of 11 regional systems nationwide under the banner of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System. (Source: GCOOSA-RA 09/29/16)

ROV: 1st for GoM

Independent subsea remotely operated vehicle (ROV) service provider ROVOP has expanded its fleet of ROVs. The Houston-based company has taken delivery of a new Seaeye Leopard electric work class ROV which will be the first of its kind for the Gulf of Mexico, in direct response to market conditions, and set to help operators reduce costs. The ROV offers work class capability in a small footprint. The system is suited to work tasks such as drill support, pipeline survey, exploration, salvage, cleaning and IRM. (Source: Marine Link 09/29/16)

‘Doughnut Hole’ talks over GoM

Officials from the U.S., Mexico, and Cuba met Sept. 29 for another round of discussions on the limits of the Western Polygon, an oil-rich area in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, according to sources. The discussion is over who owns what in the overlapping so-called "Doughnut Hole". International law gives nations the right to resources found in seas within 200 nautical miles of their territory. But when areas overlap, countries have to craft agreements. The talks aimed at defining the coordinates may conclude Sept. 30. A Mexican government spokesman confirmed that officials from the three nations met on the issue, and results may be announced publically on Sept. 30. (Source: Marine Link 09/30/16)

Louisiana firm's pact for $28M

Hornbeck Offshore Operators LLC of Covington, La., was awarded a $28,056,820 modification under a previously awarded contract to exercise a one-year option for the operation and maintenance of four blocking vessels. Work will be performed at sea worldwide, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2017. (Source: DOD 09/29/16)

Feds push GoM protection

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced Sept. 28 the availability of a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) recommending strong measures to protect marine mammals and coastal environments in the Gulf of Mexico from potential impacts of geological and geophysical (G&G) surveys for oil, gas and minerals in federal and adjacent state waters. Completion of the draft PEIS was a condition of a federal court settlement between BOEM and the National Resource Defense Council and other co-plaintiffs. Among the mitigations BOEM has recommended as a preferred alternative are: Requiring protected species observers on each boat, mandatory vessel avoidance of marine mammals and start up and shut down rules that apply if or when marine mammals are observed in the area. (Source: Marine Link 09/28/16)

‘RFI’ for military use of UUVs

In September, the Navy solicited a “Request For Information” from contractors asking for proposals on how existing unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) could be adapted for military use. Under the “extra large unmanned undersea vehicle” project, Naval Sea Systems Command wants to conduct experiments to develop tactics and concept of operations. Contractors like Battelle, General Dynamics and Boeing Phantom Works have made big bets on commercial robots they believe are suitable and cheaper than what the Pentagon could invent. Undersea Solutions Group (USG), which was acquired by Huntington Ingalls Industries, built its UUV craft called Proteus in 2012 at its Panama City, Fla., facility in partnership with Battelle and Bluefin Robotics, who developed its navigational and software systems. Proteus has undergone more than 100 test missions and 400 logged hours underwater. (Source: National Defense 09/27/16)

CG medevacs cruise passenger

NEW ORLEANS - A Coast Guard boat crew medevaced a 60-year-old female from a cruise ship about seven miles offshore from Venice, La., on Sept. 26. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watchstanders received the assistance request from the cruise ship Carnival Triumph after the passenger sustained an injury. CG launched a 45-foot response boat crew from Coast Guard Station Venice and transported the patient to emergency medical services in Venice. EMS transported the duo to Ochsner Medical Center in Kenner. The woman was reported in stable condition. (Source: Coast Guard 09/27/16)

UNITAS visit to Spearhead

GULF OF PANAMA - High ranking civilian and military officials paid visit to the USNS Spearhead on Sept. 27 during UNITAS 2016, an annual maritime military exercise involving 11 countries from the Americas. This year's exercise, hosted by Panama, is a multinational maritime exercise in its 57th year with the goal of increasing interoperability between navies and public security forces. (Source: U.S. 4th Fleet 09/27/16) Gulf Coast Note: USNS Spearhead was built at Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Ala.)