Shipbuilding subsidiary concerns

A New Orleans television station and a Gulfport, Miss., newspaper are reporting on concerns over taxpayer-funded incentives that both states have given to separate Edison Chouest Offshore shipbuilding subsidiaries – LaShip near Houma, La., and TopShip at the Port of Gulfport. Louisiana invested $42 million. Mississippi invested $36 million. Both subsidiaries signed agreements with the states to hire 1,000 employees. Current workers say there are about 110 people at the Gulfport facility. TopShip operates from the former Huntington Ingalls Composite Facility, which was acquired by the port in March 2015. (Sources: WVUE and Sun Herald 07/29/16)