U.S. oil market fallout over Venezuela

American oil markets are readying for fallout from potential U.S. government sanctions on Venezuela's vital oil sector after July 30’s election deemed to have been a "sham" by Washington, D.C. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro celebrated the election of a new legislative superbody July 31, which would have power to dissolve opposition parties in Congress. U.S. crude futures jumped $50-plus a barrel before retreating, and following U.S. official announcements of potential sanctions. It’s unclear what those sanctions may be, but was expected to include a ban on Venezuelan oil shipments to America – including lighter U.S. crude exports Venezuela mixes with its heavy crude to ready it for market ready. Venezuela is a key source of heavy crude supplies for U.S. refiners. U.S. imports of Venezuelan crude in the first four months averaged about 9% percent of all oil imports. U.S. refiners such as Valero Energy Corp. have been shifting away from processing heavy crudes such as those supplied by Venezuela and other OPEC producers, lessening the potential impact on their businesses. (Source: Marine Link 07/31/17) Gulf Coast Note: Valero has refineries in Meraux and Lake Charles, La.

Tagging sharks along the GoM

Dr. Marcus Drymon with the University of South Alabama and the Dauphin Island (Ala.) Sea Lab (DISL) is part of a global team of shark researchers working to change the stigma associated with the alpha predator. The research team has identified species, tagged, measured, and weighed more than 10,000 sharks across the northern Gulf of Mexico. The shark monitoring program has identified 24 different species, and has unraveled factors that influence their patterns. Drymon can now track sharks in near real-time with a satellite ‘SPOT’ tag from the mouth of Mobile Bay to the waters off Florida and Mississippi. A group of educators from Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Oklahoma were onboard the R/V Alabama Discovery during the tagging session. The group was part of the Fins, Fishes, and Fisheries teacher workshop hosted by Discovery Hall Programs at the DISL, and sponsored by the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium. (Source: Dauphin Island Sea Lab 07/28/17)

ESG completes initial OPC review

PANAMA CITY, Fla. - Eastern Shipbuilding Group has successfully completed its Initial Critical Design Review (ICDR) milestone July 21 for the Coast Guard’s Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) program. ESG’s accomplishment was on schedule and within budget constraints set forth by the CG acquisition, and cleared the way to proceed to the Final Critical Design Review (FCDR). The July accomplishment comes after week-long demonstrations, and design presentations by ESG’s design team to the CG and Department of Homeland Security. The purpose of ICDR is to verify that the cutter program detailed design was integrated and internally consistent with CG requirements. The milestone culminates 10 months of detailed design and was a pre-requisite for award of the Long Lead Time Material (LLTM) contract to ESG in September. Construction of the lead vessel is anticipated to start in August 2018 with delivery in 2021. (Source: Eastern Shipbuilding Group 07/26/17)

Navy's newest top oceanographer

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - Rear Adm. John A. Okon relieved Rear Adm. Timothy C. Gallaudet as commander of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (CNMOC) during a July 27 ceremony at Stennis Space Center. Okon, who also assumed the role of Oceanographer and Navigator of the Navy, comes to Stennis from duty as executive assistant to the Deputy of Chief of Naval Operations’ Information Warfare and Director of Naval Intelligence. Gallaudet will retire on Aug. 31 after 28 years of naval service, and the final three as the commander of CNMOC. (Source: DOD 07/28/17)

CoE issues GC dredging contract

The Dutra Group of San Rafael, Calif., was awarded an $8,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance dredging in Alabama, Florida and Mississippi. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 28, 2018. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of Mobile, Ala., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 07/28/17)

Ainsworth to 377th TSC in NOLA

The chief of staff of the Army announced July 27 that Brig. Gen. (Promotable) Steven W. Ainsworth (USAR), commander of the Troop Program Unit at the 7th Mission Support Command and deputy commanding general of the 21st Theater Support Command in Germany, was being reassigned to the post of commander of the Troop Program Unit at the 377th Theater Sustainment Command at NAS/JRB New Orleans in Belle Chasse, La. (Source: DOD 07/27/17) The 377th TSC is the Army Reserve’s largest operational command with more than 35,700 soldiers and civilians overseeing more than 405 units across 35 states.

SLC meet to highlight Mississippi

The speaker of the Mississippi state House of Representatives, Philip Gunn (R-Clinton), chair of the Southern Legislative Conference (SLC), will convene the group’s 71st annual meeting July 29 in Biloxi. The meeting is expected to bring together more than 1,300 state legislators, staff and guests from SLC’s 15-member states. Mississippi last hosted the meeting in 2000. Among the meeting agenda features is Mississippi’s coastal restoration following Hurricane Katrina, and economic development in the Golden Triangle region. In addition, technical tours will offer participants a first-hand look of Huntington Ingalls Industries in Pascagoula, NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center, and the University of Southern Mississippi’s Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center. Mississippi natives Archie Manning (retired NFL quarterback) and Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise will speak at plenary sessions. (Source: Y’all Politics 07/29/17)

GC ports, union working on contract

The Pacific Maritime Association has reached a tentative three-year contract extension July 28 with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) in preventing potential work slowdowns. The two groups reached the contract extension, which was due to expire in 2019. PMA negotiates labor agreements on behalf of West Coast port operators. The extension is subject to final confirmation by the ILWU, and is expected next week. The contract covers workers at all 29 West Coast container ports. (Source: California Apparel News 07/28/17)
UPDATE: GULF COAST PORTS Cargo companies and the International Longshoremen’s Association union, representing longshoremen workers at Gulf and East Coast ports got an early start on contract negotiations back in February. The ILA held informal talks with the United States Maritime Alliance Ltd. in Florida. There are some 25,000 Atlantic and Gulf Coast union port workers. The February meeting came 19 months before the current contract is set to expire Sept. 30, 2018. A top ILA leader confirmed in May 2017 that the union was confident negotiations will go well and that an agreement will be made prior to the contract’s expiration. Local contracts are in different stages of negotiations. The Western Gulf ports are using an interest based bargaining technique in hopes to find common issues and develop solutions that both sides can agree upon. (Source: Trans American 05/17/17)

Securing House funding for Gulf range

WASHINGTON, DC - In a victory for Florida’s military community, the U.S. House of Representatives on July 27 passed Florida 2nd District Rep. (Dr.) Neal Dunn’s amendment to fast-track military training range improvements in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico; and provide $30M for the next evolution of the Gulf Range Enhancement program for test and training date collection of 5th and 6th generation weapons in the Joint Gulf Range Complex (from east of New Orleans to west of MacDill AFB, Fla., to south of Key West, Fla.). The lack of adequate instrumentation restricts missions in the northern sector. The 96th Test Wing at Eglin AFB, Fla., estimates 80 missions a year cannot be conducted because of air space and infrastructure congestion. The Gulf Range is a “national treasure, a one-of-a-kind resource essential to our national security,” said Dunn. The Joint Gulf Range Complex is also used for high-altitude, supersonic air-combat training for F-22 Raptors at Tyndall AFB and F-35A/C jets at Eglin AFB. (Source: U.S. Rep Neal Dunn 07/27/17) The range has also been used in the past for training at Camp Shelby, Miss., and Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, Miss.

LOOP seeking crude-oil shippers

Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) LLC, operator of the nation’s largest privately owned crude oil storage and transportation logistics facility, is seeking prospective commercial shippers to utilize its existing facilities for crude oil vessel loading services onto Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs). LOOP’s new service would provide connecting logistics from its Clovelly Hub in Galliano, La., to its deep-water port, 17 miles offshore from Port Fourchon, La. The loading service could be available as soon as early 2018. (Source: Maritime Executive 07/27/17)

Navy hosts FFG(X) industry day

The Navy held an industry day for those companies interested in participating in the future guided-missile FFG(X) frigate program. FFG(X) is the Navy’s newest iteration of the small surface combatant program, initially filled by the Littoral Combat Ship and followed up with the LCS-based up-gunned and armored frigate (FF). According to industry-day slides, obtained by USNI News, companies have until Aug. 24 to respond to the Navy’s Request For Information (RFI) of two weeks ago. The Navy will then enter a conceptual design phase to help take existing ship designs and modifying them to meet requirements. The Request For Proposals (RFP) conceptual design contracts are to be awarded in CY 2018, ahead of an FY 2020 detail design and construction contract. The industry-day slides indicated that the RFI was meant to help the Navy “understand industry’s parent designs” and ability to integrate the multi-warfare system elements (anti-submarine and surface warfare) and requirements for their FFG(X) designs; and information on recurring and non-recurring engineering, production scheduling, and operations and support costs ahead of making certain decisions. The RFI clearly outlines the ASW and SW warfare capabilities for the FFG(X); and was less clear on the anti-air warfare capabilities. (Source: USNI News 07/27/17) Gulf Coast Note: Austal USA shipyards of Mobile, Ala., build the Independence variant of the Littoral Combat Ship, and may be among the serious contenders for designing and building FFG(X).

NSAPC change of command

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – There will be a change of command ceremony for Naval Support Activity Panama City on July 28. Capt. Aaron Peters will assume the helm from outgoing commander Capt. Phillip Dawson, who will be retiring after 30 years of naval service. The new commander "has a lot of experience with the programs and development that we do down here through various positions that he's had over the last 10 to 12 years,” said Fleet Liaison Officer in Charge Thomas Dill, “so he's very familiar with what we do and I think that's going to be a great asset pushing us forward." (Source: WJHG 07/26/17) Peters, who is a qualified Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer, master EOD technician, diver, and naval parachutist, is the first Navy EOD officer to command NSWC PC since its establishment in 1945.

Experts: Speaking medical-ese

TRUJILLO, Honduras - Sailors with Southern Partnership Station-Expeditionary Fast Transport 17 (SPS-EPF 17) visited Dr. Salvador Paredes Hospital here July 25 to provide valuable medical treatment information to staff members. Seventeen Honduran doctors and nurses crowded a conference room with U.S. Navy medical officers to absorb potential life-saving techniques and exchange medical knowledge. Lt. Cmdr. (Dr.) Jonathan Auten, an emergency medicine residency director at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Va., presented training information in English, while Naval Hospital Pensacola, Fla., women’s health nurse Lt. Juliana Gutierrez interpreted the lecture into Spanish. "Lt. Gutierrez really opened up a lot of doors for us," said Auten. "My heart was pounding with excitement," said Gutierrez. SPS-EPF 17's medical team will continue to train and assist Honduran medical personnel as the mission continues. (Source: Southern Partnership Station 17 07/27/17) SPS-EPF 17 successfully completed a first-ever adaptive force package (AFP) embarkation and deployment from Gulfport, Miss., on July 18, aboard USNS Spearhead (T-EPF 1) with the assistance of Seabees based in Gulfport. The ship was loaded with nearly 800,000 pounds of cargo, including construction equipment and medical supplies, to support partner capacity building and subject matter expert exchanges in Central and South America.

Crowley's $2.3B DOD contract upheld

Following a series of protests and legal challenges, the U.S. Transportation Command, an agency within U.S. Defense Department (DOD), confirmed a multi-year contract award to Crowley Logistics Inc., to provide transportation and related services supporting DOD activities in the U.S. and Canada. The DOD Freight Transportation Services contract is one of the largest logistics contracts awarded by the U.S. The period of performance is two base-years followed by five option years for a total value of approximately $2.3 billion. The contract requires Crowley to move various types of cargo from thousands of material suppliers through 41 major depots around the continental U.S. Locations include vendor facilities, DOD warehouses/depots, and military bases. (Source: Maritime Logistics Professional 07/26/17) Gulf Coast Note: Crowley has facilities located along the Gulf Coast in Lake Charles and New Orleans, La., and Gulfport, Miss.

CGL ocean services' mod pact

Central Gulf Lines Inc. of Mobile, Ala., was awarded an estimated $21,979,331 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, fixed-price option year modification for international ocean and intermodal distribution services (HTC711-16-D-W005). Work will be performed worldwide as specified on each individual order, and is expected to be completed Aug. 31, 2018. Type of appropriation is FY 2017 and 2018 transportation working capital funds to be obligated on individual task orders. U.S. Transportation Command's Directorate of Acquisition at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 07/25/17)

Analyzing new frigate concept

WASHINGTON - Naval analysts expressed concern while testifying July 25 before the Senate Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee over aspects of the Navy’s new guided-missile frigate FFG(X) concept, and how it fits the plan to reach a 355-ship fleet. Analysts were asked by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) about the Navy’s Request For Information (RFI) released July 10 for the FFG(X), which “implies” single- or dual-mission capabilities. “I don’t think it moves us in the right direction”, said Bryan Clark, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. “It opens up the aperture too much …” and needs to be able to perform all three warfare missions at the same time - anti-submarine, air defense, and surface. The Navy needs between 70-75 more small surface combatants (not 52), including Littoral Combat Ships, in its current plans, said Dr. Jerry Hendrix, senior fellow at the Center For A New American Security. It’s the third attempt in the last 15 years to “try and get right the issue of small surface combatant procurement,” said Ronald O’Rourke, naval specialist at the Congressional Research Service. The Navy’s failure to “do all the homework” at the start of the LCS program in 2000-03 “is a principal reason for many of the difficulties that the LCS program experienced.” For the price of one destroyer, the Navy could procure a couple of frigates or offshore patrol vessels by converting a Joint High-Speed Vessel and uploading it with missiles. Given the cost range, the Navy could roll up six small combatants for the price of one Arleigh Burke class (DDG-51) destroyer, said Hendrix. He suggested the Navy take a hard look at the Coast Guard’s national security cutter (NSC) or FREMM frigate used by France and Italy. (Source: Seapower Magazine 07/26/17) Gulf Coast Note: In September 2016, the Coast Guard announced it awarded a contract for building up to nine ships in the NSC class to Eastern Shipbuilding Group of Panama City, Fla. The Independence variant of the LCS is built at Austal USA in Mobile, Ala.

Growing shipyards for 355-ship Navy

Growing the Navy’s fleet to 355 ships may require extending the service of current ships, reactivating ships such as the 25-year-young Perry-class (FFG-7s) guided missile frigates, and investing heavily in the capacity of the seven primary shipyards, a panel of experts testified July 25 before the Senate Armed Services Committee. The Navy currently has 276 ships. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the earliest the Navy could reach 355 ships is 2035 provided constant funding for 18 years. The biggest challenge to reaching 355 is the nation’s shipbuilding capability. The workforce at the nation’s five large and two smaller shipyards would need $4B in infrastructure upgrades, and a 40-percent hike in the workforce over the next decade. The Navy is conducting a feasibility assessment for extending and reactivating ships. (Source: Stars and Stripes 07/26/17) Gulf Coast Note: Navy shipbuilding is dominated by two huge corporations: General Dynamics (GD) and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), which includes Ingalls-Pascagoula, Miss. When the two Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) shipbuilders are added to the five shipyards of GD and HII, there are seven shipyards building the majority of the Navy’s fleet. HII-Ingalls and GD's Bath (Maine) Iron Works build destroyers and amphibious warships. Fincantieri Marinette (Wis.) Marine and Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., build different variants of LCS. GD's National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. of San Diego specializes in the larger, complex auxiliary and support ships.

Forrestal’s 50th anniversary tragedy

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Retired Rear Adm. Peter Booth and retired Navy Capt. Flack Logan were both aboard the USS Forrestal on July 28, 1967, when a massive fire broke out on the carrier off the coast of Vietnam killing 134 sailors. It is the Navy's biggest disaster in a combat zone since WWII. Ten years later, Booth would command USS Forrestal. But this coming Saturday, July 29, the duo, both residents of Northwest Florida, will be part of a commemoration on the tragedy's 50th anniversary. The ceremony will be at 10 a.m. on Hangar Bay One of the National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. (Source: Pensacola News Journal 07/26/17)

Floating islands protection for GoM?

Dutch engineers are developing floating islands, which may remedy the rise of some seas in the Netherlands, south Louisiana, and other low-lying areas. "As sea levels rise, places like New Orleans may need space where they can develop or put homes; and these islands may be an answer for that," said Olaf Waals, project developer for the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands. This month, Waals began testing a 26-foot-wide floating triangle-shaped model, which may stretch across three miles of sea. The first test is to determine how it "behaves in wind, waves and current," he said. "It did well because the island flexes with the waves, and it even follows the curve of the ocean." It is designed to withstand 50-foot waves. Hurricane-prone Louisiana, and the Gulf Coast, can see coastal waves higher than 50 feet. Waals thinks the floating island concept might work best in protected inlets and bays, such as Lake Pontchartrain. The floating islands may also be used at work sites in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) or for support structures in the shipping industry. (Source: NOLA.com 07/26/17)

Command change slated

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – Rear Adm. John Okon will relieve Rear Adm. Timothy Gallaudet as Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, in a ceremony July 27 at Stennis Space Center. Okon most recently served as the executive assistant to the deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare and director of naval intelligence in Washington, D.C. Gallaudet, who has commanded the Naval Meteorology Command since June 2014, retires next month at a separate ceremony in Annapolis, Md. Headquartered at Stennis Space Center, the command directs and oversees more than 2,500 globally-distributed military and civilian personnel who provide information on the physical environment that is required by Navy ships, submarines, aircraft and special forces to operate and navigate safely and effectively. (Source: Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, 07/19/17)

Builder to commission NY patrol boat

Silver Ships Inc. of Theodore, Ala., was to commission a multi-mission patrol boat July 25 in Montauk Harbor on Long Island. N.Y. The 38-foot boat is the latest addition in Silver Ships’ expanding fireboat series. The boat is a multi-agency vessel designed for emergency response and patrol within the harbor. The vessel was built through the collaborative efforts of the Montauk Fire Department, East Hampton Town Police Department, East Hampton Town Marine Patrol, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The boat also supports search and rescue missions along with the Coast Guard, law enforcement and fire-fighting. The vessel’s main mission will be focused on law enforcement and patrolling the waters of Montauk, and the East Hampton areas. Silver Ships first built a similar vessel for the East Hampton Fire Department some 15 years ago. The HFD recently returned to Silver Ships when it was time for an upgrade. (Source: Work Boats 07/24/17)

Flood mitigation workshop

The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Legal Program, in conjunction with the American Planning Association chapter for the state of Mississippi, is planning a regional flood mitigation workshop Aug. 11 in Biloxi, Miss. The event is open to the public. (Source: Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium 07/20/17)

Research counsel for sea grant group

Kristina Alexander has joined the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Legal Program as research counsel. The legal program is located at The University of Mississippi School of Law and is the legal research arm of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium. As research counsel, she will research law and policy issues related to coastal and marine resources and share her findings through a variety of outreach activities. She also will serve as editor of the legal program’s quarterly newsletter, Water Log. Before joining the sea grant's legal program, Alexander spent eight years as a legislative attorney for the non-partisan Congressional Research Service. She earned a law degree from the University of Georgia and her bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina. (Source: Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium 07/20/17)

‘Pelican State’ WWII exhibit

On Dec. 8, 1941, one day after the surprise attack on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the U.S. officially entered WWII. Louisiana, however, was already front and center in the nation’s defense preparations. From 1940-45, Louisiana’s war efforts triggered massive changes, and those war-time experiences laid the groundwork for a post-war world that emerged from the 20th century’s greatest struggle. The Pelican State Goes to War: Louisiana in World War II tells that story. The exhibit, now running at the National Museum of World War II in New Orleans through April 2018, focuses on Louisiana's role in the war. (Source: National Museum of World War II 07/17)

LPD 26 completes FCT

SAN DIEGO - USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) returned to Naval Base San Diego on July 21 after successfully completing Final Contract Trials (FCT). The ship was commissioned in October 2016 in Philadelphia and arrived at its San Diego homeport in November 2016 to commence Post Delivery Test & Trials period. The Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey conducts FCT as a final in-depth examination of a newly constructed ship to ensure it meets Navy standards and requirements. (Source: Team Ships 07/24/17) Gulf Coast Note: The contract to build USS John P. Murtha was awarded to Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., on April 1, 2011.

DDG 114 completes builder’s trials

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - The future USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) successfully completed builder's trials on July 20 after spending four days underway in the Gulf of Mexico. Builder's trials are a series of in-port and at-sea demonstrations to allow the shipbuilder, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and the Navy to assess the ship's systems and its readiness for delivery. The ship is to return to sea to conduct acceptance trials prior to delivery to the Navy. HII is currently in production on future destroyers Paul Ignatius (DDG 117), Delbert D. Black (DDG 119), Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121), and Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123). HII is also under contract for one additional ship awarded as part of the five-ship multi-year procurement for FYs 2013-17. Ralph Johnson is the 30th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer constructed by HII. (Source: Team Ships 07/24/17)

Coast Guard has busy weekend

NEW ORLEANS - Rough conditions across Louisiana over the weekend kept the Coast Guard busy. Twenty-four people were assisted or rescued in 15 separate incidents in St. Tammany, Plaquemine, and St Bernard parishes. All 24 were reported to be in stable condition. Additionally, on July 23, the CG rescued two people from a disabled vessel in Brenton Sound at the mouth of the Mississippi River’s Gulf Outlet Canal. A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin aircrew hoisted and transferred two people to the New Orleans Lakefront Airport. The vessel remains anchored in a spoil bank south of the jetty. The owner is to coordinate salvage. In Northwest Florida, the CG rescued three jet skiers in Santa Rosa Sound on July 23. All three were wearing life jackets, which proved essential in keeping them safe until they were rescued by CG Station Pensacola at 9:35 p.m. (Source: Coast Guard 07/23/17)

Ex-Groves CO, deputy POW/MIA

The Defense Department has named Navy Rear Adm. Jon C. Kreitz to be the next deputy director for operations of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which searches, recovers and identifies missing American war dead and those missing in action around the world. The agency operation is primarily based out of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. Kreitz is a former enlisted machinist's mate, who earned a commission through the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps at Georgia Tech. (Source: Honolulu Advertiser 07/22/17) Gulf Coast Note: Kreitz commanded USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG 29), which was among the ships homeported at the now-closed Naval Station Pascagoula, Miss. Kreitz also commanded USS New York (LPD 21) on her maiden deployment in June 2012. In 2003, then-Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in New Orleans was awarded the contract to build that ship. It was under construction in New Orleans at the time of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

La. shipyard to build RCRV

Gulf Island Shipyards of Houma, La., will build the first in a new series of regional-class oceanographic research vessels (RCRVs) for Oregon State University through funding from a $121.88 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The 193-foot x 41-foot vessel will be the first of three planned for the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts. NSF chose OSU in 2013 to be the lead institution on the project for planning and selecting a shipyard. When the next two ships are funded, the total grant could increase to as much as $365 million. NSF will begin competitive selections of institutions or research consortiums later this year to operate the second and third vessels. The ships are an addition to the aging U.S. Academic Research Fleet. The next-generation class will include capabilities for detailed seafloor mapping. (Source: Work Boat 07/21/17) Gulf Island Shipyards have other ship-building facilities in Dularge, Jennings and Lake Charles, La.

HII-Pascagoula reps at commissioning

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii - Several representatives from Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., who worked on the newly-commissioned guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn (DDG 113) attended commissioning events at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, on July 15, to watch the ship they created come to life. For master shipbuilder Freddie O’Brien, the commissioning marked the culmination of a labor of love. O’Brien has worked as the ship program manager for the USS John Finn since 2010. He was the person responsible for the overall construction at HII-Pascagoula. “It was an emotional feeling because I spent seven years of a 45-year career on that ship,” O’Brien said. The workers of HII-Pascagoula “take a lot of pride in what they do,” said Bill Glenn, a spokesman for HII. Workers at the shipyard come from several Gulf Coast states, he said. (Source: Ho’Okele 07/21/17) The Finn is the 29th DDG built by HII-Pascagoula for the Navy.

Lowndes port gets major grant

Several Mississippi Golden Triangle transportation hubs and systems will receive a combined $666,761 in state Department of Transportation grants to bolster infrastructure, Northern District Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert announced July 20. The Mississippi Transportation Commission approved grant awards to area recipients that included the Lowndes County Port, Columbus-Lowndes County Airport, and Golden Triangle Regional Airport. The Lowndes County Port received the most ($388,684) and will use it to purchase a deck barge and excavator to support recurring dredging projects. Columbus-Lowndes airport will receive $229,630 to rehabilitate a maintenance hangar. GTRA will use its $76,938 grant to install a new communication system by October. (Source: Columbus Dispatch 07/21/17)

Changes ahead for Austal USA?

MOBILE, Ala. - There may be changes ahead for Navy shipbuilder Austal USA of Mobile, but nothing the company’s president Craig Perciavalle says they can’t handle. Austal USA builds one of the two variants of Littoral Combat Ship. Last week, the Navy issued an industry-wide ‘Request For Information’ for design information details for its future fleet of up-gunned frigates. Perciavalle says Austal’s Independence variant of LCS can fit the bill. LCS critics have pointed to the lack of armament of the LCS as its weak point. Austal USA has shown plans where a vertical-launch missile system (VLS) can be fitted into the existing LCS platform with little major redesign. On a second front, the Gulf Coast shipbuilder is facing a hurdle in the form of the U.S. Senate, which is calling for the funding of only one Austal-built LCS for the FY 2018 national budget. U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.) says the magic number is three, which was in the House’s version of the budget. The lawmaker says three ships per year maintains efficiencies, keeps costs per ship down, and maintains stable employment. Austal USA is Mobile's largest employer. Byrne says he will lobby senators, including Alabama’s Luther Strange (R-Ala.), who serves on the Armed Services Committee and voted for the Senate version of funding. (Source: WKRG 07/20/17) Strange was selected for the Senate post last year when then-Sen. Jeff Session (R-Ala.) was appointed U.S. Attorney General. Strange will go before Alabama voters in what may be a contentious election in 2018.

DI sea lab researchers win funding

The NOAA Restore Act Science Program has selected multiple Dauphin Island (Ala.) Sea Lab researchers to receive a portion of $16.7 million in funding from the 2017 competition. These awards continue NOAA's science program’s commitment to producing timely and high-quality scientific findings and products to support the management and sustainability of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, including its fisheries. Dr. Ruth H. Carmichael's project will focus on detecting contaminants in the Gulf of Mexico food web. Renee Collini and co-principal investigator Dr. Brian Dzwonkowski of the DISL and University of South Alabama plan to use funding for the mymobilebay.com website. Dr. Just Cebrian and Dr. Bill Walton are also named as co-investigators along with Mississippi State University’s Dan Petolia to work on developing the Shellfish Portfolio Assessment Tool (SPAT). (Source: Dauphin Island Sea Lab 07/13/17)

NSWC, partners earn NAVSEA award

WEST BETHESDA, Md. - Members of Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Carderock’s (Md.) Disruptive Technology Laboratory (DTL) and partners were awarded a 2017 Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Commander's Award for Innovation July 19 for achieving an unprecedented feat through additive manufacturing (AM). The DTL worked closely with military and government partners – including NSWC Panama City, Fla. - to design and print prototypes using a large-scale AM platform located at Oak Ridge (Tenn.) National Laboratory. The team created the largest 3-D printed naval asset ever, a proof-of-concept hull print for the Optionally Manned Technology Demonstrator. The OMTD test article is 30 feet long and based on the Mark 8 Mod 1 SEAL delivery vehicle currently in use for special operations equipment. (Source: NSWC Carderock 07/20/17)

La., fed gov’t levee negotiations slow

The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority focused at its July 19 monthly board meeting on its so-far unsuccessful efforts to get the federal government to dismiss a $3 billion bill for the state's share of building the New Orleans area hurricane levee system in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The state is facing a payment of at least $100 million a year for 30 years beginning in 2020, CPRA Chairman Johnny Bradberry told board members at a meeting in Chalmette. The state is attempting to get the debt cut or have the 30 years of interest payments removed, if it can't get the bill canceled, he said. Congress has paid $12.8 billion for the levee system. The state is responsible for the remaining $1.5 billion of the system's construction costs, but entered an agreement with the Corps of Engineers to spread the payments across 30 years, which raised the cost to about $3 billion. The state wants Congress and the CoE to forgive the state's share of the construction costs, but negotiations have been slow in developing. (Source: NOLA.com 07/19/17)

Fla. shipbuilder launches DHS ferry

Gulfstream Shipbuilding of Freeport, Fla., launched a custom passenger/vehicle ferry for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on July 12. The 118-foot x 27-foot x 10.75-foot crew boat-style vessel is to be delivered in the fall 2017 for service in New York and Connecticut waters. The aluminum ferry will service the DHS Directorate of Science and Technology Plum Island Animal Disease Center in Orient Point, N.Y. The vessel is capable of transporting passengers, freight and vehicles in and around the waters of the Eastern Long Island Sound and Gardiner’s Bay. It is the fourth vessel Gulfstream Shipyard has built and delivered to operate near the Eastern Long Island Sound waters, according to Joe Heinz, sales engineer with Gulfstream. The initial contract was awarded in 2016. Working with Naval Architect C. Fly Marine Services of Mandeville, La., Gulfstream and its design team incorporated key design elements to meet and exceed the Critical Vessel Objective. (Source: Marine Link 07/19/17) Freeport is about 40 miles east of Eglin AFB, Fla.

Geertsema takes helm of 22nd NCR

GULFPORT, Miss. - Capt. Cameron J. Geertsema became the new commanding officer of the 22nd Naval Construction Regiment (22 NCR) during a July 14 change of command ceremony on board Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport. Capt. Geertsema relieved Capt. Maria L. Aguayo. Geertsema comes to Gulfport from duty at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz. (Source: Naval Construction Group 2 07/18/17)

Gulfport’s first-ever AFP embark

GULFPORT, Miss. - Military and civil service mariner members of Southern Partnership Station-Expeditionary Fast Transport 2017 (SPS-EPF 17) successfully completed the first-ever adaptive force package (AFP) embarkation and deployment from July 18 in Gulfport. SPS-EPF 17 team members loaded USNS Spearhead (T-EPF 1) with nearly 800,000 pounds of cargo, including construction equipment and medical supplies, to support partner capacity building and subject matter expert exchange (SMEE) operations in Central and South America. AFPs are specialized teams of U.S. service members from the fields of engineering, force protection and medical. The service members are deployed aboard the civil service mariner-operated Spearhead to collaborate with partner-nation military forces through naval-focused training exercises, military-to-military engagements, and community relations projects. This year's engagements are scheduled to take place in Honduras, Guatemala, Chile and Colombia. Spearhead was moored at the Port of Gulfport, less than three miles from Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport, which was essential for the quick cargo transport and loading operation. (Source: Southern Partnership Station 07/18.17)

Gulfport Seabees on Sea Breeze

SHIROKY LAN, Ukraine – Deployed Gulfport, Miss., Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1 worked hand-in-hand July 13 with engineers from the Ukrainian military during exercise Sea Breeze. The exercise is a joint U.S.-Ukraine multi-national maritime exercise held in the Black Sea. It is designed to enhance interoperability of participating nations and strengthen maritime security for the region. The team built a heavy timber bunker, tower, and sentry post, plus repaired airfields. Builder 1st Class Petty Officer Matthew Speece, officer in charge of Gulfport contingent, said the two countries may have different ways of doing things, being able to learn from one another makes for better overall products. (Source: U.S. Naval Forces Europe 07/17/17) NMCB 1 is a Seabee battalion that specializes in contingency construction, disaster response and humanitarian assistance.

Learning maritime ropes in NOLA

NEW ORLEANS - In some industries you learn by doing. Texas A&M-Galveston is the only maritime academy on the Gulf Coast, and some of its cadets are moored in New Orleans this week for training. “About 80 percent of the things that we use in this country come into country or are transported around this country by ships,” says Col. Mike Fossum, COO of the college. Ships need captains, mates and engineers to get them where they have to go. Students are learning in the areas of navigation to maintenance, and how to run the bridge to assisting in the galley. As a hub for maritime transportation, many of the school's students come from Louisiana, and return home to work, but there is a shortage of trained sailors. For cadets, part of the training is an experience for life at sea. Cadets must spend a year on the water to qualify for licenses. This is one of six programs of its type in the U.S. (Source: WVUE 07/18/17)

Z-Drive for Gulf inland waterways

American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) has been around since 1915. Along the way, it has developed into one of the dominant players in the inland marine transportation industry. ACBL has embraced technology, innovation and safety. ACBL’s decision to outfit at least 15 of its towboats with ZF Marine’s Z-drive systems was one of those decisions. The Z-Drive installations are a small part of a $500M fleet and equipment investment by ACBL over the past five years. Today’s ACBL fleet includes about 4,200 barges powered by 175 towboats. Only a small number of those ACBL towboats are Z-drive propelled, but the percentage of its changes has eclipsed that of the U.S. flag pushboat population. ZF Marine supplies propulsion system components for military and commercial vessels and workboats. With more than 150 Z-drive units delivered for the inland waterways, ZF thruster equipped fleet has well over a million operating hours. Two Z-Drive tugs can theoretically take the place of four conventional tugs during the typical ship docking operation. (Source: Marine Link 07/18/17) Gulf Coast Note: ACBL has terminal and port services located at its Gulf Operations in New Orleans and Harahan, La. ZF Marine’s newest Gulf of Mexico/Inland Waterway sales and service operations is in Elmwood, La., and nearly three times the size of its former site.

GAO: Ship delivery problems

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) “Navy Shipbuilding: Policy Changes Needed to Improve the Post-Delivery Process and Ship Quality” report released July 13 found a sample of Navy ships that showed how ships delivered to the fleet have incomplete work and quality problems. The GAO reviewed a non-generalized sample of eight ships, six of which had already entered the fleet; and two that have started post-delivery periods. The report was produced for the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee. GAO chose a mix of ships - delivered in past five years or ones to be delivered in 2016 – that were built at multiple shipyards. All eight ships sampled will enter or likely enter the fleet with unfinished work or quality issues. The reviewed ships are valued at $6.3 billion. The GAO measured these ships using three quality assurance metrics identified by Navy. Six ships delivered to the Navy included the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Somerset (LPD-25) that was built at Avondale (La.) Shipyards; the USS America (LHA-6) amphibious assault ship built at Huntington Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss.; USS Michael Murphy, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer built at Bath (Maine) Iron Works; Littoral Combat Ship USS Freedom (LCS-3) built at Marinette (Wis.) Marine and USS Independence (LCS-4) built at Austal USA in Mobile, Ala.; and a Virginia-class submarine SSN-782. (Source: Defense Daily 07/17/18)

Gulfport boater's body recovered

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard is searching July 18 for two missing people along the Gulf Coast - one near West Ship Island in Gulfport, Miss., and another in St. Joseph Bay near Panama City, Fla. An unmanned vessel ran ashore near Gulfport Harbor with an active motor. The missing person has been identified as Kevin Anderson. In NW Florida, GC watchstanders in Mobile, Ala., were notified of an unmanned, yellow Tribe Perception kayak found adrift in St. Joseph Bay with fishing gear and food inside. No one was seen in the vicinity of the kayak. (Source: Coast Guard 07/18/17) UPDATE: The Coast Guard has suspended the search a missing person related to a kayak found adrift in St. Joseph Bay in Panama City. CG Sector Mobile searched for 3.5 hours and searched some 256 nautical miles. Anyone with information that may help is requested to contact the CG at 251-441-6211. UPDATE 2: The CG concluded the search for a missing person near West Ship Island on July 19. The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources located the body of Kevin Anderson and transported him to a nearby coroner’s office.

Ingalls ship commissioned in Hawaii

The Navy commissioned the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn (DDG-113) at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on July 15 under the auspices of Admiral Harry Harris Jr., head of U.S. Pacific Command. The Finn will be the first Arleigh Burke-class destroyer equipped with the Baseline 9 version of the Aegis Combat System. Aegis Baseline 9 is an automated command-and-control (C2) and weapons control system offering integrated air and missile defense capabilities to surface warships. The heart of the combat system is the AN/SPY-1 - the Navy’s most advanced multi-function radar system, according to builder Lockheed Martin. (Source: The Diplomat 07/17/17) Gulf Coast Note: In November 2013, the keel of the John Finn was laid down at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss. The vessel was commissioned at HII on July 15, 2017. Adm. Harris is a graduate of Washington High School in Pensacola, Fla.

GC updates E-navigation charts

WASHINGTON - The Coast Guard has updated its navigation guidance for the use of electronic charts in lieu of paper charts and publications. The updated version of Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular (NVIC) 01-16 identifies voluntary acceptable equivalencies to paper charts and publications as well as position fixing and plotting requirements under Coast Guard regulations. The NVIC also provides guidance and recommendations to vessel owners and operators and chart display manufacturers. Mariners are not required to use electronic charts or electronic charting systems. The updated guidance offers a voluntary alternative means to comply with U.S. chart and publication carriage requirements. (Source: Coast Guard 07/16/17)

GC pipelines, vessel interactions

There are more than 50,000 miles of hydrocarbon pipelines spanning the Gulf of Mexico’s continental shelf and five Gulf Coast states' inland waters, rivers, bays, lakes, and coastal areas. There are more pipelines being built and more boats on those waterways raising the chances of vessels coming into contact with some of those pipelines. Some of those interactions and incidents have caused spills, gas releases, injuries and death. (Source: Maritime Executive editorial 07/17/17)

First ATB tug-barge for GC

The newly delivered Abundance, the first of two 139-foot by 44-foot by 19-foot articulated tugboat-barge (ATB) tugboats, built at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders in Freeland, Wash., were built to push the first ammonia ATB carriers in American waters. Nichols delivered the tug June 30 to support operations of Tampa Port Services LLC, a subsidiary of The Mosaic Company, the world’s leading marketer of concentrated phosphate and potash. The Abundance will be operated by a subsidiary of Savage Companies, with locations throughout Louisiana, pushing a 508-foot by 96-foot anhydrous ammonia barge along the Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi River. The scheduled start-up is this summer and it will be the first U.S.-built ammonia ATB unit. (Source: Work Boat 07/14/17)

‘Swamp Shark’ propulsion system

JEANERETTE, La. – Louisiana boat builder Metal Shark has partnered with Angelle Development LLC of Breaux Bridge, La., to introduce a new vessel propulsion system featuring patented technology and multiple industry firsts. The “Swamp Shark Drive” is an all-terrain propulsion system specially engineered and built for operation in extreme shallow water, riverine, and mud flat environments. The highly durable system will safely and reliably propel a vessel through dense vegetation, mud, and debris-strewn waters. Originally designed to allow fishermen to access extreme shallow backwaters of the Atchafalaya Basin, Metal Shark officials saw potential advantages for military and commercial operators. (Source: Metal Shark 07/10/17)

Panama City engineer among best

WASHINGTON, DC - A Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, Fla., electrical engineer was among 22 people and five groups to receive top Navy awards at a July 13 ceremony in the Pentagon. NSWC PC Senior Scientist, Dr. J. Tory Cobb, a native of Anniston, Ala., received the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition (ASN RD&A) Top Scientists and Engineers of 2016 award. Cobb got the award for outstanding scientific contributions and technical breakthroughs in the development of automated target recognition (ATR), seabed modeling and segmentation algorithms for mine-hunting sensors and technical leadership in the transition of ATR technology. Cobb earned a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree from Auburn University, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida. (Source: NSWC Panama City 07/14/17)

FL jump starts Eglin radar site

Expect additional Air Force personnel to visit the Carrabelle, Fla., waterfront in the near future to examine engineering and management of a remote instrumentation radar site to assist in Eglin Air Force Base’s testing capabilities over the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The “2017 Gulf Range Expansion Systems Engineering for Remote Instrumentation Site” project was granted $235,000 last week from the state to help Florida-based military installations, and surrounding communities, against base closures and Pentagon cutbacks. The funds are to go to a joint venture contractor, called Reliance Test and Technology (RT&T), which will conduct operations and maintenance for Eglin’s test ranges. InDyne Inc. owns three-quarters of RTT. Both entities are based out of Fort Walton Beach, Fla. RTT VP James Heald has said the AF is in talks with the Coast Guard for a suitable site that may likely be the old Coast Guard station in Carrabelle. The AF hasn’t concluded negotiations with the CG, he said. (Source: Apalachicola Times 07/13/17) InDyne and RT&T were awarded this Eglin Operation and Maintenance Services (E-OMS) contract. E-OMS is a consolidated re-compete of InDyne’s Eglin Test and Training Range contract and National Radar Cross Section Test Facility contract. Transition from the current contracts began on April 1, 2016 to support a this contract start on October 1, 2016.

House rejects BRAC for 2018

The U.S. House of Representatives voted down a defense policy bill provision July 13 that would have removed language preventing a new round of base closures for 2018. Lawmakers voted 175-248 to reject the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) amendment. The amendment would have removed a National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) provision barring a new BRAC round, a roadblock included in the bill for years. The vote goes against the White House and Pentagon’s desire to close billions of dollars' worth of unused or underused facilities. An Office of Management and Budget assessment "strongly urges” Congress to provide BRAC authorization, required for a commission to be formed. (Source: The Hill 07/13/17)

New CG commander in Panama City

NEW ORLEANS – Master Chief Petty Officer Mark Kannan relieved Chief Warrant Officer Phillip Hutchison as commanding officer of Coast Guard Station Panama City, Fla., during a change-of-command ceremony July 13. Kannan comes to Panama City from CG Station Oak Island, N.C., where he served as officer in charge. CG Station Panama City manages search and rescue, ports, waterways and coastal security, as well as federal law enforcement from Powell Lake to the St. Petersburg boundary. (Source: Coast Guard 07/13/17)

GoM gas lease sale Aug. 16

The Trump Administration announced July 13 that its first offshore oil and gas lease sale for some 76 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico will be Aug. 16. The announcement also noted that there would be a reduction in royalty rates for shallow-water leases to encourage drilling at a time of low oil prices. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said the Aug. 16 sale would offer leases offshore Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas for exploration and development. The sale will be the first under the administration's 2017-22 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. (Source: Marine Link 07/14/17)

Five decades of Seabees’ training

GULFPORT, Miss. – The Navy Construction Training Center (NCTC) began celebration on July 13 of its 50 years having transformed men and women into builders and soldiers. The first-phase of the highly regarded Navy Seabees held an outdoor ceremony before hundreds of personnel standing at attention. On July 13, 1967, NCTC was commissioned inside the Naval Construction Battalion Center, which then trained petty officers for elaborate construction duties during the Vietnam War. The new Seabees were thrust into basic construction training, such as welding, steel work, drywall, laying concrete slabs, wall framing, and installing roofs. NCTC is also celebrating 75 years of the birth of Navy Seabees, which was established during WWII, when they started serving a critical duo-role. Seabees primarily have provided militarized construction services, in lieu of using private construction companies, but have also possessed the training and courage to put down their tools and bear arms in times of warfare and conflict. (Source: Biloxi Sun Herald 07/13/17)

GC ethylene export terminal

Enterprise Products Partners and Navigator Holdings have executed a letter of intent to jointly develop an ethylene marine export terminal on the Houston (Texas) Ship Channel and located at EPP’s Morgan’s Point complex. The facility has a 45-foot draft and includes Enterprise’s ethane marine export terminal, the world’s largest. The terminal would be connected to a high-capacity ethylene salt dome storage and ethylene pipeline system, which is currently under construction. The pipeline system will be connected to multiple producers and consumers of ethylene on the Gulf Coast. Ethylene production capacity is expected to go up by 45 percent by 2020, based on current projects. Nearly 90 percent of these expansions are at facilities located along the Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coast. (Source: Maritime Executive 07/13/17)

Round 2 for Navy’s Ocean task force

WASHINGTON - The Mississippi Gulf Coast-based Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy, and Office of Naval Research, convened Task Force Ocean's second executive steering committee July 6 at the Pentagon. Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. John Richardson was keynote speaker and directed a forum on the future direction of the task force and to foster discussion between the executive steering committee and leaders from the ocean science community. “The science that feeds our undersea advantage has been shrinking for some time now,” CNO said. “Our margin is shrinking faster and faster and we need to recapture the momentum. That's what this effort (Task Force Ocean) is all about." The steering committee is headed by senior leaders from U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. Fleet Forces, Naval Postgraduate School, U.S. Naval Academy, and U.S. Coast Guard. They convened to discuss new initiatives and provide updates. "Having some of the country's most influential leaders and scientists together today reflects the urgency to ensure the U.S. retains a leading role in advancing our understanding of the oceans," said Oceanographer of the Navy and task force director Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet Gallaudet. "Moving forward, we need to take that understanding and apply it to our national security challenges." The task force, launched in March, is part of an effort to further assess the state of ocean science in the Navy, which encompasses its oceanographic infrastructure, technologies, technical workforce and how they are applied to naval operations. Completion of the ocean science roadmap is expected by the end of 2017. (Source: Oceanographer of the Navy 07/12/17) Gulf Coast Note: The Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command is headquartered at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

EBDG part of new NYC ferry pact

U.S. shipbuilder Blount Boats together with naval architecture firm Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG), with offices in New Orleans, has been awarded the contract to design and construct a new passenger-only ferry for Governors Island, N.Y., by The Trust For Governors Island. The vessel will provide passenger ferry service between Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan and Soissons Landing on Governors Island. EBDG's scope of work includes contract and detail design along with vessel delivery support. (Source: Marine Link 07/12/17)

Navy frigate RFP hits street

WASHINGTON - The Navy's requirements for a new guided-missile frigate hit the street July 10 with a Request For Information (RFP) that opened wide the competition for the new ship design. The ship was somewhat expected to mirror some of the strong suits of the Littoral Combat Ship, which are still being built in separate variants at Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., and at the Marinette (Wis.) Marine. The new frigate will be expected to use already-in-use fleet systems, keep up with aircraft carriers and network with strike group. The Navy hopes to drive the cost down by using common equipment and existing designs from an LCS to foreign designs such as those of the British Navy's Type 26 global combat ship. Read an interview with the director of surface warfare, Rear Adm. Ronald Boxall. (Source: Defense News 07/11/17)

SECNAV nominee clears SASC

President Trump’s Navy Secretary nominee Richard V. Spencer, a former Marine aviator, says he is open to another Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commission if confirmed as SECNAV. In advance policy questions written prior to his July 11 Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing, Spencer said allowing the Pentagon another round of BRAC “makes sense to me.” It's been reported that the five previous rounds have saved DOD $12 billion annually. “I have been told a new round could save an additional $2 (billion) each year,” he wrote. The last BRAC was in 2005. (Source: The Hill 07/11/17) At the end of the 2-hour session, SASC Chairman, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he looks forward to moving Spencer’s nomination to the full Senate by August. Gulf Coast Note: Gulf Coast military activities and bases have been hit by previous BRAC closures and realignments. Naval Stations Mobile, Ala., and Pascagoula, Miss.; and Naval Aviation Depot Pensacola, Fla., were closed. Naval Aerospace Medicine Research Laboratory was relocated from Pensacola to Ohio. UPDATE: On June 13, the SECNAV nominee was cleared by the SASC to have his nomination voted on by the full Senate.

Missing teen boater recovered

NEW ORLEANS – Parker Morgan, the 17-year-old male who was reported missing on Mobile Bay in Alabama was located safely in the morning of July 12 by the Coast Guard. A CG Station Dauphin Island response boat and crew recovered Morgan after a Good Samaritan boater located him on Little Sand Island about 6:30 a.m. The boat crew towed the personal watercraft to a boat ramp. Morgan was reported in good health. (Source: Coast Guard 07/12/17)

MSHS awarded master distributorship

FPT North America awarded its North American marine distributorship to Motor-Services Hugo Stamp Inc. (MSHS), which includes the U.S. Canada and Mexico. Customers will now have direct access to FPT products, factory-trained engineers, and customer support from MSHS offices in Florida, Louisiana, Maine and Seattle, as well as a coast-to-coast dealer network. MSHS, founded in 1983 and specializes in marine diesel engine products and services. (Source: Marine Link 07/11/17) Gulf Coast Note: The MSHS office is situated in Harahan, La., while its GCS sector, which specializes in innovative control system integration and monitoring solutions is based on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain in Mandeville, La.

Shell buys GoM deep-water vessel

Shell Offshore Inc. and its affiliate Shell E and P Offshore Services B.V., will exercise a contractual right to purchase the Turritella floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel from SBM Offshore. The vessel is contracted for the Stones deep-water development in the Gulf of Mexico, which began production last year. The Stones is scheduled to deliver some 50,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) by the end of 2017. The Turritella has a daily production capacity of about 60,000 barrels of oil and 15 million cubic feet of natural gas, and fits within Shell’s global, deep-water portfolio, which includes operations in the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria, and Malaysia. Shell has three more GoM deep-water projects under construction (Appomattox, Kaikias, and Coulomb Phase 2) as well as options for more subsea tiebacks and Vito, a potential, new hub in the region. (Source: Shell Offshore 07/11/17) Gulf Coast Note: The Stones development is the world’s deepest oil and gas project, operating in about 9,500 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico. The FPSO facility connects to subsea infrastructure, which produces oil and gas from reservoirs some 30,000 feet below sea level. The Stones development is Shell’s second producing field in the Lower Tertiary geologic frontier of the GoM following Perdido in 2010.

Historic oil find off Mexican coast

HOUSTON – The Gulf Coast-based Talos Energy LLC and joint venture partners and Gas S. de R.L de C.V. (“Sierra” Oil) and Premier Oil Plc ("Premier”) announced July 12 that its Zama-1 exploration well, 37 miles offshore from Mexico’s Port of Dos Bocas, has discovered oil. Zama-1 is the first offshore exploration well drilled by the private sector in Mexico’s history. "This is both a historic and significant discovery,” said Tim Duncan, Talos’ president/CEO. Talos holds a 35 percent interest with Sierra (40) and Premier (25). The well, located in 546 feet of water, has reached an initial shallow target vertical depth of about 11,100 feet. Talos is a technically driven independent exploration and production company focused on the exploration, development and acquisition of oil and natural gas properties primarily in the Gulf of Mexico’s Developed Deepwater and Shelf and on the Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coast. (Talos Energy 07/12/17)

States’ NAFTA supply chain

For U.S.-based companies and states reliant on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a renegotiation could be high stakes poker. Canada and Mexico are the America’s two largest export markets. Major changes to NAFTA could come at a price. In fact, the United States trades as much with Canada and Mexico as it does with Japan, Korea, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa combined. Millions of jobs in U.S. states depend on those exports. Much of that trade occurs in “intermediate goods” (materials or components) that firms import and integrate into production of a final product. U.S. Census Bureau imports data provides an insight to states’ economies that rely most on Canada and Mexico. Texas, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Washington all import more than $15B in intermediate goods. Michigan’s auto industry gets 61 percent of its intermediate imports from Canada-Mexico. Arizona imports about $300M worth of turbojets and turbo-propellers from Mexico. Energy is the No. 2 U.S. sector to rely upon NAFTA intermediate imports. The U.S. is a major crude oil importer from Canada, but less so from Mexico. But, Mexican petroleum is shipped through the Gulf of Mexico to major refining and chemical manufacturing hubs in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. U.S. states continue to rely on its North American partners to create the basic inputs to everything from plastics to chemicals. (Source: Global Trade 07/10/17)

GC shipbuilding pioneer dead at 101

Gulf Coast shipbuilding pioneer John Parker Conrad Sr., founder of Conrad Shipyard in Morgan City, La., died July 6 at his home at the age of 101. Conrad was a legend along the Gulf Coast and beyond. He founded Conrad Industries in 1948. Conrad Shipyard has five shipyards along the Louisiana-Texas coast. (Source: Marine Link 07/07/17)

Ex-Stennis official retires from NRL

Dr. Edward R. Franchi, the Associate Director of Research for the Ocean and Atmospheric Science and Technology Directorate at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory retired June 30 after more than 40 years of cutting-edge research and executive management at NRL. (Source: NRL Weekly Digest 07/17) Gulf Coast Note: Dr. Franchi’s career included a stint as the Associate Technical Director and Director of Ocean Acoustics and Technology at the Naval Ocean Research and Development Activity (NORDA) at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. At NORDA, he Franchi managed basic, exploratory and advanced research and developments in acoustic measurements and ocean engineering in supporting the Navy’s undersea warfare missions.

Upcoming Navy S&T expo in DC

ARLINGTON, Va. – CNO Adm. John Richardson and Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will be among speakers at the Office of Naval Research’s (ONR’s) 2017 Naval Future Force Science and Technology (S&T) Expo on July 20-21 in Washington, D.C. The Expo, which will include remarks by senior naval leaders and civilian innovators, is the premier bi-annual science and technology event for the Navy/Marine Corps. Two major panel discussions will focus on Task Force Ocean, a new initiative to assess the state of ocean science in the Navy, including oceanographic infrastructure, technologies, technical workforce and how they are applied to naval operations, and career success and opportunities for women in science and engineering. Key updates will include information on the Electromagnetic Railgun; and the Navigator, an unmanned aerial-aquatic vehicle that can switch from airborne to underwater operations and back. The Expo is co-sponsored by the American Society of Naval Engineers. (Source: Sea Power magazine 07/05/17)

SECNAV nominee to get hearing

President Trump's nominee for Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer will undergo an initial Senate hearing July 11, according to a committee aide. The Senate Armed Services Committee will consider Spencer, a financier and former Marine aviator, to be the service's top civilian in a first step toward confirming a key unfilled position of the administration. DON has been led by acting SECNAV Sean Stackley, an Obama holdover, as it works on an annual budget. Spencer's hearing was originally scheduled for June, but was postponed due to the Senate’s trying to repeal and replace Obamacare. The SASC must approve the SECNAV nomination before it can move to the full Senate for a final vote. On July 12, the SASC will hold a hearing to consider four more nominees: David J. Trachtenberg for principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy; Owen O. West for assistant SECDEF secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict; Ryan D. McCarthy for undersecretary of the Army.; and Charles D. Stimson for general counsel of the Navy. The hearings also highlight the lack of a Secretary of the Army nominee. (Source: Washington Examiner 07/06/17)

GC refiner bids for Mex oil storage

A bid to build marine storage facilities underscores a growing market between U.S. and Mexico. Major American refiners are looking to enter Mexico’s gasoline market. It could be a development that benefits medium-range tanker demand in the near future. Sources have said that Texas Gulf Coast-based Valero Energy has filed an application with Mexico’s energy regulators to build storage facilities. Along with two proposed inland facilities, one application is for storage of 1M barrels of refined products at the Mexico’s East Coast Port of Altamira. The marine terminal could receive supplies from Valero refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast. (Source: Tradewinds 07/06/17) Gulf Coast Note: In 2011, Valero acquired a refinery operation near New Orleans.

LCS 10 arrives at new homeport

SAN DIEGO - The USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10), the newest Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship arrived at its new homeport of San Diego on July 5, after successfully completing her maiden voyage from Mobile, Ala. Following construction and acceptance trials earlier this year at the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Giffords sailed to Galveston, Texas, where she was commissioned June 10. During the ship’s transit, sailors conducted Combat Ship Systems Qualification Trials events, various crew certification training events, and regularly scheduled equipment and systems checks; and also transited through the Panama Canal. (Source: USS Gabrielle Giffords 07/06/17)

Maritime tech training scholarship

The Institute of Marine Technology at Warner University in Lake Wales, Fla., has established, and now officially launching, a robust “full ride” scholarship program available by application for students participating in its innovative marine technical training program for the upcoming 2017–18 fall enrollment. Application deadline is August 15. (Source: Marine Link 07/05/17)

MS coast lags among key metrics

The Mississippi Gulf Coast’s economy continues to struggle to recover from Hurricane Katrina, Great Recession, and the BP Oil Spill, according to Mississippi Gulf Coast Business Council President Ashley Edwards, and continues to lag behind the state’s curve on significant economic indicators (sales tax revenues and median income). Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties have not realized the economic momentum as other regions or the entire state. Economic data from FY 2010-16 appears to conflict with the perception that GC Mississippi - with its maritime and tourism industries - does better economically than the rest of Mississippi. Since 2010 (BP oil spill), coastal counties in Mississippi have seen a reduction in both manufacturing and non-manufacturing jobs (3,490 compared to an increase of 47,700 jobs across the state). There have been significant job losses in higher paying sectors in particular, Edwards claimed. (Source: Mississippi Business Journal 07/05/17)

Motion of the ocean

Hurricane Katrina whipped up powerful waves in 2005 that caused severe destruction along the Gulf Coast. The size and strength of those waved convinced Phil Kithil of Santa Fe, N.M., there had to be a way to harness that energy. After three ideas failed to draw commercial interest, his company, Atmocean Inc., partnered with Albuquerque engineering firm Reytek Corp. in 2010 to produce a pump system that uses wave power to send pressurized seawater onto shore where it is desalinated without the use of external energy. It has a simple design and can be set up cheaply, and in rural settings, to provide fresh water for drinking and farming near coastal communities. Working with scientists at Sandia National Laboratories, the firms have tested and advanced the technology and moved it close to market by attracting significant investment. (Source: Maritime Executive 07/05/17)

Spearhead: Partnership training

KEY WEST, Fla. - USNS Spearhead (T-EPF 1) arrived at Naval Air Station Key West on July 3 for its first scheduled port call of Southern Partnership Station-Expeditionary Fast Transport 2017 (SPS-EPF 17). The Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport and its embarked group of sailors and civilian mariners scheduled to travel to Guatemala, Honduras, Chile, and Colombia for maritime security training and partner-nation building activities. (Source: Southern Partner Station 07/05/17) Gulf Coast Note: Spearhead, which was a first-in-class T-EPF built at Austal USA shipyards in Mobile, Ala., was formally delivered to the Navy in December 2012.

CG suspends Port St. Joe search

NEW ORLEANS – Coast Guard District Eight began searching for a person in the water near Port St. Joe, Fla., after a 7:35 p.m. call to CG Sector Mobile, Ala., from Gulf County Sheriff’s Office about a jet-skier in the water after a collision involving a boat. The missing 19-year-old was identified as Henrey Alexander Wise VI, a white male about 170 pounds, who was wearing blue swim trunks. Among those assisting in the search is a response board from CG Station Panama City; three marine units and a helicopter crew from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; a helicopter from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office; and members of the Gulf County Sheriff’s Office. Anyone with information about the missing person is requested to contact Coast Guard Sector Mobile at 251-441-6211. (Source: Coast Guard 07/05/17) UPDATE JULY 5: The Coast Guard suspended the search at 3:39 p.m. on July 5.

Study: New ship efficiencies falling

Improvements in the design efficiency of new bulk carrier, oil tanker and gas carrier ships was worse in 2016 compared to the previous year, according to an independent study by CE Delft. The share of new ships complying with future efficiency standards also decreased. The design efficiency of these ships appears to be stagnating after previous-year modest improvements. Data indicates earlier findings that a considerable proportion of new ships are over-complying with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) design efficiency standard (called EEDI) and that requirements need strengthening to stimulate new technologies and drive efficiency improvements. Environmentally-friend groups Transport & Environment and Seas At Risk, which commissioned the CED study, said tightening of EEDI requirements in 2017-18 should be a priority for the IMO; and that proposals to delay them from industry and governments should be resisted. (Source: Marine Link 07/04/17)

LPD 27 completes first sea trials

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Huntington Ingalls Industries' Ingalls Shipbuilding Division announced July 3 that the amphibious transport dock Portland (LPD 27) has completed a first set of sea trials. Ingalls’ test and trials team spent four days in the Gulf of Mexico operating the 11th San Antonio-class ship and demonstrating its systems. “These are complex vessels, and I’m proud of our workforce, who have the skills and knowledge it takes to design, build and test these American warships,” said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. Major testing included anchor-handling, ballast/de-ballast of the ship’s well deck, detect-to-engage, full power ahead and astern and steering demonstrations. Ingalls is now preparing the Portland for acceptance trials in August, when the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey will conduct inspections and witness final demonstrations before the ship is delivered. Ingalls has delivered 10 San Antonio-class ships to the Navy, including the John P. Murtha (LPD 26) in 2016. Ingalls will lay the keel for the 12th (Fort Lauderdale LPD 28) this fall. On June 30, Ingalls was awarded an advance procurement contract for LPD 29. (Source: Huntington Ingalls 07/03/17)

Navy christens LCS 15

The Navy christened and launched a new Littoral Combat Ship, USS Billings (LCS 15), named for Montana's largest city. The ship was christened July 2 at the Marinette, Wis., shipyard, which builds one of two LCS variants. Sharla Tester, wife of U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), broke the ceremonial champagne bottle over the ship's bow before it slid into Lake Michigan. It is the first Navy ship to bear the city’s namesake. (Source: The AP 07/02/17) Gulf Coast Note: Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Ala., builds the Independence variant of LCS. In February, Austal USA christened the nation’s LCS 16, the future USS Tulsa. It was the sixth LCS in Austal’s 11-ship contract.

Body recovered from Pensacola sound

PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Coast Guard is searching for a person in the waters north of Little Sabine Bay on July 2. CG Sector Mobile, Ala., received a call around 5:30 p.m. about a missing man, 26-year-old Mark Nestenius, described as about 160 pounds wearing a bright colored shirt and black board shorts. Agencies involved in the search include a CG Station Pensacola response boat and crew; an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and crew from CG Air Station New Orleans; the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; Escambia County Sheriff; and Gulf Breeze Fire Department. Anyone with information on this missing person should call CG Sector Mobile at (251) 441-6211. (Source: Coast Guard 07/02/17)
UPDATE JULY 4: The body of the 26-year-old was found early July 4 in the Sound east of the Bob Sikes Bridge, according to the Escambia County Sheriff's Office. (Source: WEAR-TV 07/04/17)