La. firm earns dredging award

Mike Hooks LLC of Westlake, La., was awarded a $24,000,000 firm-fixed-price Army contract for 27- to 30-inch Cutterhead Pipeline Dredge for work in Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2018. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of Mobile, Ala., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 08/31/17)

NOLA CG at center of relief effort

Some 2,000 Coast Guard responders are on the ground in Texas and southwest Louisiana helping boat and to fly flood victims to safety. Before they get to those flooded homes, they get marching orders from about 60 members of the Coast Guard 8th District’s command center in downtown New Orleans. The center has helped direct more than 4,500 rescues since Hurricane Harvey hit Texas on Aug. 25. District commander Rear Adm. Paul F. Thomas said the NOLA center started assisting with Houston 911 calls on Aug. 27. The center has also played a key role in ensuring air space safety for 50 CG, military, federal and state aircraft flying around the Houston area. "This has been like a hurricane a day for the past six or seven days," Thomas said. Rescue calls are beginning to wind down from Houston, and the command center has shifted its focus to Port Arthur, Texas, and southwest Louisiana where rescue efforts were ramping up. The next priority for the command center will be getting ports along the Texas coast up and running. (Source: NOLA.com 08/30/17)

Austal, HII among top Navy suppliers

WASHINGTON – The Navy recently announced its list of superior suppliers for 2017. These are businesses who demonstrated exceptional conduct in the areas of cost, schedule, performance, quality and business relations. The Superior Supplier Incentive Program is designed to incentivize contractor performance by identifying and recognizing suppliers who provide the greatest value in terms of performance to the department. The evaluated business units were divided into three tiers, with the top tier designated as superior suppliers or basically gold, silver and bronze. DON’s Tier 1 superior suppliers were BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., was a Tier 2 supplier. Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., was a Tier 3 supplier. (Source: Navy Office of Information 08/29/17)

HII ships’ power from GE engines

The General Electric Marine Solutions’ family of LM2500 aeroderivative marine gas turbine engines have been selected to power two new Coast Guard and Navy surface ships under construction at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Pascagoula, Miss., shipyard Two LM2500+ gas turbines will power USS Bougainville (LHA 8), a Navy amphibious assault ship. Construction is expected to begin at HII-Pascagoula. GE LM2500+ gas turbines also power first-in-class USS America (LHA 6) and Tripoli (LHA 7). Tripoli is currently under construction at HII-Pascagoula and will be christened Sept. 16. LHA 6 is with the Navy’s fleet. An LM2500 combined diesel and gas turbine propulsion system will power the Coast Guard’s ninth National Security Cutter (NSC). All ships in the NSC Legend class feature the same LM2500 gas turbine system. Kimball (NSC 7) was launched by HII-Pascagoula on March 4. The keel of sister ship Midgett (NSC 8) was authenticated on Jan. 27. (Source: Maritime Link 08/30/17)

Training combat divers on Gulf Coast

TYNDALL AFB, Fla. – Air Force combat controllers, pararescue, and combat rescue officers undergo combat dive training at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center in Panama City, Fla., to strengthen its future special operations’ forces. Trainees go to the school for 30 days of in in-pool and Gulf of Mexico dive training with combat-dive instructors. Upon completion, they earn the recognition of Special Operations Command combat divers, and able to deploy with any team in the U.S. military to assist in combat diving missions. The dive center trains and qualifies personnel from all branches of the military to be either Navy deep-sea divers, Seabee underwater construction divers, joint service diving officers, explosive ordnance disposal officers, diving medical technicians, diving medical officers, Army Corps of Engineers divers, Marine combatant divers, Coast Guard divers, and AF pararescue operators and combat controllers. The school houses 23 certified diver life support systems, which include six hyperbaric recompression chambers and two diving simulation facilities capable to 300 feet. The schoolhouse is located aboard Naval Support Activity Panama City, Fla. Dive school airmen are administratively supported by Tyndall AFB. (Source: 325th Fighter Wing 08/25/17)

HII donating $50K for recovery

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Huntington Ingalls Industries announced Aug. 29 it is donating $50,000 to the American Red Cross in support of its efforts to help in the recovery from Hurricane Harvey. (Source: HII 08/29/17)

22% of GoM oil production offline

Gulf of Mexico oil production was some 22 percent offline due to Tropical Storm Harvey on Aug. 27, according to the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. (Source: Marine Link 08/27/17)

CG rescues some 1,500 in Houston

HOUSTON – The Coast Guard continues to conduct urban search and rescue missions in the greater Houston area. CG aircrews conducted two medical transfers of a pair of critical patients from outlying hospitals to Memorial Herman Hospital’s medical center in Houston on Aug. 27. “Our crews have been operating non-stop,” said Capt. Kevin Oditt, CG incident commander. “This is an all hands on deck event bringing crews from all over the nation to help with our response.” There are 20 CG helicopters, including four from CG Air Station New Orleans, and nine CG Flood Punt Teams with 21 shallow-draft vessels capable of operating in flooded urban areas, and conducting rescues in the greater in Houston area. Aircrews have rescued some 300 people in distress, and Flood Punt Teams have rescued about 1,200 people. (Source: Coast Guard 08/28/17)

123 HII apprentices graduate

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula hosted a ceremony Aug. 26 for 123 graduates of its apprentice school program. The class of 2017 graduates represents several classes of shipyard trades. “Since 1952, Ingalls’ Apprentice School has produced some 5,000 graduates trained to fulfill the shipyard’s operational needs. The program offers a comprehensive two- to four-year curriculum, in partnership with the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, for students interested in shipbuilding careers. (Source: HII-Pascagoula 08/26/17)

World Marine sells MS shipyard

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - World Marine LLC, a shipyard services company with a presence on the Gulf Coast, announced Aug. 25 it had completed a transaction divesting its Pascagoula shipyard by selling to Singapore Technologies Engineering (STE) for $25M. World Marine purchased the assets of Signal International in December 2015, including shipyards in Pascagoula, Miss. and Mobile, Ala. The Pascagoula yard had focused on offshore rig repair and conversions. The divestiture allows the company to focus on its Mobile facility. The divestiture also included a restructuring of WM's management. WM-Alabama is a full-service shipyard that boasts a commercially certified Panamax-capacity dry dock, deep-water berths up to 1,000 feet, and a 100-ton floating crane. (Source: Gulf Five 08/25/17) The sales figure STE paid was reported via Marine Link.

Florida Panhandle's ‘dirty little secret’

Pensacola, Fla., has made millions of dollars from having the world's largest artificial reef, according to experts, but also assert that the region does not provide basic medical care for divers lured there by the USS Oriskany and other dive sites. "I call it Florida's dirty little secret," said Julio Garcia, director of the Hyperbaric Medicine Program at Springhill Medical Center in Mobile, Ala. For Florida Panhandle divers, SMC is the closest medical facility with hyperbaric chambers to treat decompression sickness, which may happen when divers surface too quickly. The closest Florida hospital willing to treat people with diving-related issues is 600 miles away in Fort Myers. Richard Clarke, president of the National Board of Diving and Hyperbaric Medical Technology, has conducted detailed research that he claims comes down to cost-avoidance, expenses and business models that called for after-hours medical staff to be on call for dive emergencies rather than having 24/7 operations. Navy medical facilities in Panama City and Pensacola have decompression chambers primarily for military personnel. The director of the Defense Health Agency, Air Force Lt. Gen. Douglas Robb, said the two military facilities can treat civilian emergencies, but are not staffed 24/7. "The current focus is on increasing the availability of civilian emergent hyperbaric services," Robb wrote in response to a letter on the subject from U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.). (Source: Pensacola News Journal 08/27/17)

CC port to reopen after CE survey

HOUSTON - The Port of Corpus Christi, Texas, reported "minor damage" from Hurricane Harvey, and port authorities are expecting the navigation channel to reopen after a survey by the Corp of Engineers is completed, spokeswoman Patricia Cardenas told Reuters on Saturday. The port closed Thursday in preparation for Harvey, which came ashore as a Category 4 hurricane. (Source: Reuters 08/26/17)

CG conducting Houston SARs

The U.S. Coast Guard is conducting urban search and rescue in the city of Houston following landfall of Hurricane Harvey. There have been 300 requests for SAR missions since Friday, Aug. 25. Currently, there are five MH-65 Dolphin helicopters conducting rescues in Houston. The CG has requested four HH-60 Jayhawk helicopters from CG Air Station New Orleans. (Source: US Coast Guard Facebook 08/27/17)

LCS 18 christening at Austal USA

The Navy will christen its newest Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship, the future USS Charleston (LCS 18), during a morning ceremony Saturday, Aug. 26, at the Austal USA Shipyard in Mobile, Ala. LCS 18 is named to honor the city of Charleston, the second-largest city in South Carolina. New Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer will deliver the ceremony’s principal address. Charlotte Riley, the wife of 10-term and former mayor of Charleston Joe Riley, serves as the ship’s sponsor. (Source: DOD 08/24/17)

Discovering fate of Hunley sub crew

Researchers have completed a three-year analysis of the mysterious fate of the crew of the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, the first submarine to sink an enemy ship in combat during the Civil War. A Duke University biomedical engineering doctoral program team said Hunley's eight-man crew were killed from the force of a blast wave created by the ship’s “torpedo.” ... “All the physical evidence points to the crew taking absolutely no action in response to a flood or loss of air,” said Rachel Lance, a 2016 graduate of Duke Engineering. The H.L. Hunley managed to use its ship-mounted torpedo on Feb. 17, 1864, sinking the U.S. Navy sloop-of-war USS Housatonic in about 30 feet of water just outside the Charleston (SC) Harbor. The small naval battle was less interesting for its strategic importance than for the mysterious fate of the sub’s crew. “This is the characteristic trauma of blast victims, they call it ‘blast lung’,” said researcher Rachel Lance. Prior to graduate school, Lane worked as a bio-mechanist at the Navy base in Panama City, Fla., for three years. (Source: Courthouse News 08/23/17) Gulf Coast Note: CSS Hunley was built at Mobile, Ala.

RFQs sought for Ala. watershed plan

The Mobile Bay (Ala.) National Estuary Program (MBNEP) seeks a qualified environmental or natural resource planning, engineering, or other similar business to prepare a Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan (WMP) for the Sandy Creek/Wolf Creek (HUC 031401070201), Miflin Creek (HUC 031401070202), and Graham Bayou (HUC 031401070203) complex of watersheds in Baldwin County, Ala. MBNEP has secured funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund to develop WMPs for intertidal watersheds along the Alabama coastline. A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process will be used to select a business that can develop a conceptual engineering master plan based on new and available data. (Source: Mobile Bay Natural Estuary Program 08/17)

Damaged DDG coming to HII

The USS Fitzgerald, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer that collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Japan in June, will be transported by heavy-lift carrier from its current location at Yokosuka, Japan, to Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Pascagoula, Miss., shipyard for repairs, the Navy confirmed Aug. 23. A contract to reconstitute DDG 62 will be completed by Sept. 30, but the scope of work has not been determined. (Source: USNI News 08/23/17) The Navy chose this course of action following a review of the capabilities and workload of new construction and repair shipyards. Given the complexity of the work and unknowns for restoration, the Navy determined that only an Arleigh Burke-class shipbuilder could perform the effort. Only HII has the available capacity to restore Fitzgerald to full operational status in the shortest period of time with minimal disruption to ongoing repair and new construction work, according to the Naval Sea Systems Command.

TS Harvey shuttering GoM platforms

Oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico have begun shutting down in anticipation of Tropical Storm Harvey’s arrival. It may become the first hurricane to strike Texas since 2008. The Gulf Coast, from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Lake Charles, La., is home to nearly 30 refineries that produce about 7 million barrels of oil per day at peak capacity. They are in the path of heavy rainfall expected to start early Friday. Flooding poses risks to operations, while torrential rains can shut units and cause supply disruptions. Fuel supplies in the region may be tightened further by other refinery outages. Phillips 66 began a plant-wide shutdown of its Lake Charles refinery late Tuesday, according to a company statement. “The biggest impact of this storm will be a significant reduction of crude oil imports into the Texas Gulf Coast, resulting in refineries cutting crude rates,” Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates in Houston. Along the Gulf Coast, seas could rise 4 to 6 feet, and Harvey could produce up to 15 to 20 inches of rain across parts of Texas and Louisiana. (Source: Bloomberg 08/23/17) Phil Grigsby, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in in Slidell, La., says a southerly wind flow accompanied by moisture pumping up from the Gulf put the New Orleans area and Southeast Louisiana on the "wet side" of the storm.

LCS 4 fires Harpoon on target

The Gulf Coast-built Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) successfully conducted a live-fire exercise of the GM-84D Harpoon Block 1C missile system near Guam on Aug. 22, according to the Navy. The Harpoon, an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile system, reportedly destroyed a surface target at significant distance beyond the ship’s visual range. An MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial system and MH-60S Seahawk helicopter reportedly provided targeting support for the Harpoon. “Harpoon and Fire Scout showcase one of the growing tool combinations in our modular LCS capability set and this complex shot demonstrates why LCS has Combat as its middle name,” said U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Don Gabrielson, the commander of Task Force 73. The Independence class LCS are built at Austal USA Shipyards in Mobile, Ala. USS Coronado was the first LCS to be fitted with an advanced anti-ship missile system. LCS 4 arrived at Changi Naval Base in Singapore in October 2016 as part of a rotational forward deployment to the Navy’s 7th Fleet. It was the first time an Independence-class LCS had been deployed to Southeast Asia. (Source: The Diplomat 08/22/17)

HII redelivers DDG 61 to Navy

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division redelivered the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Ramage (DDG 61) to the Navy on Aug. 21, four days ahead of schedule. The ship, originally built by HII-Pascagoula and delivered to the Navy in 1995, arrived at the south Mississippi port in November 2016 for overhaul and modernization work. (HII 08/22/17)

RFPs for new MS River radar sites

The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS) has received $450,000 to support the installation of two new High Frequency Radar (HFR) sites near the mouth of the Mississippi River. HFR is a system of transmitters and radio antenna receivers along coastlines that transmit radio signals, bounce them off the ocean’s surface and relay them to receivers. The signals lead to better ocean condition forecasts, faster weather and oceanic predictions, and aid the Coast Guard in search and rescue missions. HFR sites operate unattended 24/7 across some 6,000 square miles. GCOOS collaborates with and provides grant support to ocean scientists developing and implementing their own systems, and gathers that into a real-time information system. GCOOS has put out a Request For Proposals for the operation of the new HFR sites that will provide multiple navigation and commerce needs near the mouth of the Mississippi - one of the busiest shipping areas in the world. Expanding HFR coverage is critical because the Gulf of Mexico has America’s highest density of energy activities and is home to 14 of the nation’s top 20 ports by tonnage. (Source: GCOOS 08/15/17)

Recycling Navy ships on Gulf Coast

The UK-based global metal recycling firm EMR, with subsidiaries across the Gulf Coast, has towed a fifth vessel – the decommissioned Ticonderoga class cruiser, USS Thomas S. Gates (CG 51) - from a fleet of six U.S. Navy vessels, into one of its Louisiana ship-breaking facilities, Southern Recycling. The ship was decommissioned on Dec. 14, 2005, and has been moored in Philadelphia until it was towed to New Orleans for scrapping in July 2017. EMR facilities have taken delivery of previous Navy ships, including USS Forrest Sherman (DD 931), USS George Philip (FFG 12) and USS Jarrett (FFG 33). The contract was awarded to EMR by the Defense Logistics Agency. There are 17 EMR-affiliated recycling centers across Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi. (Source: Recycling Today 08/22/17)

Future Portland completes trials

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - The future USS Portland (LPD 27) successfully completed Acceptance Trials after sailing from and returning Aug. 18 to Huntington Ingalls Industries’ shipyard in Pascagoula, according to a Naval Sea Systems Command release on Aug. 21. Portland is the 11th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship to be presented to the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) for acceptance. Acceptance Trials are conducted to demonstrate a ship’s readiness for delivery through a series of dock-side and underway tests and evaluations. Portland is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy this fall, and will be commissioned in the spring of 2018 in Portland, Ore. (Source: Seapower Magazine 08/21/17)

CNO seeks ideas after ship collisions

WASHINGTON – Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson wants to bring in military and industry experts to help understand why there have been two major at-sea collisions in the Pacific theater in the last three months. CNO expects to bring in leaders from the maritime industry as part of a broader review on what may have led to Aug. 20’s collision between the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) and a Liberian-flagged merchant vessel east of the Strait of Malacca. Ten U.S. sailors went missing following the crash; and five were injured. On June 27, seven sailors were killed when the destroyer USS Fitzgerald was rammed by another commercial vessel near Singapore. As a result of the back-to-back collisions, CNO wants a broader view of the Navy’s capabilities and surface warfare training. The Navy is looking to get input from within and outside the military, including from some industry experts. There may be different ways to use naval capabilities and operating systems, Richardson noted. (Source: Navy Times 08/21/17) Gulf Coast Note: HII-Ingalls Shipyard at Pascagoula, Miss., delivered the second Arleigh Burke class destroyer, USS Barry (DDG-52), in October 1992.

CG medevacs stabbed crewmen

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard medevaced two crewmembers that were reportedly stabbed aboard the vessel ‘Billy B’ about 40 miles south of Pensacola, Fla., on Aug. 20. The crewmen were reportedly stabbed by a third crewmember aboard the commercial fishing vessel, according to the CG, which launch of a Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-65 helicopter aircrew and the Cutter Kingfisher, and a Coast Guard Station Pensacola response boat with enforcement personnel aboard. The Kingfisher arrived on scene at 8:46 p.m. and brought the two crewmembers aboard. The helicopter hoisted the men and transferred them to Baptist Hospital in Pensacola. One crewman was reported to be in stable condition. The other was reported to be in critical condition. The CG detained the third crewman and took the Billy B in tow to Perdido Pass, Ala. The incident is under investigation. (Source: Coast Guard 08/20/17)

O&G exposition in Lafayette

The Louisiana Gulf Coast Oil Exposition (LAGCOE) will be hosting its 62nd conference in Lafayette, La., from Oct. 24-26, the heart of America’s energy corridor. LAGCOE is an energy industry non-profit organization focused on educational programs. LAGCOE has been one of only two oil and gas shows in the U.S. to be chosen to participate in the International Buyer Program Select through the U.S. Department of Commerce. In addition to the shows, promotion of industry commerce with international markets has become a regular part of LAGCOE’s operations. (Source: Daily Advertiser 08/21/17)

NOLA port and U.S. steel decisions

Seven days a week, Port of New Orleans union dock workers line up according to seniority in hopes of securing work for the day at a hiring center near the Mississippi River. It’s never certain when a ship will dock at the port, and there are fears more workers could soon be turned away if fewer steel boats arrive at the port. The Trump administration is considering tariffs and/or restrictions on foreign steel coming into the U.S. that may make those imports more expensive, and help American steelmakers, which have struggled under cheap foreign prices. But with all things coming out of the nation’s Capitol, the consequences of restrictions may create winners and losers. More than 100,000 U.S. workers who manufacture steel and steel products could be helped if imports slow, and the price of steel rises. About one million workers make cars and car parts, while tens of thousands of dockworkers move goods at ports around the U.S. The Port of New Orleans and its surrounding network employ some 4,000 workers. (Source: Washington Post 08/18/17) A draft of a Port NOLA Master Plan, expected out this coming fall, will lay out a vision for 20 years into the future with a roadmap for growth, including recommendations for capital investments, operational changes, policies and strategic initiatives.

GoM lease sale generates $121M

WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced the region-wide Gulf of Mexico lease sale generated $121,143,055 in high bids for 90 tracts covering 508,096 acres in federal waters of the GoM. A total of 27 companies participated in the sale, submitting 99 bids totaling $137,006,181. The sale offered the largest amount of acreage in the history of the federal offshore program in the GoM, including parcels offshore Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. “The path to American energy dominance starts in the Gulf, and the hard work of rig and platform workers, support staff onshore, and the industries that support them cannot go unnoticed,” said Zinke. Lease Sale 249 was live-streamed from New Orleans. (Source: US Interior Department 08/16/17) The Associated Press described the GoM lease-sale as "tepid".

Stennis researchers prepare ‘quadpod’

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - Researchers from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory at Stennis Space Center (SSC), Miss., have been preparing a 7-foot tall, four-legged instrument platform, called the “quadpod” for a research field deployment experiment off the coast of Virginia. The quadpod was built to withstand being on the bottom of the ocean for weeks at a time, measuring waves, currents, and seafloor change. It is equipped with imaging sonar to capture the motion and burial of munitions on the seafloor, according to research physicist Joseph Calantoni, head of NRL’s Sediment Dynamics Section. He is leading a 12-person team of scientists and engineers to make predictions of the subaqueous environment for the Navy, “and exploit these predictions” to improve underwater acoustic communications, improve the ability to find buried objects (mines), and the Navy’s capacity to put troops on the beach. (Source: US Naval Research Laboratory 08/17/17)

Public: Weeks Bay management plan

The Mobile Bay (Ala.) National Estuary Program (MBNEP) is seeking public input to help finalize its draft Weeks Bay Watershed Management Plan. Public comment continues through 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31. MBNEP has contracted with Thompson Engineering to oversee development of the plan, and identify projects to be considered for funding to improve the quality of the watershed in the face of increased population and business growth in Baldwin County, Ala. The watershed is about 12 miles wide and 27 miles long. Its headwaters begin in the Golden Triangle area north of I-10 and conclude where Weeks Bay empties into Mobile Bay. It includes the planning jurisdictions of nine municipalities and is home to countless subdivisions and businesses. (Source: MBNEP 08/02/17)

BIW mod pact for both LCS

General Dynamics’ Bath (Maine) Iron Works, Bath was awarded a $24,481,878 cost-plus-award-fee modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-14-C-4313) to exercise option year two to provide Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) planning yard services in support of LCS class in-service ships. The option is for planning yard services for both Freedom- and Independence-variant LCS in-service ships. BIW will provide engineering, planning, ship configuration, material and logistics support to maintain and modernize both variants of LCS. Work will be performed in Bath, Maine, and is expected to be completed by August 2018. Naval Sea Systems Command of Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 08/17/17) Gulf Coast Note: Austal USA shipyards of Mobile, Ala., build the Independence class of LCS.

Buzby is new MARAD

WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao has sworn in retired Navy Rear Adm. Mark H. Buzby as the new administrator of the Maritime Administration (MARAD). Prior to his appointment, Buzby served as president of the National Defense Transportation Association, a global association of transportation and logistics professionals. As Maritime Administrator, Buzby will lead an agency tasked with promoting the use of waterborne transportation and its seamless integration with other segments of the transportation system; and the development and maintenance of an adequate, well-balanced U.S. merchant marine, sufficient to carry a substantial portion of the nation’s waterborne commerce, and capable of service in time of war or national emergency. (Source: Maritime Administration 08/16/17)

ANSO maritime symposium

MILLINGTON, Tenn. - The Association of Naval Services Officers (ANSO) will host its annual symposium Sept. 12-13 at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. The symposium is designed to bring Navy leadership and civilian executives from the maritime industry together through educational and professional development training sessions that focus on the theme of "Molding Tomorrow's Sea Services Officers & Their Futures." (Source: Navy Personnel Command 08/16/17)

Weeks Marine’s $19M contract

Weeks Marine Inc. of Covington, La., was awarded a $19M firm-fixed-price contract for dredging in the Atchafalaya Basin, Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and miscellaneous projects. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2019. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of New Orleans is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 08/16/17)

HII’s Proteus performs at ANTX

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Huntington Ingalls Industries announced Aug. 16 that its dual-mode undersea vehicle Proteus completed autonomous contested battlespace missions during the 2017 Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX) at Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, Fla. During ANTX, the NSWC, in cooperation with HII, Battelle, Northrop Grumman and Riptide Autonomous Solutions, conducted aerial, surface and underwater vehicle advance mission capability demonstrations communicating real-time mission performance to remote operations’ headquarters. Developed by HII’s Undersea Solutions Group and Battelle, Proteus entered contested battlespace to deliver and launch three small unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs). ANTX provided opportunities to demonstrate Proteus’ capabilities to the Navy and industry partners “to meet the Navy's future requirements,” said Ross Lindman, director of operations for USG. Undersea Solutions Group, part of the Fleet Support group in HII’s Technical Solutions division, develops and builds specialized manned and unmanned undersea vehicles for military customers around the world. USG operates in Panama City Beach. (Source: HII 08/16/17)

HII settles whistleblower suit

Huntington Ingalls Industries has agreed to pay $9.2 million to settle allegations of overbilling the U.S. government for work on Navy and Coast Guard ships at its Pascagoula, Miss., shipyard. HII did not admit to any wrongdoing. The civil complaint alleged HII-Pascagoula supervisors routinely shifted labor hours on billing records between government shipbuilding contracts. This "false time allocation" allegedly allowed HII to receive incentive payments for completing work on one hull under contractually-set number of man-hours. The suit was initially lodged by former Ingalls foreman, Bryon Faulkner of Jackson County, Miss., on behalf of the government, which is permitted under the False Claims Act. The government later joined the whistleblower suit as a plaintiff. Faulkner is to receive $1.6M of the $9.2M settlement for his assistance. (Source: Maritime Executive 08/15/17) HII-Pascagoula has built 35 Aegis DDG 51 class destroyers; LHA6 large deck amphibious ships, National Security Cutters for the Coast Guard, and is the sole builder of the Navy’s fleet of San Antonio (LPD 17) class of amphibious assault ships. There are 11, 500 employees at HII-Pascagoula. HII national headquarters spokesperson Beci Brenton said HII cooperated with the government and has strengthened compliance efforts.

NOLA’s newest luxury riverboat

The American Duchess, a new paddlewheel riverboat, has begun sailing Mississippi River cruises to and from New Orleans. The riverboat will do regular trips to from New Orleans to Memphis this year as well as longer hauls with stops in Nashville, St. Louis, and as far north as Ottawa, Ill. (near Chicago). American Queen Steamboat Co. of Memphis, Tenn., christened the Duchess on Aug. 14 in downtown New Orleans. The 166-passenger riverboat's inaugural long-haul trip began Aug. 14 from New Orleans to Red Wing, Minn. The next cruise departing from New Orleans is Sept. 24. Personnel from Bollinger Shipyards in Morgan City, La., reconstructed the riverboat from a 340-foot hull built in 1995. (Source: NOLA.com 08/14/17)

CG adding sUAS to fleet

Unmanned aircraft already play a role in one of the Coast Guard’s initial missions of guarding against illicit trade. In a letter to the Revenue Cutter Service in 1791, Alexander Hamilton warned of the resourcefulness of traffickers. Today’s Coast Guard faces resourceful criminals with lots of money to run drugs and deal in human trafficking. The CG is working to add unmanned aircraft systems to augment its cutters and aircraft, including the acquisition of small UAS (sUAS) capabilities for its National Security Cutter fleet. The first installed sUAS, on NSC Stratton, assisted with the interdiction of four vessels carrying 5,000 pounds of contraband. A Request For Proposal for sUAS capability to outfit the entire NSC fleet is planned for release by Sept. 30. The Research and Development Center (RDC) plans to release a Request For Information to conduct market research on long-range, land-based UAS. The research will probe the feasibility, costs and benefits of using these systems to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance across the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and eastern Pacific Ocean. The Office of Aviation Forces is currently contracting for an sUAS proof of concept deployment from Puerto Rico this year in support of local law enforcement. UAS capability has the potential to enhance other CG missions, including search and rescue, marine environmental protection, and aids to navigation. In a completed Arctic Technology Evaluation aboard CG Cutter Healy, the RDC tested the capabilities of a short-range UAS for polar missions. (Source: Coast Guard 08/14/17) Gulf Coast Note: NSC Stratton was built at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Pascagoula, Miss., shipyard. CGC Healy was built at the Avondale, La., shipyard.

M2 Subsea-Harvey Gulf form alliance

M2 Subsea, the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) services provider, has formed an alliance with Harvey Gulf Marine International of New Orleans to provide subsea ROV services in the Gulf of Mexico. The alliance will see M2 Subsea’s ROVs utilized on board Harvey Gulf’s DP2 survey support vessel, the Harvey Bronco. The offshore supply ship will focus on the survey and inspection market and will be equipped with M2 Subsea’s 150HP Triton XLX34 ROV system. Triton is a heavy duty work class ROV. HGMI Chairman/CEO Shane Guidry said: “This alliance complements our existing fleet of multi-purpose support and light construction vessels, enabling Harvey Gulf to offer a broader range of services and superior performance to all other Jones Act vessel operators in the Gulf of Mexico.” The Harvey Bronco will be ported at Harvey’s Gulf’s Operation Yard in Port Fourchon, La. It is due to be deployed this month to conduct an underwater inspection of lieu of dry-docking project. (Source: Marine Technology 08/10/17)

CG evaluating 3-D printing

Finding spare parts for anybody can be tricky, but for the crew of a Coast Guard cutter, spare parts can be a significant issue in completing a mission or negatively affect the working environment. The Coast Guard Research and Development Center in New London, Conn., is currently studying how the use of 3-D printing may improve mission readiness through logistical support. Now in the evaluation phase, 3-D printers are available to crews on five CG cutters as well as at several operational shore units, including CG Base New Orleans and Baltimore. (Source: Marine Executive 08/08/17)

CG ends search for swimmers

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard is searching for two male swimmers, ages 12 and 19, in the vicinity of Perdido Pass near the Alabama-Florida state line in the early evening of Aug. 11. GC Sector Mobile, Ala., watchstanders received notification from Baldwin County, Ala., 911 at 7:12 p.m. of two male swimmers who went under the water and did not reappear. The swimmers were described as wearing orange and blue swim trunks and were last seen approximately 20 yards from shore. Anyone with information that may help is asked to contact CG Sector Mobile command center at (251) 441-6211. (Source: Coast Guard 08/11/17) UPDATE: The search ended Aug. 12 when the bodies of the two swimmers were recovered near Perdido Pass. (CG 08/12/17)

DISL team on subarctic research

The Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s (DISL) Dr. Ron Kiene is leading a team of American and Canadian scientists on a research cruise to the subarctic North Pacific Ocean to study the cycling of organic sulfur compounds. The 17-day National Science Foundation-sponsored cruise will be on the research vessel Oceanus, based out of Oregon State University. The cruise departed Alaska on Aug. 11. It ends Aug. 27. The researchers will be studying a natural chemical called DMSP, which is produced by the microscopic plants in the ocean called phytoplankton. Phytoplankton grows profusely in the northeast Pacific. DMSP is cycled rapidly by microbes in seawater, especially the bacteria. In fact, Kiene’s work has shown that DMSP is a major 'food' source for marine bacteria, which is important in the ecology. DMSP is also decomposed into two volatile sulfur gases that transfer from the ocean to the atmosphere. Once in the air, the sulfur gases oxidize into particles of sulfuric acid that affect atmospheric chemistry and potentially climate by affecting the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth’s surface. The team consists of six members from DISL/USA Marine Sciences. The seven others are from the University of British Columbia, University of Southern California, and University of Georgia. Dr. Kiene is the Chief Scientist for the cruise and responsible for the overall organization of the research expedition. DISL is located on Dauphin Island, Ala. (Source: DISL 08/11/17)

One Shell Square to get rebrand

The 51-story One Shell Square building in the heart of New Orleans' Central Business District will change names in 2018 when Hancock-Whitney bank’s regional HQ begins patrial occupation of the building. It will be rebranded as the Hancock Whitney Center. About 400 bank workers will eventually occupy seven floors. The space became available after Shell decided to consolidate some of its office spaces in the tower. Shell will remain the largest tenant, despite cuts to 900 local jobs over the past two years, part of global reductions. Shell will occupy 18 floors. Shell’s New Orleans office will continue to support offshore oil and gas developments in the Gulf of Mexico, and as far away as Brazil and Nigeria. Parent company Royal Dutch Shell, which reported recent success generating cash despite a prolonged energy downturn, continues to invest in the Gulf of Mexico and New Orleans. RDS will continue to be a sponsor of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival through 2019. (Source: NOLA.com 08/11/17)

SW boss: Productive year for LCS

Plagued for decades by cost overruns, design and maintenance issues, the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship program has stabilized, according to the Naval Surface Forces’ commander Vice Adm. Tom Rowden, and this year has proved to be a productive one. The NSF boss started a distributive warfare concept overhaul of LCS in late 2016 to change staff, maintenance, and deployments. Over the past year, the LCS program has stationed Gulf Coast-built trimaran-hulled ships USS Montgomery and USS Gabrielle Giffords in San Diego; and forward-deployed sister Independence-class USS Coronado to Singapore. Coronado was first LCS to operate the MQ-8B Fire Scout helicopter drone; and fired the first over-the-horizon Harpoon missile. The Navy will commission the LCS Omaha in San Diego in 2018. Vice Adm. Rowden has designated one of the new LCS squadrons to serve primarily as minesweepers. The mine-countermeasures warfare package has been under development at Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, Fla. (Source: San Diego Union-Tribune 08/10/17) Gulf Coast Note: The Independence variant of LCS is built by Austal USA shipyards in Mobile, Ala.

CMA CGM adds routes to GC ports

The France-based CMA CGM container shipping company has scheduled more routes between Asia and the U.S. Gulf and South Atlantic coasts to take advantage of double-digit increases in the demand for imports and exports along the routes. The “extra loaders” run alongside the carrier’s PEX3 eastbound round-the-world service, which was upgraded this year with larger container ships and the addition of a call to the Port of New Orleans. Total traffic to and from Asia through five American ports served on this PEX 3 surged 21.8 percent to 506,866 TEU in the first six months of 2017. Imports are up 21 percent; and exports jumped 23.5 percent. Sea-service capacity from Asia to Gulf Coast ports – NOLA, Mobile, Ala., and Houston - has been tight by increased exports of polyethylene and other synthetic resins from a half-dozen new Louisiana and Texas plants scheduled to open this year. Ports on the Gulf, East, and West coasts are all competing to handle resin export growth. Houston now handles 46.4 percent of American resin exports; and New Orleans is second, with 19.7 percent. CMA CGM has one of three Asian services to the Gulf Coast. The others are operated by the 2M Alliance, Mediterranean Shipping, and Cosco. (Source: JOC.com 08/10/17) CMA CGM is the third-largest container shipping company by capacity in the world, and is present in more than 150 countries.

Conflicting outlooks on crude oil ban

CARACAS, Venezuela - The Trump administration's decision Aug. 9 to slap sanctions on eight members of Venezuela’s powerful constitutional assembly brings a total of 30 government loyalists targeted for human rights abuses and violations of democratic norms since anti-government protests started in April. As the list grows, economic sanctions have yet to materialize amid an outcry by the U.S. oil industry that a ban on petroleum imports from Venezuela - third-largest supplier to America - would hurt U.S. jobs and drive up gasoline prices at the pump. The oil industry is finding allies in Congress, particularly lawmakers from states that process Venezuela's heavy crude. Six Republican congressmen from Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas recently wrote a letter warning Trump that the ban would do harm to the U.S. There are some 525,000 refining-related jobs along the Gulf Coast. However, a Wells Fargo Securities energy report claimed: “We do not believe there would be significant impact on retail prices to U.S. consumers given that the net availability of worldwide crude oil volumes would be unchanged." (Source: NOLA.com 08/09/17)

BP fines to add 300 more jobs for GC

Three hundred conservation jobs will open by 2020 in the five Gulf Coast states as a result of $7 million in penalties being levied in the BP Deepwater Horizon oil-spill disaster. Employment for the new GulfCorps organization will ramp up gradually to a grand total of 60 for each state by 2020, Jeff DeQuattro, director of restoration for The Nature Conservancy and program director for GulfCorps, said Aug. 10. Recruiting is to begin in October “with boots on the ground in January," he claimed. Discussion meetings regarding potential projects are to begin Aug. 11. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and RESTORE Council representatives from each state will work with GulfCorps to decide specific projects in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. (Source: NOLA.com 08/10/17)

CG-8 change of command

NEW ORLEANS - There will be a change of command at the Eighth Coast Guard District, headquartered in New Orleans, on Aug. 11 at the Julia Street Cruise Terminal downtown. Rear Adm. David R. Callahan will transfer command of the district to Rear Adm. Paul F. Thomas. Previously, Thomas was assistant commandant for prevention policy and the overseeing of the Inspections and Compliance, Marine Transportation Systems, and Commercial Regulations and Standards directorates at the CG headquarters. (Coast Guard 08/09/17) Rear Adm. Callahan has been a CG aviator for more than 30 years. He previously commanded Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans and the Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Ala., which in 2005 served as the aviation operations and maintenance hub for the entire Hurricane Katrina response.

NSWCPC trio earn innovation awards

PANAMA CITY, Fla. - Two Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, Fla., engineering teams and a budget analyst earned top innovation and collaboration awards for achievements in 2016 from the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). The NAVSEA Warfare Center Innovation Awards went to the MH-60S Helicopter Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) Deployment team and the Micro-Unmanned Undersea Vehicle team, while budget analyst Amanda Davis was recognized for her collaborative work. (Source: NSWC Panama City 08/08/17)

HII agrees to sell Avondale Shipyard

Huntington Ingalls Industries has agreed in principal to sell its former Avondale (La.) Shipyard, a site that had built and launched amphibious warships such as the USS New York to Coast Guard icebreakers, but one that had fallen victim to business consolidation. The proposed agreement came in a conference call with banking analysts during executives’ discussion about second-quarter earnings. HII did not disclose the potential buyer or terms of the agreement, and said the agreement could take months to come to fruition. It was good news from the perspective of the Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission. JPEDC President Jerry Bologna called the 265-acre Avondale site a community asset, and the region filled with skilled workers. (Source: Daily Press 08/08/17)

GC shipyards deliver for NYC

New York City's new NYC Ferry transport network is more popular than the region expected. Last week, NYC Ferry announced it had reached the 1 million rider mark in only 86 days, one month ahead of schedule. The service's East River, South Brooklyn and Rockaway routes are in full operation, with a route covering Astoria set to start Aug. 29, and two new routes planned for next year. The city and service operator Hornblower have already chartered-in two additional vessels, and expanded shipbuilding orders. The agencies ordered 20 aluminum catamaran ferries from Gulf Coast shipbuilders Horizon Shipbuilding of Bayou La Batre, Ala., and Metal Shark of Jeanerette, La. The city's service contract called for rapid construction, and the Gulf Coast yards delivered. Vessels began arriving in April, and NYC Ferry started the following month ahead of schedule. (Source: Marine Executive 08/07/17)

CG: US yards can build icebreakers

WASHINGTON – Adm. Paul Zukunft, commandant of the Coast Guard, is confident that American shipyards can build the service’s first icebreakers in 20 years for less than an estimated $1 billion. The plan is to build three heavy and three medium icebreakers. The National Academy of Science has proposed building four only heavy icebreakers to reduce overall costs. U.S. shipyards have not built ships of this design in 40 years. The last heavy icebreaker is Polar Star, which was commissioned in 1976. The current plan would build two classes in two phases. Work on three heavies would be first, but wouldn’t enter service until 2023 to replace Polar Star, which is already a decade past its original service life. Secondly, three medium icebreakers would follow, and would serve alongside and ultimately replace the relatively USCGC Healy. The problem with this approach is the first ship in a class is always the most expensive, and building both heavies and mediums means paying that start-up premium twice. (Source: Breaking Defense 08/01/17) Gulf Coast Note: USCGC Healy (WAGB 20) was constructed at Avondale Industries in New Orleans and delivered in 1999. The Avondale shipyard was reorganized in February 2013 as Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Avondale Plant and entered into the oil and gas production equipment business. Eastern Shipbuilding Group of Panama City, Fla., has been contracted to build Offshore Patrol Cutters for the CG. Construction is planned to begin in FY 2018. Delivery of the lead OPC is planned for FY-21.

Update: ANTX 2017 & Panama City

The third annual Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX) 2017 is a multi-site event taking place Aug. 15-16 at Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, Florida’s operational area and Naval Undersea Warfare Center’s Narragansett Bay Test Facility in Newport, R.I. The theme for the exercise is “Battlespace Preparation in a Contested Environment.” The unclassified exercise enables Navy stakeholders to see future in-water technologies in action. Industry partners, warfare centers and universities have been invited test new unmanned systems and related technologies at NSWC Panama City’s ranges and facilities. Most of the activities will happen in Rhode Island. Some areas being addressed for this exercise are mine countermeasures, ocean mapping, exercising algorithms, and tactics and technical procedures. ANTX provides a low-risk, low-loss environment where engineers, developers, and scientists can evaluate technologies and interact with members of the naval operations community (Source: NAVSEA 07/17) UPDATED INFO: It will be the first time NSWC Panama City will participate in the ANTX. NSWCPC will host more than 30 displays and demonstrations along the pier as well as in the waters of St. Andrew Bay where unmanned underwater vehicles will be tested and demonstrated for ANTX attendees. Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 6 Detachment at Panama City will conduct a pouncing demonstration in the bay waters Aug. 15, at 11 a.m. Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Adm. Phil Davidson and the U.S. Navy's Director of Expeditionary Warfare Maj. Gen David W. Coffman will serve as NSWCPC's ANTX keynote speakers.

Gulfport-based Seabees in Ukraine

NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain – Navy Seabees from a Gulfport, Miss.-based battalion held a groundbreaking ceremony July 25 for a maritime operations center at the Ochakiv Naval Base in the Ukraine. The Seabees, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1, have been in Ochakiv since April to establish contracts, obtain construction permits, and perform logistical missions needed for long-term sustainment of the maritime center project. The center is one of three projects currently planned for Ochakiv, and will serve as a major planning and operational hub during future military exercises hosted by Ukraine. The maritime centers are the operational-level warfare command and control organizations; and support fleet management and execution of operational responsibilities. Future Seabee projects at Ochakiv include a boat maintenance facility and entry control points with perimeter fencing. (Source: NMCB-1 08/07/17)

La. shipyard featured in IHS Janes

Swiftships shipyard of Morgan City, La., was featured in 'IHS Jane’s International Defence Review' for their delivery of small-to-medium sized boats for Riverine operations. Swiftships specializing in the construction of small to medium-sized watercraft built of steel, aluminum, and fiberglass. Swiftships delivers to all branches of the U.S. military, commercial and private companies, and 52 foreign countries Under Direct Commercial Sales and Foreign Military Sales. (Source: IHS Janes 06/17)

UUV partnership includes NW Fla.

Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) might mean big business for shipbuilders if the technology lives up to its billing. It’s way too soon to gauge the size of the future UUV market, and the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) market may not be a good comparison. Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) is taking the lead in the Navy’s quest to field UUVs. One of Navy’s first lines is aimed at fielding a robotic submarine they call the Extra Large UUV (XL-UUV) program. HII and Boeing are teaming up on the project. HII expects UUVs to be a mainstay of the Navy’s fleet; and are positioning to be a major player, according to Mike Petters, CEO and president of HII. It’s been HII’s strategic emphasis over the last four years to figure out how to get in on the front end of the UUV market. (The Buzz 08/05/17) The HII-Boeing partnership will use HII’s design and production facilities in Huntington Beach, Calif.; Newport News, Va.; and Panama City, Fla.

New lab space opens

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. – The University of Southern Mississippi cut the ribbon Aug. 4 for the new Toxicology Building at the Gulf Coast Research (GCRC) Lab's Cedar Point campus in Ocean Springs. The nearly $5 million, 11,000-square-foot project gives GCRC one of the top tier research facilities of this kind in the country. Dr. Joe Griffitt is the research scientist leading the team at the new lab space. He said this gives scientists incredible opportunities for controlled environment experiments regarding problems or conditions impacting the Gulf of Mexico. Research is already underway here to determine the impact of the oil spill on area oyster reefs. (Source: WLOX, 08/04/17)

CG names first 11 OPCs

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Coast Guard announced the names of its first 11 Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPC): USCGC Argus, USCGC Chase, USCGC Ingham, USCGC Pickering, USCGC Rush, USCGC Icarus, USCGC Active, USCGC Diligence, USCGC Alert, USCGC Vigilant, and USCGC Reliance. The OPC is the CG’s highest investment priority. The CG awarded detail design for the OPC to Eastern Shipbuilding Group of Panama City, Fla., in September 2016. Construction is planned to begin in FY 2018. Delivery of the lead OPC is planned for FY 2021.The OPC will bridge capabilities between the National Security Cutter, which patrols the open ocean - under a contract-build with Huntington Ingalls Industries in Pascagoula, Miss. - and the fast response cutter, which serves closer to shore. The OPC will be “the backbone of Coast Guard offshore presence and the manifestation of our at-sea authorities,” said Adm. Paul Zukunft, commandant of the CG. (Source: Coast Guard 08/04/17)

CG cutter design for Navy FFG(X)?

Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft weighed directly into the discussion of the best design for the Navy’s future frigate - FFG(X). At a U.S. Naval Institute event this past week, Zukunft recounted his often-told “sea story” of the CG cutter Hamilton’s 2016 maiden deployment; and how it had more than paid for itself by making 13 drug interdictions and confiscating of about $1 billion worth of cocaine. On the same deployment, Hamilton conducted medical evacuations from Haiti in the wake of Hurricane Matthew. “This is a ship that will be in service 30, 40 years from now,” Zukunft said. “So, I would say that’s a pretty good return on investment.” Huntington Ingalls Industries of Pascagoula, Miss., is in the process of building a ninth GC National Security Cutter. After the commissioning of the Navy’s first Littoral Combat Ship in 2008, the ships have continued to face criticism over survivability and design. In 2016, the Navy ordered major changes to engineer training and its deployment strategy after four of the then-six ships in service suffered significant engineering failures. The Navy had been set to base its future frigate on an LCS design (Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., or Marinette [Wis.] Marine), but in July put out a request to industry for frigate designs. No formal conversations have taken place between the CG and Navy about the design. The Navy is looking to award a contract for design and construction in fiscal 2020. NSCs are 418 feet long with a 54-foot beam and displace 4,500 tons with a full load. They have a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 miles, endurance of 60 days, and a crew of 120. (Source: DOD Buzz 08/03/17) Gulf Coast Note: Munro (WMSL 755) was commissioned in April 2017. Construction is also underway at HII-Pascagoula on the seventh and eighth NSCs, Kimball (WMSL 756) and Midgett (WMSL 757). Kimball is scheduled to start Builder’s Trials in the last quarter of 2017. Midgett is scheduled to launch during the same quarter. In the last quarter of 2016, Ingalls received a $486 million contract to build a ninth NSC.

Pascagoula powers Ingalls quarter

A strong second quarter at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., helped push Huntington Ingalls Industries' revenue to $1.86 billion. That's up 9.3 percent from the second quarter of 2016. Ingalls' revenues for the second quarter increased $54 million, or 9.2 percent from a year ago, HII reported Aug. 3. HII said Ingalls saw higher revenues in amphibious assault ships and the Legend-class National Security Cutter program. The company said that higher revenues on amphibious assault ships were due to increased volumes on Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28), Bougainville (LHA 8) and Tripoli (LHA 7), partially offset by decreased volume on the delivered USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26). (Sources: Sun Herald, HII, 08/03/17)

GoM ‘dead zone’ largest ever

Scientists from the National Oceanic and Administration (NOAA) have determined 2017’s “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico - an area of low oxygen that can kill fish and marine life - is some 8,776 square miles or about the size of New Jersey. It is the largest measured dead zone that has been mapped since 1985. The annual forecast, generated from a suite of NOAA-sponsored models, is based on nutrient runoff data from the U.S. Geological Survey. The actual size shows the role of Mississippi River nutrient runoff in determining the size of the dead zone. Nutrient pollution, primarily from agriculture and developed land runoff along the Mississippi River watershed, washes downstream into the GoM. A team of scientists led by Louisiana State University and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium collected data to determine the size of the dead zone from July 24-31. The average size of the dead zone over the past five years has been about 5,806 square miles, three times larger than the Gulf Hypoxia Task Force target of 1,900 square miles. NOAA funds monitoring and research efforts to understand the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico through its Northern Gulf of Mexico Ecosystems & Hypoxia Assessment program (NGOMEX). The annual measurement is used by the Gulf of Mexico/Mississippi River Watershed Nutrient Task Force to determine whether efforts to reduce nutrient pollution in the Mississippi River basin are working. (Source: NOAA 08/02/17) The impact could be devastating to the Gulf Coast's seafood industry, which accounts for more than 40 percent of the nation's seafood. Louisiana is second in seafood production only to Alaska.

New SECNAV sworn in

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate confirmed eight Defense Department nominees on Aug. 1, providing a boost to staffing after a long congressional stalemate in which Democrats used parliamentary tactics to stall President Trump’s nominees in protest of the handling of the health care debate. Among those confirmed by a voice vote was Navy Secretary Richard Spencer; Ellen Lord, under secretary of defense for acquisition; and Lucian Niemeyer and Robert Hood, assistant secretaries of defense. The vote doubles the number of Senate-confirmed nominees for DOD, which saw only seven other defense officials successfully navigate the process since January. Spencer is a former Marine Corps pilot and investment banker. He is a former member of DOD’s Defense Business Board and recently served on the Chief of Naval Operations Executive Panel. (Source: Defense News 08/02/17) On Aug. 3, Richard V. Spencer, a native of Connecticut, was sworn in as the 76th secretary of the Navy.

CG rescues 3 near St. Andrews Pass

NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard rescued three people from the waters near St. Andrews Pass in Florida on July 31. The CG got a report of a vessel sinking about three nautical miles east of St. Andrews Pass before noon. A CG Station Panama City shallow-water vessel and crew of the cutter Kingfisher was diverted to the area, located the trio and transported them in good condition to St. Andrews State Park. (Coast Guard 08/02/17)

CG honors 4 service members

NEW ORLEANS - Rear Adm. Dave Callahan, commander of the 8th Coast Guard District in New Orleans, presented a Silver Lifesaving Medal and three Meritorious Public Service medals to four service members in recognition of their selfless acts of kindness. The ceremony was Aug. 4 at the Coast Guard Cutter White Alder Memorial in Baton Rouge, La. The Silver Lifesaving Medal will honor David Phung for heroics in saving a woman and her dog from a submerged automobile during historic flooding near Baton Rouge in August 2016. The Meritorious Public Service medals honor Brandon Barrett, Jason Dixon, and Robbie Reynold for their involvement in that same rescue. (Source: Coast Guard 08/02/17) Video of rescue: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/541973/coast-guard-presents-medals-mens-heroic-efforts-during-baton-rouge-floods

NKK Switches partners with Fla. firm

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – NKK Switches, a global designer and manufacturer of electromechanical switches for defense programs and ships, has formed a partnership for technical sales representation with Brandel-Stephens & Co. of Florida to represent NKK in the Gulf Coast states of Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi. Brandel-Stephens will provide technical sales representation and engineering support for NKK products and value-added services, concentrating on the Southeast, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. NKK has a U.S. facility in Arizona. (Source: Military & Aerospace 08/01/17)

Horizon named MJP water jet dealer

An agreement signed by Marine Jet Power (MJP) of Columbus, Ohio, and Horizon Shipbuilding of Bayou La Batre, Ala., making Horizon MJP’s the newest sales and service provider along the Gulf of Mexico. The Master Sales and Service Agreement announced July 27 names Horizon as an authorized retailer and service provider for MJP’s water jets, covering the coastal markets of the Gulf Coast region. (Source: Work Boat 07/27/17)

Navy drafts Atlantic/Gulf training ops

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. - The second of five public hearings regarding the Navy’s potential environmental effects from training and testing activities conducted within the Navy’s Atlantic Fleet Training and Testing Study Area took place July 25 in Morehead City, N.C. The public meetings have been conducted in an open-house format with informational stations staffed by the Navy representatives regarding efforts to conduct training in the open waters of the Atlantic, and to clarify information related to a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The draft EIS analyzes training and testing activities planned to occur across all operating areas off the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico starting in November 2018. Navy representatives will offer three plans. Interested parties are encouraged to provide written comments in person at any of the public meetings. Comments may also be submitted by U.S. postal mail or electronically via the project website at www.AFTTEIS.com. The next scheduled meeting is Aug. 1 in Jacksonville, Fla.; and Aug. 3 in Panama City, Fla. (Source: Jacksonville [NC] Daily News 07/31/17)