Dauphin Island to host drone demo

DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. - The Mobile County (Ala.) Commission approved a memorandum of understanding mid-month with the Raspet Flight Research Laboratory at Mississippi State University – the National Center of Excellence for Unmanned Air Craft Systems lead for the Federal Aviation Administration - giving approval for UAS flights from the Jeremiah Denton Airport on Dauphin Island. The project lead is the Office of Naval Research. MSU will assure that the aircraft and its operation plans are in full compliance with FAA regulations. Daniel P. Eleuterio of the ONR said by the end of May, and beginning in June, the Naval Meteorological and Oceanographic Command at Stennis Space Center, Miss., will begin a series of activities to display and evaluate UAS technologies from DI. Over the long term, he said, such future flights may lead to "a better understanding of coastal ecology and wetlands ecology." (Source: AL.com 03/30/17)

Tulane: Tie coastal losses to defense

NEW ORLEANS - Tulane University’s Institute of Water Resources Law and Policy is pitching Louisiana's disappearing coastline as a national security crisis, and linking it to military priorities that could steer federal money to the state's restoration and protection projects. A report from Tulane urges state leaders to emphasize coastal military bases and Louisiana's critical role in the country's energy supply as they seek billions of dollars for its coastal master plan. Past pursuits for federal dollars to save the evaporating coast have focused on environmental and economics. With a changing climate in Washington, use of the national security angle may be more advantageous. "We have to be prepared to sell the story others are willing to hear," said Tulane’s Mark Davis. (Source: Times-Picayune 03/30/17)

Diesel fuel spill on Mobile River

NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard responded to a report of a diesel fuel discharge on the Mobile River near Mt. Vernon, Ala., on March 30. The National Response Center received a report at 6:10 p.m. that a Parker Towing-owned tug spilled an estimated 300-to-500 gallons of diesel fuel into the water during fueling operations. Coast Guard Sector Mobile's Incident Management Division was notified, and arrived on scene around 10:30 p.m. Parker Towing has contracted with Oil Response Company to conduct response operations. Boom and sorbent material are being used to reduce the spread and collect oil from the water’s surface. About 100 gallons had been recovered. The CG will oversee all response operations. The cause of the incident is under investigation. (Source: Coast Guard 03/30/17)

Intermodal container terminal plans

Plans are in motion to develop a new intermodal container terminal between mile markers 50-55 on the lower Mississippi River at the Plaquemines (Parish) Port Harbor & Terminal. Designed to service the largest ocean carriers, the new 1,000 acre container terminal will be capable of docking vessels up to 20,000 TEU with deep-water access; and the 21,600 linear feet of waterfront allows for multiple ocean and APCT vessels simultaneously. The container port will be the southern-most full service port complex on the river, providing full intermodal service via river, rail, highway and air to and from the heartland of America. The 4,200-acre port will include an $8.5 billion liquefied natural gas re-liquefaction facility and a break bulk terminal. Plans for the terminal were announced by Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District and American Patriot Holdings LLC, who will develop the port’s expanse of land as well as an inland vessel designed by APH-subsidiary American Patriot Container Transport LLC, which will be used to deliver containers to and from ports on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. (Source: Maritime Logistics Professional 03/29/17)

CG assists with arrest in Destin Pass

NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard assisted local agencies in the arrest of a man with an active warrant from a sailboat blocking Destin (Fla.) Pass on March 29. Upon investigation, Coast Guard Sector Mobile (Ala.) Command Center found that a person aboard the boat had an active warrant from Lee County, Fla. Coast Guard Station Destin escorted an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Deputy to take custody of the man for transport to Lee County. The CG also removed the vessel from the channel, and is working with the man’s family to ensure that the sail boat was appropriately salvaged. (Source: Coast Guard 03/30/17)

Contract: U.S. Marine Mgmt, $32M

U.S. Marine Management Inc. of Norfolk, Va., was issued a $31,968,664 modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise an option to extend a six-month service period for the operation and maintenance of six Navy oceanographic survey ships. These ships support the Naval Oceanographic Office performing acoustic, biological, physical, and geophysical surveys, which provide much of the military's information on the ocean environment. Work will be performed worldwide, and work is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2017. The Navy’s Military Sealift Command in Norfolk is the contracting activity (N00033-09-C-2504). (Source: DoD, 03/30/17) Gulf Coast note: The Naval Oceanographic Office is headquartered at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

Navy Week Mississippi events

Mississippians are welcoming the U.S. Navy to the Gulf Coast from March 31-April 8. Units from around the country will be taking part in the celebration of the bicentennial of Mississippi’s statehood, and the 75th anniversary of the Seabees. Mississippi Gulf Coast Navy Week's purpose is to share the Navy's story with the people of the community. There will be multiple events scheduled throughout the week, including jumps by the Navy Parachute Team “The Leapfrogs”, static displays of oceanographic systems and underwater drones with sailors from the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, multiple performances by Navy Band Southeast, and school visits with sailors from the submarine USS Mississippi (SSN 782) and destroyer USS Ramage (DDG 61), as well as Naval Construction Group 2. This year, Mississippi Gulf Coast Navy Week will be hosted by two senior Navy leaders with connections to the region. Rear Adm. Bret Muilenburg, commander of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command and Chief of the Civil Engineer Corps, served in Gulfport; and Rear Adm. Timothy Gallaudet, commander of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command at Stennis Space Center, Miss., will serve as flag hosts. (Source: US Navy 03/29/17)
UPDATE: Navy Week Mississippi Events
• April 1: Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration, Centennial Plaza, Gulfport 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
• April 2: Navy Day at Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, Gulfport. Noon-5 p.m.
• April 2: Free Navy band concert at Jones Park, Gulfport 2-3 p.m.
• April 3: Leap Frogs parachute jump at Jones Park, Gulfport, 8:30-9:30 a.m.
• April 3: Leap Frogs parachute jump at Long Beach High School, 1 p.m.
• April 4: Leap Frogs parachute jump at Biloxi High School, 1 p.m.
• April 4: Free Navy band concert at Biloxi Visitors Center, 6-7 p.m.
• April 7: Free Navy band concert at Fishbone Alley, Gulfport, 7-9 p.m.

DDG christening & GC connections

The Navy will christen the newest guided-missile destroyer, the future USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) on April 1 at a 10:30 a.m. CDT ceremony at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Maine. The future USS Thomas Hudner is named in honor of naval aviator and Medal of Honor recipient Thomas J. Hudner Jr., the last living Navy recipient of the Medal of Honor to have served in the Korean War. Georgea Hudner, wife of Capt. Hudner, and Barbara Miller, wife of retired Vice Adm. Michael Miller, former superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, will serve as the ship’s sponsors. Hudner was awarded the MoH for attempting to save the life of his squadron mate, Ensign Jesse L. Brown, in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in December 1950. During the christening event, Hudner and Miller will break a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow to formally christen the ship. The event is to be live streamed at https://livestream.com/avtechnik/events/7109391. (Source: US Navy 03/29/17) Gulf Coast Note: Brown was the first African-American naval aviator. He was from Hattiesburg, Miss.; and served briefly in flight training at NAS Pensacola, Fla. USS Jesse L. Brown (FFT-1089) was decommissioned from U.S. Navy service in a pierside ceremony at NASP.

Gator-Rigging earns certification first

HOUSTON - Gator Rigging Inspection and Testing has received Competent Manufacturer Certification under the Lloyd’s Register Container Certification Scheme (LRCCS), the first company of its kind to achieve that level of certification. It is also the first offshore services firm in America to gain that type of certification. Headquartered in Morgan City, La., Gator Rigging manufactures and services wire rope slings for offshore containers at two manufacturing facilities. As an LRCCS Certified Competent Manufacturer, Gator Rigging can now produce certified offshore lifting sets at its facility in Cut Off, La., without the need for each piece to be inspected by a third party. (Source: American Journal of Transportation 03/29/17)

GC ships at center of NYC election

It's not often that a small-town on Alabama’s Gulf Coast finds itself at the center of the New York City mayoral election. But, Horizon Shipbuilders, a family business in Bayou La Batre, is in a race against time to finish building a fleet of ferries destined for the Big Apple’s waterways just ahead of the November election. The $325 million commuter service, which includes 19 total ferries, was first promised by current Mayor Bill DeBlasio in 2016; and is slated for partial service this summer, if deadlines can be met. The ferries are expected to make 4.6 million annual trips, according to NYC's Economic Development Corporation, and will be one of the last major projects to be completed before the polls open. DeBlasio's promise weighs heavy on Horizon and Jeanerette, La., shipbuilder, Metal Sharks. Horizon is set to build 13 ferries overall. Metal Shark is providing six more. Each ferry costs about $4 million. Horizon has 11 in various stages of building. The first two of Metal Shark ferries were first put in the water on Feb. 24, according to Josh Stickles, VP of marketing. All six of the MS ferries are reported to be well ahead of schedule. The first Horizon-built ferry is on its way to NYC - sailing up Florida's Atlantic coast as of March 28. The journey 1,000-mile journey will eventually take up to two weeks. Two more ferries will make the same journey starting in April. (Source: AL.com 03/29/17)

Relief on way for stranded LCS crew

The crew of the USS Coronado (LCS 4) deployed in June 2016 for Singapore on a nine month deployment. One week into spring 2017, Crew 204 is going to finally get relief from Crew 203, which is enroute to Singapore. Over the past months, Crew 203 has been working up in an LCS simulator. The underway portion of their pre-deployment training was delayed because all available trimaran (Independence Class) hulls were in maintenance. But as training delays mounted, family members of deployed Crew 204, who spoke to Navy Times, said the sailors had become demoralized. Crew 203 departed Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., on March 28, allowing Crew 204 to head back to San Diego by mid-April. LCS 4’s Crew 204 was stuck in December and again in February. Part of the delay in getting 203 to Singapore was reorganizing the program and shifting training standards after several LCS mechanical failures, some of caused by crew errors. Failures on two Freedom Class LCS, in which crew members caused breakdowns, prompted Navy leadership to change how LCS conducts business. (Source: Navy Times 03/28/17) Gulf Coast Note: The Independence Class of LCS are built at Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. The Freedom Class is built in Wisconsin.

UUV contract work for Gulfport

Seemann Composites Inc. of Gulfport, Miss., was awarded a $9,098,364 Navy contract for an effort titled “Materials and Manufacturing Technologies for Unmanned Underwater Vehicles.” Work will be performed in Gulfport and is expected to be completed Sept. 15, 2020. FY 2016 research, development, test and evaluation in the amount of $50,000 will be obligated at the time of award; and will expire Sept. 30. This contract was competitively procured under the Office of Naval Research long-range broad agency announcement (BAA) 16-001 of Sept. 30, 2015. Since proposals will be received throughout the year under the BAA, the number of proposals received in response to the solicitation is unknown. Office of Naval Research in Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD, 03/28/17)

Aegis contract work for Pascagoula

Lockheed Martin Corp.'s Rotary and Mission Systems of Moorestown, N.J., was awarded an $8,443,815 modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise an option for ship integration and test of the Aegis Weapon System (AWS) for AWS baselines through Advanced Capability Build 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 major modernizations 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 Advanced Capability Build 12. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Miss. (89%); Camden, N.J. (10); and various places below one percent. It is expected to be completed by November 2017. FY 2013 Navy shipbuilding and conversion funds in the amount of $8,443,815 will be obligated at time of award; and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command of Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD, 03/27/17)

BP awards Subsea 7 GoM pact

Subsea 7 has been awarded a contract by BP as part of the deep water Mad Dog 2 development, some 190 miles south of New Orleans in the Gulf of Mexico. The contract covers engineering, procurement, construction and installation of the subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines and associated subsea architecture. Subsea 7 is a seabed-to-surface engineering, construction, and services’ contractor with U.S. offices in Houston. Subsea 7 has worked with BP to deliver a lump sum integrated solution from design through commissioning. OneSubsea, a Schlumberger company and Subsea Integration Alliance partner, has been awarded the Subsea Production Systems contract enabling the original cost of the Mad Dog 2 development to be substantially reduced, according to Subsea 7. The contract is the first substantial project in the U.S. to use Subsea 7’s Swagelining polymer lining technology. Project management and engineering will take place in Houston, with support from Subsea 7’s Global Project Centre in London. Offshore installation activities are scheduled for 2019 and 2020. (Source: Marine Link 03/24/17)

CG searching for boat in Gulf

The Coast Guard responded March 26 to the report of an overturned vessel about 300 miles south of Pensacola, Fla. Eighth Coast Guard District Command Center received a report at 5 p.m. of an overturned white vessel, about 16-feet long, from another vessel in the area. The CG command center launched an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Ala., to search for the potential of people in the water. The vessel American Endurance is assisting in the search.

Search for boater on Tensaw

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard is responding March 27 to the report of a 30-year-old white male with black hair in the water at mile marker 13 of the Tensaw River near Bay Minette, Ala. Coast Guard Sector Mobile received a report just after midnight Monday that a man had fallen off a pleasure craft. Those involved in the search are an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans; Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Marine Police Division; Daphne (Ala.) Search and Rescue; Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office; Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department; and Baldwin County Search and Rescue. (Source: Coast Guard 03/27/17)

MS Round Island project dangers

PASCAGOULA – The smallish, man-made island south of Pascagoula and Gautier, technically named Round Island, is not family friendly. It currently is called the Round Island Marsh Restoration project - a 220-are island formed with dredged materials from the Pascagoula Channel. It appears solid, but the soft material beyond the top crust is so soft, one engineer described it “like quicksand” and hazardous. The state is warning people not to go there. The project is funded by money from 2010’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It won’t be ready for public use for as long as two years. (Source: Sun Herald 03/23/17)

West to rechallenge GC ports

West Coast ports have experienced a steady loss of the Asian imports market share over the last decade – 9.6% from 2005-16. However, those ports are placing more emphasis on infrastructure development and process improvements to increase efficiency in moving cargo. Those strategies, in the world of mega-carrier alliances, are concentrating cargo volume in fewer gateways. It’s all about the flow, according to Ron Widdows, executive chairman of American Intermodal Management. At those ports in 2015, there were also lengthy long-shore contract negotiations and strikes. Labor disruptions and employer retaliation had convinced retailers and direct importers that they were relying too heavily on West Coast ports. Over the decade, shippers opened a number of import distribution centers along the Gulf and East coasts, and the West Coast’s market share declined. With the expansion of the Panama Canal, Gulf Coast ports of Houston, New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., ports are attracting carriers’ attention in the eastbound Pacific. There are now five weekly services to Gulf ports, which have driven up shares of U.S. imports from Asia 2.3% from 2005-16, according to PIERS, a provider of import and export data. (Source: JOC.com 03/26/17)

Underwater drone program

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – The Naval Oceanographic Office Glider Operations Center has partnered with the University of Southern Mississippi to offer a program to those who want to go into the field of unmanned systems. The SSC office operates the largest fleet of unmanned ocean gliders in the nation. The fleet of gliders is deployed worldwide to gather oceanographic data. The data gives Navy ships the information needed to navigate and operate in foreign waters, said Dr. William Burnett, deputy commander of the center. The first certification classes will graduate this summer. (Source: WLOX-TV, 03/24/17) For additional information on the Navy's underwater drones, see pages 60-61 of the 2011 Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor.

Senator: Keep rigs out of Gulf

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) is leading a bipartisan effort urging the Trump Administration to keep offshore oil drilling rigs out of the eastern Gulf of Mexico and away from Florida's coast. In a March 24 letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, Nelson and others from the Florida delegation urged the administration to maintain the current moratorium on offshore oil drilling in the eastern Gulf for at least the next five years. (Source: WDBO 03/24/17)

Keystone green-lighted to GC

The U.S. State Department has OK’d TransCanada's presidential permit for the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which had been blocked by Obama Administration. Keystone XL is to connect tar sands operations in Alberta with an American pipeline network running all the way to the Gulf of Mexico that allows Canadian oil firms to transport up to 800,000 bpd of crude to Gulf Coast refiners and export terminals. (Source: Maritime Executive 03/24/17)

MS oak on way to maritime history

PASS CHRISTIAN Miss. - Another Live Oak from the Mississippi Gulf Coast is on its way to becoming a part of American maritime history. South Mississippi property owners have been donating Live Oaks to the maritime museum in Mystic Seaport, Conn., since Hurricane Katrina felled so many in 2005. The wood is used to build and restore replica wooden tall ships. This time, a lightning-struck oak in Diane Brugger’s Pass Christian yard will be used to restore the Mayflower II, a full-scale reproduction of the ship that brought the pilgrims to Plymouth in 1620. The donation is just in time for the 400th anniversary observances, which begin in 2019, of the Pilgrims arriving on the original Mayflower. The Mississippi donation is one of two from Gulf Coast property owners for the Mayflower II. The second property is in Belle Chasse, La. (Source: Sun Herald 03/23/17)

US Shipping has new CEO

U.S. Shipping Corp. has promoted Albert Bergeron to the post of CEO, replacing Michael Ryan. Bergeron has been with U.S. Shipping since its founding in 2002 and has more than two decades of experience in the maritime sector. Ryan is taking a position with another company. USSC is a petroleum transportation provider with two product tankers and four petroleum-chemical articulated tug barges (ATBs). Its primary service area covers the Gulf Coast, East Coast, and Puerto Rico. It was founded as a subsidiary of Hess in 2002 with the name of U.S. Shipping Partners. The company changed to its current name in 2009. (Source: Maritime Executive 03/23/17)

Eglin opposes plan to open pass

Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., has taken the unusual action of publically opposing a plan backed by West Florida 1st District Congressman Matt Gaetz to reopen a long-closed channel allowing Navarre-area boaters to pass from Santa Rosa Sound into the Gulf of Mexico. The base claims increased boat traffic would interfere with its military training mission, which takes place on a 20-mile stretch of Eglin-owned beachfront directly east of Navarre Pass. The pass was dredged and opened three months in 1965 before Hurricane Betsy blocked it. Currently, for boaters to reach the GoM, Navarre-area boaters have to go to Pensacola or Destin. Eglin’s “mission impact analysis confirms that a pass would be incompatible with current and future (Defense Department) mission sets on Santa Rosa Island,” said Mike Spaits, a base spokesman. “A significant increase in boat traffic around the pass would substantially restrict our test and training activities currently conducted at our sites on Santa Rosa Island.” Gaetz (R-Fort Walton Beach) has scheduled a private meeting with Navarre leaders April 17 about reopening the pass. (Source: Pensacola News Journal 03/23/17) Gaetz and U.S. Sen Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) are considering filing legislation to create a Navarre Pass. Eglin's 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group conducts periodic air-and-boat weapons testing in the pass and GoM. Communities, public and state officials have gone to great lengths not to encroach upon, and dilute, bases’ military training missions. For example, Santa Rosa County has had long-range plans in place for years related to properties adjacent Naval Air Station Whiting Field and its flightlines. The county continues to obtain state-and-federal funding grants to protect the mission of the air station from another potential base closure and realignment action.

ULL grad new RigNet VP

RigNet Inc. has appointed Trent J. Jabbia to Vice President of North America Sales. Jabbia brings more than 18 years of professional experience with companies in the upstream oilfield services sector. During Trent’s dozen years with RigNet, he has held positions as a field engineer, sales executive, offshore sales team leader, and global sales executive. Prior to joining RigNet, Jabbia worked as a Senior Technical Professional for Halliburton, where he led a crew of service operator technicians in conducting technical down-hole acquisition services at remote well sites ashore and the Gulf of Mexico. Jabbia holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. (Source: Marine Link 03/22/17) RigNet is a global provider of digital technology solutions serving remote locations, including energy facilities and maritime vessels. RigNet is headquartered in Houston and has an office in Scott, La., as well as around the world.

USO&G's global benes

Rising exports have thrown a lifeline to American shale producers - especially Gulf Coast refineries. The U.S. exported record quantities of natural gas, propane, gasoline, distillate fuel oil and light crude in 2016 while importing heavy oils for its refineries. Gas exports were up nearly 30 percent; and tripling in the last decade. Record propane exports nixed the surplus, and returned stocks to average levels despite low heating demands. Exports are also starting to reverse a surplus of domestically refined gasoline and distillate fuel oil despite a weak demand. The majority of natural gas and other fuels have been sold to Latin America. As a result of the shale revolution, the U.S. has emerged as the top supplier in an increasingly integrated hemispheric fuel market – and based on the efficiency and competitiveness of its Gulf Coast refineries. (Source: Maritime Professional 03/21/17)

CG suspends Pontchartrain search

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard has suspended its search for a possible vehicle in Lake Pontchartrain north of New Orleans in the afternoon of March 23. The Coast Guard was responding to a report of a vehicle possibly having gone into Lake Pontchartrain as the result of a **southbound** multi-car accident near Mile Marker 3 on the Causeway Bridge. CG Sector New Orleans received the report Causeway Police at 3:48 a.m. after a damaged guardrail was discovered. A 29-foot response boat from CG Station New Orleans; MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from CG Air Station New Orleans; and Causeway Police are involved in the search. Anyone with information about a person in the water is requested to contact Sector New Orleans at (504) 365-2200. (Source: Coast Guard 03/23/17)
CG CORRECTION: **Initially, the CG reported the accident in the northbound lanes. It was in the southbound lanes**

CG rescues 4 in Drum Bay

NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard has rescued four men from a disabled boat in Drum Bay, La., on March 23. After losing communications with the vessel, Coast Guard Sector New Orleans directed an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from CG Air Station New Orleans to assist. The crew deployed a rescue swimmer, hoisted three men aboard, and transported them to emergency medical services at the air station in stable condition. After refueling, the helicopter returned and hoisted the rescue swimmer and remaining man, who also was in stable condition. (Source: Coast Guard 03/23/17)

ConRo ship launched

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Crowley Maritime Corp.’s newest combination Container/Roll on-Roll off (ConRo) ship has been launched from VT Halter Marine's shipyard in Pascagoula for the Crowley’s service between Jacksonville, Fla., and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Named El Coquí, after a beloved frog native to Puerto Rico, is one of the world’s first to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). The ship will now proceed through the final topside construction and testing phase before beginning service in the U.S. Jones Act trade during the second half of 2017. (Source: MarineLink, 03/22/17)

Contract: Boeing, $13.7M

The Boeing Co. of Huntington Beach, Calif., is being awarded a $13,731,493 option to a previously awarded contract to continue to provide design agent and technical engineering services in support of the AN/USQ-82(V) Gigabit Ethernet Data Multiplex Systems (GEDMS) program. GEDMS is a shipboard network used for the Navy's DDG 51 class destroyers. The GEDMS network transfers inputs and/or outputs for the machinery control systems, damage control system, steering control system, AEGIS combat system, navigation displays and interior communications alarms and indicators. This contract combines purchases for the Navy (91%); and the governments of Australia (3); Korea (3); and Japan (3) under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The work will be performed in Huntington Beach, Calif. (72%); Arlington, Va. (11); Bath, Maine (9); Pascagoula, Miss. (3); Georgetown, D.C. (3); Richardson, Texas (1); and Fairfax, Va. (1), and is expected to be completed by March 2018. Naval Surface Warfare Center-Dahlgren (Va.) is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 03/22/17)

La. oil discharge cleaned up

NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard reports that clean-up operations at an abandoned wellhead near Venice, La., which occurred March 20, was completed March 22. Hilcorp Energy reported that the source of the oil discharge had been secured. There was no discrepancies or significant sheening reported. About 168 gallons of crude oil was collected during the clean-up. Initially, CG members arrived on scene and reported an estimated 840 gallons of crude oil in the water. Hilcorp contracted CUDD Well Control, OMI Environmental Solutions, and Clean Gulf Associates to conduct response operations. Boom, sorbent material, and skimming vessels were used to reduce the spread of oil and collect oil from the water’s surface. The Coast Guard conducted an overflight March 22 to assess the situation. The cause of the incident is under investigation. (Coast Guard 03/23/17)

GC refiners may cash in early

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – U.S. Gulf Coast refiners may be in good position to cash in on the earlier than expected 2020 deadline for ship operators to start using lower sulfur bunker fuel. At least that seemed to be in the majority among analysts attending the 2017 American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers conference in San Antonio. (Source: Platts.com 03/21/17)

Contract: Austal, $36.6M

Austal USA LLC of Mobile, Ala., is being awarded a $36,608,865 contract modification to exercise options for the accomplishment of Littoral Combat Ship core class services and special studies. Austal USA will assess engineering and production challenges, evaluate cost and schedule risks, conduct studies, analyses of alternate processes, and test new technology candidates as directed by the government. Work will be performed in Mobile (72 percent) and Pittsfield, Mass. (28 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2018. Fiscal 2015 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $8,500,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of FY-17. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD, 03/20/17)

MSU: The Future of Water

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Researchers with expertise in a wide range of water-related issues will converge this month for the SEC Academic Conference to discuss the often complex issues related to the earth’s most life-giving resource: Water. Anna Linhoss, a Mississippi State assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering, will chair the conference. She looks forward hearing from scientists in the Southeast and anticipates learning more about cutting-edge research. “The Future of Water: Regional Collaboration on Shared Climate, Coastlines and Watersheds” is the theme of the conference and will focus on research collaboration. MSU will host the March 27-28 event. (Source: Mississippi State University 03/16/17)

Hunting for GoM hydrocarbon seeps

In collaboration with the geo-science data company TGS, Furgo - a geo-intelligence and asset integrity solutions firm - continues to map the seafloor of the Gulf of Mexico to get an overall picture of geological features, including hydrocarbon seeps. The latest Otos multi-beam survey, follows another TGS industry-funded Gigante survey in 2016 on the Mexican side of the GoM. Fugro has deployed two state-of-the-art geophysical survey vessels to acquire multi-beam echo sounder (MBES) and sub-bottom profile data over the western, central and eastern regions of the U.S.’ continental slope. The Otos multi-beam and seep study will provide new insight into the distribution of different source rock geology throughout the US Gulf of Mexico and link this in a consistent fashion” with the Mexico survey, said Kristian Johansen, CEO of TGS. The final results will provide insight into the regional-scale distribution of hydrocarbon seeps throughout the northern GoM. TGS will license the data to exploration and production companies to support development activities in this prolific region. (Source: Marine Link 03/17/17) Gulf Coast Note: TGS has North American offices in New Orleans and Houston. Furgo is an independent provider of geo-intelligence and asset integrity solutions for large constructions, infrastructure and natural resources with North American geo-services’ offices in Lafayette and Patterson, La.

Trump plan could cut GC agencies

President Trump's budget plan that went to Capitol Hill on March 16 is expected to carry deep cuts to agencies and organizations with a long-standing presence along the Gulf Coast. The federal spending plan includes a likely 14 percent cut to the Coast Guard, which has operations in Mobile and Dauphin Island, Ala.; Pensacola and Panama City, Fla.; and the New Orleans area. Additionally, a 17 percent cut to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and 11 percent to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The EPA, which funds a wide array of programs affecting the Gulf Coast, is slated for a 25 percent cut. The cuts have regional environmental groups and governments that rely on the federal funding on edge. "We are very concerned about the future," said Roberta Swan, director of the Mobile Bay Estuary Program, which could be cut completely if the federal agency decides to approve it. The budget ax plan could trickle down to long established programs in the coastal region such as the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, which includes Weeks Bay and the Grand Bay Reserve in Moss Point, Miss. Also proposed is the elimination of the $73M Sea Grant program that has long provided support for fisheries and tourism along the coast. (Source: AL.com 03/16/17)  Gulf Coast Note: New Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz had previously called for the elimination of the entire EPA.

PT boat re-traces NOLA course

NEW ORLEANS – The re-built engines of a WWII-era PT boat began growling, its bow high in the water and a rooster-tail of spray rising in its wake. “I didn't think the rooster-tail would be that high,” National World War II Museum historian Josh Schick shouted over the three 1,500-horspower Packard engines. The nation's only fully restored combat veteran PT boat traced the course it was tested on in 1944 along the tidal basin of New Orleans' shoreline. Volunteers at the museum put more than 100,000 hours into restoring the boat, made in New Orleans, and five of them made up its crew on its first run March 16. Museum staffers say PT-305, known to the crew as the Sudden Jerk, is the only fully restored and operational U.S. patrol torpedo boat that took direct part in WWII. It made more than 70 patrols, sank three enemy ships and participated in two invasions in the Mediterranean theater. The boat's dedication will be March 25. The vessel is to begin offering $15 docked tours and $350 rides on April 1. (Source: The AP 03/16/17)

$3M Landmark grant to MSU

Halliburton Energy Services, through its Landmark subsidiary, has made a software grant donation valued at more than $3 million to the Bagley College of Engineering at Mississippi State University in support of its Petroleum Engineering Program. Halliburton is a leading oilfield service provider. Landmark programs are used around the world in upstream activities. The software includes geosciences, economics, reservoir management, and drilling and completions. (Source: Mississippi State University 03/14/17)

Flag officer assignment

Newly-promoted Rear Adm. Kyle J. Cozad will become the next, and 19th, commander of the Naval Education and Training Command headquarters aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. Acting Secretary of the Navy Sean Stackley and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John M. Richardson made the announcement March 15. Cozad is currently serving as commander of Patrol and Reconnaissance Group in Norfolk, Va. The admiral is a native of Las Vegas and a 1985 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, where he received a bachelor of science in oceanography and physics. (Source: DoD, 03/15/17) Rear Adm. Michael S. White has been the NETC commander since Jan. 24, 2014. There was no date given for when Cozad will take the reins at NETC.

GC-built LCS 10 commissioning

The Navy will commission the Gulf Coast-built Littoral Combat Ship Gabrielle Giffords, the former Arizona congresswoman who survived a 2011 assassination attempt, at Pier 21 in Galveston, Texas, on June 10 in a three-day event. The LCS 10 recognizes the lawmaker's service on the armed services committee, and support of the military and veterans throughout her congressional terms. The ship launched in 2015, and its sponsor, former second lady Jill Biden, christened it that June in Mobile, Ala. The LCS is the ninth to enter the fleet and fifth of the Independence variant, which are built by Austal USA in Mobile. After the commissioning, the ship will travel to its homeport in San Diego. The ship's motto “Je Suis Prest” translates from French to English as “I Am Ready,” an homage to Gifford's family coat of arms. (Source: Houston Chronicle 03/14/17)

Industrial supply, manufacturing show

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - All industrial supply and manufacturing field businesses are invited to attend the 28th annual Jackson County Industrial Trade Show here on March 21 at the B.E. “Mac” McGinty Civic Center. The keynote speaker will be Anthony L. Wilson, chairman, President and CEO of Mississippi Power Co. Sponsorships are now available through the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. (Source: Jackson County [Miss.] Chamber 03/17)

CG aids 2 injured crewmen

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard medevaced two men from the commercial fishing vessel Capt. Gorman III about 50 miles offshore of Panama City, Florida, on March 10. Coast Guard Sector Mobile, Ala., received a report of two injured crewmen at 7 p.m. A 50-year-old male suffered lacerations near his left eye and right hand, and a 55-year-old male suffered a laceration to his neck. Watchstanders directed the launch of an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans, who hoisted the patients and transported them to Bay Medical Sacred Heart in Panama City. The cause of the incident is under investigation. (Source: 03/13/17)

‘Mother Ocean 101’ from UWF

At the start of the year, the University of West Florida launched its Division of Research and Strategic Innovation. It serves as an incubator for big ideas to come to life. From a strategic standpoint, DRSI embodies Northwest Florida’s future, according to new UWF President Dr. Martha Saunders in an op-ed published in the Northwest Florida Daily News. UWF’s Innovation Institute with the Center for Research and Economic Opportunity (CREO) program includes the Military Veterans Resource Institute, Academic Technology Center; and statewide programs like the Florida Virtual Campus. II has one new project scheduled to launch this month. It’s a free online course, which tells the story of research conducted by UWF faculty and students on the Gulf of Mexico, called "Gulf Stories: Mother, Mother Ocean 101." The team followed researchers to study the effects of hurricanes, saltwater incursion, invasion of lionfish; and the Port of Pensacola to study the logistics of moving products through the GoM and world. By making it a free online course, it’s available to everyone to learn about UWF research on the Gulf Coast. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News op-ed 03/12/17)

CG medevacs man from OSV

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard medically evacuated a 27-year-old man from an offshore supply vessel March 9 about 45 nautical miles south of Point Au Fer, La. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report from the OSV Isabella Rose of a deckhand complaining of chest pains and abdominal discomfort. CGSNO directed the launch of an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans. The aircrew hoisted the patient onboard and transported him to West Jefferson Medical Center. The patient was reported to be in stable condition. (Source: Coast Guard 03/09/17)

Blackhawks' MCM training in PC

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – About 100 sailors based out of a Norfolk, Va., Blackhawk helicopter unit are conducting airborne mine counter-measures (MCM) training in and around the Gulf of Mexico in Bay County, Fla. The Navy personnel will also be interacting with engineers at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, who built and designed airborne MCM equipment more than 60 years ago, according to NSWC commanding officer, Capt. Phillip Dawson. The training benefits both the Blackhawk crews and NSWC’s technical experts. Interacting with war-fighters that use the MCM equipment and tactics develop at Panama City allows feedback that adds relevancy for those experts, said Dawson. The sailors will train for about two weeks. (Source: WJHG 03/10/17)

Gulf oil spill exercise

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard and partner agencies completed a full-scale oil spill response exercise March 9 in Houma, La., and The Woodlands, Texas. The exercise was conducted to improve the effectiveness of the Southeast Louisiana Area Contingency Plan, the Anadarko Petroleum Corp. Oil Spill Response Plan, and the MEXUSGULF Regional Annex. The exercise is the culmination of a multi-year exercise series between APC and the Coast Guard that began in 2015. (Source: Coast Guard 03/10/17)

New: Flame Reduxer & Mobile River

WORCESTER, Mass. – Worcester Polytechnic Institute will test, in real life conditions with the Coast Guard in Alabama this coming week, a new technology that could revolutionize cleanup of ocean oil spills. A WPI research team developed the “Flame Refluxer” from a $1 million award from the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. It has performed well indoors at WPI’s fire lab. Ali Rangwala, an associate professor of Fire Protection Engineering at WPI, and the team will conduct “wind” test variable with the Coast Guard at its Joint Maritime Test Facility (JMTF) on Little Sand Island at the mouth of the Mobile (Ala.) River. The Flame Refluxer works by making oil burning – a means of removing oil from water and environmentally safer. (Source: Worchester [Mass.] Telegram 03/11/17) Gulf Coast Note: The JMTF in Mobile is a partnership between the CG Research and Development Center and the Naval Research Laboratory. It is the only national federal testing facility for maritime fire protection research and includes the ex-USS Shadwell. Little Sand Island also has a refurbished test tank for large-scale oil burn testing and research.
UPDATED LINK http://www.npr.org/2017/03/21/520861834/researchers-test-hotter-faster-and-cleaner-way-to-fight-oil-spills

Students learn tech job prospects

MOBILE, Ala. – There were some 300 junior and senior high school students from Baldwin and Mobile counties taking advantage of the Alabama Community College System’s dual enrollment programs at a March 7 career job fair here at the Alabama Industrial Development Training’s Maritime Training Center. Dual-enrollment programs allow students to earn tuition-free college credits in technology courses while completing their high school diplomas. Students interacted with industry representatives from Austal USA, Ingalls Shipbuilding, and the Alabama National Guard. With drones and robotic vehicles around them, students participated in virtual welding and observed a 3-D printer producing aircraft components used by Airbus. Austal USA executive Don Keeler said the company relies on the Maritime Training Center to provide specific training for new employees; and that AIDT was “Alabama’s secret economic development weapon.” ACCS consists of 24 comprehensive community and technical colleges, Marion Military Institute and the Alabama Technology Network, and serves about 185,000 a year. (Source: Gulf Coast Today 03/10/17)

Oulook on Louisiana dredging

When maritime stakeholders think about dredging, they initially conjure up visions of harbor deepening to accommodate giant, post-Panamax container ships. Inland players hope for maintenance dredging to keep the nation’s 31,000 cargo barges afloat. But, there is much more to it. In Louisiana, dredging keeps Louisiana's waterways open for navigation, and provides material for coastal restoration and helps industrial plants with drainage. The biggest projects come from the Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans and the state's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. The state's five newest and largest restoration projects will span several decades and may cost upward of $1 billion each. In this case, they are badly needed as the shoreline shrinks – over 50 years, Louisiana has lost about 34 square miles of marsh and land annually into the Gulf of Mexico. The state’s dredging industry welcomes, along with some reservation, the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN), which was approved by Congress last December, along with an Army Corps of Engineers plan to deepen waterways. Sean Duffy of the Big River Coalition in Metairie, La., said WIIN's navigation and construction provisions will increase opportunities for the dredging industry. A plan by the Army Corps would deepen portions of the Mississippi River navigation channel, including stretches between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, to 50 feet. More dredging would allow the ports of New Orleans, Plaquemines and South Louisiana to handle large post-Panamax vessels traveling through the newly-expanded canal. (Source: Marine Link 03/09/17)

LSU dean presents GoM brief

The Dean of LSU’s College of the Coast & Environment, Christopher D'Elia, participated in a congressional briefing on the importance of sustained observations for the Gulf of Mexico. Moreover, the role of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), and how it plays in supporting the economy, public health and safety was discussed. IOOS is a mechanism for filling critical information gaps in observations and data in the GoM. The briefing was titled: "Are we better informed today than before Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon Disaster? A discussion on the state of coastal observing in the Gulf of Mexico." The event was organized by the IOOS Association and the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System. D'Elia participated on behalf of the Gulf of Mexico Research Collaborative, on which he serves as the 2016-17 chair. D'Elia presented on the economic importance of the Gulf, which provides diverse resources and opportunities with its natural ecosystem for maritime commerce and energy infrastructure. (Source: Gonzales [La.] Weekly Citizen 03/09/17)

HII tech solutions leadership

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Huntington Ingalls Industries’ new operating division, Technical Solutions, has announced its leadership team. TS was formed in December after HII acquired Camber Corp. and consolidated it with HII’s services subsidiaries, including AMSEC, Continental Maritime of San Diego, Newport News Industrial, SN3, Undersea Solutions Group and Universal Pegasus International. The new leadership team includes Nick Thomas, VP of Integration Management Office and Business Operations. Thomas has been with HII for 20 years and was responsible for leading many HII corporate development activities, including exploring strategic alternatives for the Avondale (La.) shipyard. He has held a number of senior leadership positions in program management, business management and supply chain management at HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division. (Source: HII 03/08/17) Gulf Coast Note: HII Technical Solutions employs more than 5,000 people in 35 states and 11 countries, with mobile “fly- away” teams to support emergent situations around the globe. TS has an office facility in Panama City, Fla.

Update: Grounded OSV refloated

An offshore supply vessel (OSV) ran aground off the west Cameron (Parish, La.) Jetties on the morning of March 8. There were no injuries to the four passengers or three crew aboard the Miss Lynda. The 120-foot vessel was carrying construction cargo and had 4,300 gallons of fuel and 100 gallons of oil products aboard at the time of the incident. No pollution was reported. Coast Guard response personnel are investigating the damage, and best methods of salvage. Damage to the ship was reported five feet above the waterline. The vessel did not take on water. A salvage company is still being determined. There has been no impact to traffic in the Calcasieu (La.) Ship Channel. (Source: Marine Link 03/08/17) Gulf Coast Note: Personnel from Vessel Traffic Service of Port Arthur, Texas, overheard Miss Lynda had run aground. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Lake Charles, La., incident response personnel deployed a CG Station Lake Charles boat crew to investigate.

UPDATED INFORMATION: Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Lake Charles' marine safety personnel responded to grounded vessel. On March 9 about 9:45 a.m., the Miss Lynda was refloated and removed from the jetty utilizing the vessel's own propulsion, air bags to restore buoyancy in the damaged compartment, and assistance from the Sally D. Miss Lynda was able to proceed to Cameron to offload cargo before safely transiting to Gulf Island Shipyard in Lake Charles for dry-dock repairs.

GAO: Navy paid high ship overruns

The Navy paid for the majority of cost overruns on contracts for its major shipbuilding programs over the last decade, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released last week. It examined six fixed-price incentive (FPI) contracts awarded by the Navy over the last 10 years on a total of 40 ships. The audit report analyzed contract(s) for two Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers; two Expeditionary Transfer Dock and two Expeditionary Mobile Base ships; 10 Littoral Combat Ships (LCS); six San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks; and eight Virginia-class submarines. On FPIs, the government and the shipbuilder share cost overruns above the target price ratio called “share line.” Shipbuilders are responsible for all costs above the ceiling price. The share line is established for profits, when costs fall below the target. FPIs notionally incentivize shipbuilders, since profit is determined by how well they perform under contracts. DOD’s ‘Better Buying Power’ initiative suggests contracting officers start with a 50-50 share line. The report found the Navy paid $549 million in cost growth for ships delivered under contracts analyzed. Shipbuilders paid about $430 million in cost growth. GAO also found required documentation missing from three of the six contract files. GAO recommended DOD conduct a “portfolio-wide assessment” of the Navy's use of additional incentives and include a “mechanism to share proven incentive strategies for achieving intended cost, schedule, and quality outcomes among contracting and program office officials,” the report states. DOD agreed, and said the Navy would complete such an assessment by Dec. 15. (Source: Inside Defense 03/07/17) Gulf Coast Note: Although the report does not specifically ID contractors, Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., has had contracts for one of the two variants of the Littoral Combat Ship. Ingalls Shipbuilding is the sole provider of the San Antonio (LPD 17) class of amphibious transport dock ships for the Navy, according to HII's website.

La. wants environ project fast tracks

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has petitioned President Trump’s administration to add five of Louisiana's major Gulf coastal master plan restoration projects – Mid-Barataria, Mid-Breton, Houma Navigation Canal Lock complex, Calcasisu salinity control measures, and river reintroduction to Maurepas Swamp - to a fast-track federal program that requires environmental review and permitting. Each is marked as a fast-track project in the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority's proposed 2017 master plan update. Together, their design and construction costs are estimated at about $3 billion. On Jan. 24, Trump signed an executive order "expediting environmental reviews and approvals for high priority infrastructure projects." The five projects already have been subjected to scientific review, Edwards said, both through the state's own coastal master plan process and through the vetting required of projects receiving BP spill money from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the federal-state Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council and the Oil Pollution Act's Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustee Implementation Group. (Source: Times-Picayune 03/08/17)

73 million acre lease sale for GoM

New U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced that DOI will offer 73 million acres offshore from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas for oil and gas exploration and development. The proposed region-wide lease sale is scheduled for August 16, 2017, would include all available un-leased areas in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Proposed Lease Sale 249, scheduled to be streamed live from New Orleans, will be the first offshore sale under the new Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2017-22. Under the new program, 10 region-wide lease sales are scheduled for the GoM. Two Gulf lease sales will be held each year and include all available blocks in the combined Western, Central, and Eastern Gulf of Mexico Planning Areas. Lease Sale 249 will include about 13,725 blocks, located from three to 230 miles offshore, in the Gulf’s planning areas in water depths ranging from nine to more than 11,115. As of March 1, about 16.9 million acres on the U.S. outer continental shelf are under lease for oil and gas development (3,194 active leases) and 4.6 million of those acres (929 leases) are producing oil and natural gas. More than 97 percent of these leases are in the Gulf of Mexico. (Source: Maritime Executive 03/08/17)

LCS anti-swarm missile testing

The Navy has conducted its first test of a short-range missile system designed to protect Littoral Combat Ships against swarming threats, according to the Naval Sea Systems Command. The Navy conducted late February tests off the Virginia coast using the Surface-to-Surface Missile Module (SSMM), aboard the Freedom-class LCS-7, USS Detroit, by firing multiple AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire missiles. The test marked the first launch of a missile from the SSMM and LCS. It was also a first vertical missile launch from an LCS as part of the ships’ surface warfare (SW) mission package. The missiles work with a pair of 30mm Bushmaster cannons and the ship’s main 76mm deck gun for the anti-swarm boat mission. “This was another positive step forward in fielding of the next increment (for SW package),” Capt. Ted Zobel, mission modules program manager said. SSMM is a “critical piece” of that SW mission package. The swarm boat threat has been overshadowed by the Navy’s desire to arm both variants with an over-the-horizon anti-ship missile for LCS’s planned frigate follow-on design. The SW mission package will begin testing on USS Milwaukee (LCS-5) later in 2017 and will have an initial operational capability in 2018. (Source: US Naval Institute News 03/07/17) Gulf Coast Note: The second LCS variant class, Independence, is built by Austal USA Shipyard in Mobile, Ala.

Aquaculture students release fish

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. -- Twenty five hundred speckled trout are now back in the wild thanks to a class of Ocean Springs High School students, the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Lab and the Department of Marine Resources. For the last three years, scientists with the Gulf Coast Research Lab have been teaching and training the students on how to breed, rear and harvest plants and animals in all types of water environments, a science called aquaculture. Ocean Springs High School is the only school in the state to offer the courses. Interested students can take a series of three courses in the field. For the last eight months, aquaculture instructor Bryan Butler and his 60 or so students have been learning husbandry skills, or basically how to raise and take care of baby trout in a 500-gallon tank in a greenhouse behind the school. (Source: Sun Herald, 03/07/17)

Grain shipment delays boon for GC

Brutal winter weather threatens to further delay export grain shipments by rail and ship loading at Pacific Northwest (PNW) ports, which could lead to a boon for Gulf Coast ports. Reuters reported a backlog of grain ships waiting to load at PNW ports could persist into April. That has led Asian buyers to move their purchases to Gulf Coast terminals. More than 60 ships are waiting to load at PNW terminals - up from the norm of 20 to 30. It’s the result of months of rain and icy conditions slowed loading, and blizzards disrupted rail operations to Portland and Seattle (second-busiest combined U.S. grain ports). Twenty more ships are scheduled to arrive in March. Reuters reported at least five grain vessels slated to load in the PNW have been re-routed to Gulf Coast ports – via the Panama Canal. Transport issues come amid record harvests in the U.S. and South America, the latter of which have also struggled to reach ports in northern Brazil. (Source: Railway Age 03/07/17)

NAUI diver of year

Northwest Florida diver Bernie Campoli, a scientific and technical civilian photographer with the Panama City Naval Coast Systems Laboratory, was among three selectees named a National Associate of Underwater Instructors of Year. Early in his Navy career, he attended Navy Underwater Swim School and was granted the unique designation of Navy Photographer-Diver. Assignments included SEAL training, President John F. Kennedy's visits to the fleet in 1962-63, and on NASA’s Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo mission programs. He is a "Plank Owner" for Project SEALAB, filming the Navy's pioneering Man-in-the-Sea saturation diving mission. (Source: National Association of Underwater Instructors 02/27/17)

FL bills include marine campus

Northwest Florida state legislators have filed a bevy of bills that will be considered in the upcoming session of the legislature. Among those bills is one to propose creating a satellite campus of a marine university in Northwest Florida. Jay Trumbull, chairman of the House Select Committee on Triumph Gulf Coast, filed House Bill 3345, which would allocate a nonrecurring sum of $5 million to create a satellite campus of American Marine University in Northwest Florida, which would provide training for marine-related industries. A Facebook page tied to AMU calls for six primary objectives, including the establishment of a 150-acre main campus and 500,000 square foot research park. The organization, which is spearheaded by Jim Simons of Seminole, was at one time looking at establishing the school in Manatee County, according to WWSB-TV. AMU is to become a non-profit educational institution devoted to marine industries skill sets, much like the Florida-based Embry-Riddle University, which was established in 1925 and devoted to aviation-industry skills. Simons is also associated with the Florida Gulf Coast Center for Fish. The bills will be up for consideration this week. (Source: News Herald 03/15/17)

Helo tows mine-hunting UUV

PANAMA CITY, Fla. - For years, the Navy has swept the waters in various ways for mines. Now, they've even used an Mk-107 sled towed by a MH-53E helicopter. In February, Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City’s "Dragon Master" air crew, scientists and engineers successfully deployed an Mk-18 Mod 2 underwater unmanned vehicle (UUV) from an MH-60S helicopter for a mine-sweeping deployment in St. Andrews Bay. The test flight and demonstration was a first of its kind, and it only took 18 minutes. "This was a perfect collaboration between government and industry," said Currie. Industry partner Concurrent Technologies/EVC – an independent, nonprofit, applied scientific research and development professional services organization - designed the UUV adapter device. In April, there will be water testing of the recovery device pierside in Panama City. Phase 2 flight testing is slated for the first quarter of FY 2018. (Source: Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City 03/05/17)

CG medevacs man to Pascagoula

NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard medical-evacuated a 42-year-old male from a motor vessel some 18 nautical miles south of Pascagoula, Miss., on March 4. Coast Guard Sector Mobile, Ala., received a call Saturday afternoon reporting a male suffering from a severely infected foot aboard the Amazon Explorer. Coast Guard Station Pascagoula, Miss., launched a 45-foot response boat and crew to assist. The crew arrived on scene at 4:15 p.m. and transferred the man to emergency medical services at CGSP where he was transferred to Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula. He was reported in stable condition. (Coast Guard 03/04/17)

Ga., Va. ports joining forces

The Georgia and Virginia ports authorities filed Feb. 24 with the Federal Maritime Commission to create an “East Coast Gateway Terminal Agreement” encouraging voluntary cooperation in the areas of operations and supply chain efficiencies, safety, communications and customer service. The collaborative agreement is designed to allow the states’ ports to work together on ways to become more efficient and effective, which will benefit taxpayers, shippers and carriers. Additional cooperation includes acquisition and utilization of joint marketing materials and sharing of best practices in terminal operations, training, cargo handling, access, and infrastructure. It also is designed to support the promotion of all-water routes from the U.S. East Coast to the international marketplace via the Panama Canal. (Source: Supply Chain Dive 02/27/17)

GAIL trades Gulf Coast LNG cargoes

India’s largest state-owned gas company, Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), has reached a deal with Swiss energy trading firm Gunvor to swap American LNG cargoes for shipments from other sources. Under the deal, GAIL will sell Gunvor 0.6 million tons of next year's LNG cargoes Free On Board (FOB) from Cheniere Energy Partners’ liquefaction facility at Sabine Pass, La., at a premium to GAIL's contracted price. [FOB is an international commercial law term specifying at what point respective obligations, costs, and risks involved in the delivery of goods shift from the seller to the buyer.] GAIL has signed a 20-year purchase agreement for 3.5 million tons per annum LNG from Cheniere's export facilities, plus another 2.3 mtpa from Dominion Energy's Cove Point plant in Maryland. In return, Gunvor will sell GAIL 0.8 million tons of LNG in 2017 at 12 percent of the Brent crude price with delivery included. It will save GAIL shipping costs of Cheniere on the Gulf of Mexico to the Indian Ocean. Economic Times estimates the total price differential could be as large as $2 per mmbtu (one thousand thousand British Thermal Units) or about 25 percent of delivered costs. GAIL had initially intended to contract for up to 11 new vessels to transport American LNG to India. However, a "Make in India" provision requiring one in three to be built in India was likely a deal-breaker. After pushing back the bidding deadline, GAIL decided to cancel the deal and charter ships on the open market. GAIL has a wholly-owned subsidiary, GAIL Global (USA) Inc., located in Houston. (Source: Maritime Executive 03/03/17)

Ingalls christens CG cutter Kimball

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula christened the seventh Legend-class National Security Cutter, Kimball (WMSL 756), on March 4. Ingalls is the sole builder of Legend-class National Security Cutters, and has delivered six to the Coast Guard. Kimball is scheduled to start builder’s trials in the fourth quarter. The eighth ship, Midgett (WMSL 757), is scheduled for launch in the same timeframe. Kay Webber Cochran, wife of U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), is the ship’s sponsor and officially christened the ship. (Source: HII Ingalls Shipbuilding 03/04/17)

FL seaport reps meet with lawmakers

Florida seaport and port representatives, including those from Panama City and Pensacola, met with federal Sunshine State lawmakers in Washington to highlight the importance of the state’s seaport infrastructure, security policies and freight development. Florida has 15 seaports. “Florida continues to be key player in the global marketplace (and) there isn’t a type of cargo our seaports can’t handle,” said Florida Ports Council Chairman and Port Tampa Bay President/CEO Paul Anderson said. “Florida’s 15 seaports are economic powerhouses that provide unique advantages to our state’s thriving businesses,” said Cissy Proctor, executive director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. “From the Port of Pensacola to the Port of Key West, Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf ports are critical to our state’s economic diversification, increased trade and new job opportunities for Floridians.” (Source: Marine Link 03/02/17)

New riverboat for Gulf waterway?

Two years after announcing plans to develop a fleet of modern riverboats for U.S. rivers, American Cruise Lines (ACL) on March 1 revealed details, and a rendering, of the first vessel in its new series, which is slated to begin passenger service in 2018. The 200-passenger vessel will be the first of a new class of five modern riverboats, and will feature "the modern styling of a European riverboat." The 345-foot vessel is said to have largest staterooms in the United States, private balconies, and hotel-size bathrooms. ACL has not said where the first of the modern riverboats will sail, but in 2015, it was eyeing several inland waterways for potential development. Among the list of inland waterways were Apalachicola (Fla.) River and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. (Source: Travel Weekly 03/01/17)

Blog: Gulf Coast OSV bankruptcies

The Emas Chiyoda Subsea bankruptcy found its way onto the front page of the Houston Chronicle’s business section Feb. 28. ECS is owner and operator of a group of subsea construction vessels. It wasn’t good news for the firm’s 200 Houston employees or the offshore service vessel (OSV) industry. But more troubling is the growing number of bankruptcies and financial hardships, and the likelihood it will continue as oil prices remain below 2014 levels. Depressed oil prices are “expected to average $57.52 a barrel in 2017, even if OPEC extends its supply cuts and global demand continues to improve,” says Reuters, and likely will sustain the progression of bankruptcies and financial distress. It is particularly intense on the Gulf Coast. It was quite obvious at New Orleans-based Tidewater, the largest OSV operator in the world. Last summer, CEO Jeff Platt warned that Tidewater may default on part of its debt, despite having received payment extensions on some of its notes. Bankruptcy was mentioned. A second set of waivers, effective until March 3, was granted. The firm continued to report quarterly losses that weren’t encouraging. Clearly, things must change for OSV operators. Bankruptcy threats are a hovering cloud over the Gulf Coast, with no front in sight to clear it out. (Source: Work Boat blog 03/02/17)

VT Halter overspray shed

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- The 39,000 square-foot sandblast and paint building VT Halter Marine has agreed to build will be integrated to allow within its walls complete surface preparation and final painting of unassembled ship sections. The idea is to keep emissions out of nearby neighborhoods and waterways, something VT Halter has been called out for by the state. VT Halter CEO Paul Albert told the Sun Herald the company is on track with the $7.5 million project, even though it missed state Department of Environmental Quality deadlines in 2015 and 2016. The company also lost a $1.9 million state grant to help with the cost and has seen a major reduction in employees in recent years. (Source: Sun Herald, 03/02/17)

CG suspends search in LA waters

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard is searching for a person in the water in vicinity of Convent, La., on March 2. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans was notified by Customs and Border Protection at 8:30 a.m. that a 35 year-old male Chinese national was missing from the motor vessel BBG Bright. The CG launched a 29-foot Response Boat CG Station New Orleans. BBG Bright got underway at 7: a.m. March 2, and discovered the crewman missing around 7:45 a.m. (Source: Coast Guard 03/02/17)

UPDATE FROM COAST GUARD: The Coast Guard has suspended its search for a person in the water in vicinity of Convent, La., on March 2 after six hours - and coverage of eight miles of the Lower Mississippi River. CG rescuers did not find any indication of the person in the water. Additional information received by investigators led the Coast Guard to suspend the search.

Cutter down: Navy ships gain

One day after President Trump announced it planned to cut from the budget a $640M Coast Guard cutter project set to be built in Pascagoula, Miss., U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) released a list of 10 ships included in the Pentagon appropriations bill. Cochran chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee. The Associated Press reported March 1 that documents from the Office of Management and Budget indicated the cutter contract for Ingalls Shipbuilding would be deleted. The Senate appropriates bill would include $1.8B for the 13th San Antonio-class LPD amphibious warship and $1.6B for an LHA-8 amphibious assault ship – both to be built at Pascagoula - and $3.6B for the construction of three DDG-51 destroyers, one of which would be built at Ingalls. The overall bill would provide $21.2B for Navy shipbuilding programs, according to a Cochran media release. The bill also calls for three Littoral Combat Ships – one of which would be build at Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. The House could take up the defense funding measure this week, with Senate consideration to follow, according to Cochran’s office. The Defense Department is currently funded through a Continuing Resolution that will expire April 28. (Source: Biloxi Sun Herald 03/02/17)

1st U.S.-built Rotorburg tug design

The first US-built Rotortug-designed tug was delivered in mid-February to Seabulk Towing of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The ART 80-98 ‘Trident’ was constructed by Master Boat Builders of Bayou La Batre, Ala. Rotorbug B.V. is a Netherlands-based company specializing in the design of the Rotorbug tug design. The design distinguishes itself by using a triangular propulsion configuration dating back to 1998. Rotortug B.V. has an exclusive design contract with Robert Allan Ltd allowing the former to concentrate on development and marketing. The Alabama firm has been in business since 1979, specializing in work boats for the offshore oil and gas industry, and fishing vessels. (Source: Maritime Journal 03/01/17)

Trump budget hits CG ship

President Donald Trump's budget would cut a $600 million-plus state-of-the-art Coast Guard cutter that's a priority of the powerful Republican chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi. The proposal by Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney is included in draft documents of the White House budget request obtained by the Associated Press. The documents ask the Department of Homeland Security to cancel its contract with Ingalls Shipbuilding, which is to building the ship at its shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. The documents say at least $500 million could be saved by canceling the contract and the money would be spent elsewhere in the homeland security budget for next year. (Source: AP via Sun Herald, 03/01/17)

Hurlburt hosting Emerald Warrior

The Air Force Special Operations Command is currently hosting the 10th annual Emerald Warrior 2017 exercises through March 11 at Hurlburt Field, Fla. Emerald Warrior is a U.S. Special Operations Command exercise during which joint special operations forces train to respond to various threats across the spectrum of conflict. On March 2, there is a scheduled “helocast” mission. A small boat will be hoisted by a Navy helicopter, and Army commandos will drop from the chopper into Santa Rosa Sound to board and recover the boat to the shore. Helocasting is an airborne technique used by small Special Operations Force units to insert personnel into a military area of operations. Generally, the helicopter assumes a just-above-the-water-surface altitude at an air speed of 10 knots or less. Hurlburt Field is home to the Air Force Special Operations Command headquarters. USSOC is headquartered out of Tampa, Fla. (Source: AF Special Operations Command press advisory 03/01/17)

GoM subsea tieback contract

HOUSTON - McDermott International Inc. announced March 1 it had been awarded a contract from Hess Corporation for subsea tieback work for its deep-water Penn State Deep (PSD) field in the Gulf of Mexico. The PSD field is located in the Garden Banks 216 block in about 1,500 feet of water. Discovered in 1996, the PSD field began production in 1999. The lump sum contract will be reflected in McDermott’s first quarter 2017 backlog, according to a media release. (Source: McDermott 03/01/17) Gulf Coast Note: McDermott delivers fixed and floating production facilities, pipelines and subsea systems from concept to commissioning for complex offshore and subsea oil and gas projects to help oil companies safely produce and transport hydrocarbons. It operates in about 20 countries. U.S. sites include a headquarters in Houston and a field office in Gulfport, Miss. Hess Corp. has a regional HQ in Houston.

ILA calls off ports' work stoppage

The head of the International Longshoremen's Association has called off a planned work stoppage at East and Gulf Coast ports, and plans for its leadership to meet with members of Congress to address labor issues throughout the regions. “I strongly urge all ILA members not to engage in any work stoppage or any other violations of our current master contract" with the U.S. Maritime Alliance, ILA President Harold Daggett said Feb. 27 on ILA’s Facebook page. The ILA’s position had been to call for a one-day stoppage of work at major ports to protest lost jobs due to over-regulation and interference by government-run maritime agencies. No date for the work stoppage or a planned ILA march on Washington had been set. (Source: Post and Courier 02/28/17