River woes slow GC port deliveries

CHICAGO - Low river levels and back-ups at an aging lock and dam are causing havoc on export-bound grain barge shipments along the Mississippi River system just as American farmers need to be ramping up deliveries of bumper corn and soybean crops. Barge-freight rates went to a three-year high Sept. 29 as a stretch of the Mississippi fell to near-record lows, and as low water and emergency repair work on a 90-year-old lock and dam on the Ohio River, delayed dozens of tow-barges. Exporters were scrambling for the supplies to meet shipping commitments out of the Gulf Coast ports amid a growing back-up of bulk cargo ships waiting to load soybeans. (Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch 09/29/17)

$29.4M Fitzgerald pact for HII

Huntington Ingalls Inc.'s (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Miss., was awarded a $29,378,128 cost-plus-fixed fee contract for initial planning of USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) emergent repair and restoration. This initial planning and preparation phase of an availability will include a combination of restoration and modernization of USS Fitzgerald. USS Fitzgerald is planned to arrive at Ingalls Shipbuilding in December 2017 via heavy lift ship. A contract modification to incorporate full restoration and modernization scope is anticipated December 2017. The initial phase of work will be performed in Pascagoula and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2017. FY 2017 Navy operations and maintenance funding in the amount of $29,378,128 will be obligated at time of award, and contract funds in the amount of $29,378,128 will expire Sept. 30. This contract was not competitively procured. The contract was awarded on a sole-source basis under an unusual and compelling urgency basis (Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)) FAR 6.302-2 as outlined in Justification and Approval 41,320 dated Aug. 28, 2017. The Naval Sea Systems Command of Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD, 09/28/17)
 Previous: Fitzgerald to be towed from Japan to Pascagoula. https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3352494868928874224#editor/target=post;postID=3424279406887533021;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=14;src=postname

Conrad contracted for 9 barges

Conrad Shipyard of Morgan City, La., announced Sept. 28 that it was awarded a contract to build four anchor barges, two deck barges, and three crane barges for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. of Oak Brook, Ill. The four anchor barges will be built at Conrad’s Morgan City shipyard. The other barges will be built at Conrad’s shipyard in Orange, Texas. (Source: Work Boat 09/28/17)

Total agrees to 7 GoM prospects

Total S.A. has agreed to participate in seven prospects operated by Chevron covering 16 blocks in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). The associated prospects are located in two promising plays: Wilcox in the central GoM and Norphlet in the eastern sector. Total’s participation in these wells will be as much as 40 percent. The first of these wells was spudded in late July on the Ballymore prospect in Mississippi Canyon. The agreement, along with participation in the Jack field as part of the Maersk Oil acquisition, increases Total’s footprint in the GoM to where it can apply its exploration expertise and deep-water technologies. Total is a France-based multi-national integrated oil and gas company. It is one of the seven major oil companies in the world. Total has been active in exploration and production in the U.S. since 1957. In the GoM, Total’s deep-water participation includes two producing fields, Tahiti (operated by Chevron) and Chinook (operated by Petrobras). (Source: Maritime Executive 09/24/17)

GC Navy med personnel join Comfort

The Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH-20) is gearing up with supplies and personnel to respond to the humanitarian needs in Puerto Rico. The ship is preparing to get underway by Sept. 30, according to a Defense Department spokesperson. Comfort is taking on supplies and boarding personnel at Naval Station Norfolk, Va. The ship is an afloat, mobile, acute surgical facility, providing a level of medical care found at a major shore-base Navy medicine hospitals. Comfort’s homeport is in Baltimore, Md. During normal pier side operations, Comfort has some 50 personnel who crew the ship, keeping it ready to deploy. When activated, according to the Navy, Comfort’s crew grows to about 1,200 personnel. (Source: Maritime Herald 09/27/18) Gulf Coast Note: The Naval Hospital Pensacola, Fla., command has 19 sailors, including numbers from its Naval Branch Health Clinics in Meridian, Miss., and Millington, Tenn., joining Comfort in Norfolk. The specialties included nurses, corpsmen, pediatrician, family medicine physician, and culinary specialists. The senior officer and enlisted person were Cmdr. Kathryn Garner, a medical-surgical nurse, and Chief Hospital Corpsman Jonathan Pruss, according to an NHP spokesperson.

WH lifts Jones Act rules for PR

WASHINGTON, DC – T he White House has authorized a waiver to the Jones Act that will significantly loosen shipping rules to Puerto Rico in efforts to get supplies to the island following damages caused by Hurricane Maria. "At @ricardorossello request, @POTUS has authorized the Jones Act be waived for Puerto Rico. It will go into effect immediately," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted Sept. 28. Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló joined a growing list of officials who argue that lifting the Jones Act - a federal law designed to protect the financial interests of U.S. shipbuilders by limiting shipping by foreign vessels - would help expedite needed supplies to the island. The Jones Act has had an unintended consequence of making it twice as expensive to ship things from the mainland to Puerto Rico. (Source: CNN 09/28/17)

Flag of many firsts to retire

NAPLES, Italy - Adm. Michelle Howard, the first woman to become a four-star admiral in the U.S. Navy, will end her 35-year naval career when she retires by January. Howard, 57, will relinquish command of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and Allied Joint Force Command Naples to Vice Adm. James Foggo, who will be promoted to admiral, when he takes command Oct. 20. Howard has commanded naval forces in Africa and Europe since June 2016. Her career is filled by many Navy firsts. In 2014, she became the first four-star flag officer when she took the reins of Vice Chief of Naval Operations. Two years later, she was head of the the Europe-and-Africa command becoming the first female four-star to command operational forces. She was the first black woman to achieve two-star rank. In 1999, Howard was the first African-American woman to command a Navy combat ship, the dock-landing ship USS Rushmore. Howard also planned the 2009 mission to rescue Capt. Richard Phillips from Somali pirates who seized his cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden. (Source: Stars and Stripes 09/26/17) Gulf Coast Note: Howard was a junior officer aboard the training aircraft carrier USS Lexington (AVT 16) when it was based out of Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. USS Rushmore was built at Avondale (La.) Shipyards.

Steps toward GC ports' contract

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) have taken a step forward in labor contract negotiations for U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports. ILA President Harold Daggett notified union members Sept. 25 that USMX had presented a proposed contract extension. ILA is “reviewing and evaluating the contents of this document and has contacted USMX to clarify some of the times in the document,” he wrote in a memo to members. The proposal marks the beginning of the end of the Maine-to-Texas labor agreement that will expires in 2018. In previous statements about the negotiations, ILA was opposed to fully automated container terminals; but amenable to semi-automated terminals, according to Daggett back in January. Daggett’s memo did not share the contents of the USMX proposal. The ILA president did say that a Wage Scale Committee meeting will be convened to discuss the proposal; and that ILA members would be notified when those meeting dates are finalized. (Source: American Shipper 09/26/17)

Metal Shark gets 5 new ferry orders

JEANERETTE, La. - Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark is again building multiple high-speed aluminum catamaran passenger vessels for the NYC Ferry Service Operated by Hornblower. In August, Metal Shark received orders from Hornblower for four 350-passenger vessels, which are a larger platform than the 150-passenger vessels in the NYC fleet. An additional 150-passenger ferry was also ordered. All of the new vessels are currently in production at Metal Shark’s Franklin, La., waterfront shipyard. Delivery timelines call for all five vessels to be completed and delivered in 2018. In July 2016, Metal Shark was selected to build six 150-passenger, Incat Crowther-designed aluminum catamaran ferries for the NYC Ferry System. Metal Shark delivered all six on time. Established in 1986, Gravois Aluminum Boats LLC and its government/commercial boat entity Metal Shark Boats are leading suppliers of custom boats for defense, law enforcement, and commercial entities. (Source: Metal Shark 09/26/17)

La. firm garners dredging pact

Mike Hooks LLC of Westlake, La., was awarded a $14,146,000 firm-fixed-price contract for Calcasieu River and Pass maintenance dredging. Bids were solicited via the Internet with seven received. Work will be performed in Glenmora, La., with an estimated completion date of June 7, 2018. FY 2017 Army operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $14,146,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of New Orleans is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 09/19/17)

HII raises $18K for Special Olympics

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding Division raised a record $18,000 for Special Olympics of Mississippi at the company's sixth annual "5K on the Causeway" held Sept. 23 on Singing River Island. More than 900 runners participated. Earlier this year, Ingalls donated $5,000 to athletes at the 2017 Special Olympics of Mississippi Summer Games, which was held at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. HII is America's largest military shipbuilding company. (Source: HII 09/26/17)

NIH’s toxic report on BP oil spill

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a toxic report confirming what people living with illnesses from the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill along the Gulf Coast already knew, but were told, even to the point of intimidation, to keep quiet about it. Volunteers were exposed to a substance known as Corexit, used in clean up of oil from the coastline for three-plus months; and some allegedly being threatened not to talk about their illnesses, according to the Bellona.org website. NIH’s clinical-language report, published without much notice in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, conclusion was no surprise. The Government Accountability Project, a watchdog group, documented reams of symptoms in interviews with cleanup workers. In 2015, the University of Alabama at Birmingham proved Corexit – manufactured by Nalco Environmental Solutions - could damage human lungs and the gills of fish and marine life. The commonality of most 47,000 residents was that they had worked as clean-up volunteers. In 2015, the University of Alabama at Birmingham proved Corexit – manufactured by Nalco Environmental Solutions - could damage human lungs and the gills of fish and marine life. BP settled with the U.S. government for $20B. In months after the spill, BP offered a one-time payment of up to $20,000 for people in the affected communities. There was only one string attached: They couldn’t sue BP in the future. Most of those interviewed by the Bellona.org website took the payment. (Source: Maritime Executive 09/25/17)

GC light crude may rise internationally

SINGAPORE - Demand for American light-sweet crude is set to rise amid changes in international sulphur specifications for refined products like fuel oil, while shale producers drill for more crude, according to Brent Secrest, senior VP at Enterprise Products. U.S. crude oil production spiked after the shale oil revolution of the late-2000s, leading to a glut in domestic crude supplies. American refiners are geared towards processing heavier crude with higher sulphur content. EP exports some 100,000 barrels per day of crude oil from the U.S. Gulf Coast. More American crude oil exports are expected because U.S. refiners aren’t looking to change refinery configurations to accommodate domestic light sweet crude oil, he added. The new sulphur specification for shipping fuels, set to begin in 2020, is set to boost demand for U.S. crude with lower sulphur content. The International Maritime Organization's tightened sulphur-crude shipping requirements begin in October. (Source: Reuters 09/25/17)

Horizon Shipbuilding reorganizing

Horizon Shipbuilding of Bayou La Batre, Ala., announced it will reorganize amid insufficient revenues for maintaining normal operations, according to company VP Lance C. Lemcool. Horizon saw an opportunity last year to repeat a major construction contract from 2012 for a number of vessels for Hornblower's HNY Ferries of NYC. The Horizon project was an “unparalleled commitment” of Horizon’s boat builders, subcontractors and suppliers. All of the ferries were delivered this year, according to the VP. However, project revenues were not sufficient for Horizon to continue normal day-to-day operations, he continued. The project shortfalls have been ongoing without resolution. Horizon will now take time to reorganize its current projects and make every effort to “regain its reputation” with vendors and subcontractors, Lemcool said. The announcement comes on the heels of the Hornblower contract and other recent deliveries. In April, Horizon also delivered its 20th towboat for Florida Marine Transporters (FMT) during their nine years of business. (Source: Marine Link 09/21/17)

GC: Tall Ships Challenge ’18

For the first time since The Tall Ships Challenge racing series launched in 2001, it will stop in Pensacola, Fla., and three other Gulf coast ports. The annual event, organized by Newport, R.I, organization Tall Ships America, will stopover in Pensacola April 12-15, 2018. In addition to a maritime-themed festival, the series will bring seven traditionally rigged sailing vessels to the region. The ships hail from locations across the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Coast and Europe. The fleet will include four docked ships that can be boarded and toured. The other ships will be available for hour-tour trips for visitors. Since its star, the challenge has taken place at ports along the Great Lakes, Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Next year's series on the Gulf Coast includes four stops: Galveston, Texas; Pensacola; New Orleans; and concluding in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Source: Pensacola News Journal 09/20/18)

Damaged ‘Fitz’ repairs will take longer

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Repairs to the damaged guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) will take more than a year to complete, but repairs to the USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) may take less time, according to Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer. SECNAV said it would be a high priority to fix both ships, which were involved in separate collisions with merchant ships this summer that killed 17 sailors. “Fitzgerald is going to be more than year,” he said. “We haven’t had the full assessment of McCain yet but I would hope that would be a much quicker fix,” SECNAV said. Both ships were assigned to the Navy’s forward deployed forces in Japan as part of Destroyer Squadron 15. (Source: USNI News 09/21/17) Gulf Coast Note: The guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald will be towed from Japan to the Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., for repairs.

EPF 9 completes builder’s trials

MOBILE, Ala. – The Navy’s ninth Expeditionary Fast Transport, City of Bismarck (EPF 9), successfully completed builder’s trials Sept. 14 after a two-day underway period in the Gulf of Mexico. While underway, various tests demonstrated the ship’s readiness, including calibration of communication and navigational systems, ship propulsion, ride control, and pollution control. Maneuverability trials tested the ship’s four steerable water jets while a series of high-speed turns demonstrated the stability and agility of the EPF catamaran hull form. The ship is now preparing for Acceptance Trials during which the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey will inspect and evaluate the ship to certify its readiness for delivery to the Navy. The ship was built at Austal USA Shipyard in Mobile, Ala. EPF’s are versatile, non-combatant vessels designed to operate in shallow-draft ports and waterways. (Source: Naval Sea Systems Command 09/15/17)

La. firm claims largest pipe-leg liftboat

A.K. Suda of Metairie, La., has designed the world’s largest pipe-leg steel liftboat, according to a company announcement. The 193-foot, 6-inch by 16-foot liftboat, Teras Conquest 8, was delivered to Singapore-based Teras Offshore Pte. by Saigon Offshore Fabrication & Engineering Ltd. of Vietnam in June. The vessel features 335-foot legs. A truss leg version is under construction. Teras Conquest 8 is a three-legged, self- propelled, self-elevating, general service liftboat known as the SUDA 335-L3P design. Two of the legs encircle 250-ton cranes that have a maximum reach of 129 feet. The liftboat can accommodate 160 persons, including the crew. (Source: Work Boat 09/18/17)

Conrad Shipyard gets 2-tug contract

Conrad Shipyard of Morgan City, La., has been awarded a contract to build two 100-foot by 34-foot, 3,000-horsepower ocean service tugs for Harley Marine Services of Seattle, Wash. The tugs are to be designed by Entech Designs LLC of Kenner, La. The first tug is scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2018. The second tug is scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2019. (Source: Work Boat 09/19/17)

WMA to repair CoE hopper dredge

World Marine of Alabama (WMA) was awarded a contract to dry-dock and repair the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (CoE) hopper dredge Wheeler. Since the dredge’s commissioning at Avondale (La.) Shipyard in 1982, WMA’s facility at Mobile, Ala., has dry-docked and repaired the dredge on multiple occasions, including a complete repowering in 2012. The Wheeler's hopper capacity is more than 8,200 cubic yards. The dredge is expected to arrive at the Mobile facility on Oct. 9 for the estimated 60-day project. Among some of the repairs will include dry-docking, double-bottom tank blasting and coating, bow-thruster overhaul, emergency generator replacement, pump and valve overhauls, and tail-shaft Controllable Pitch Propellers system repairs. Wheeler maintains waterway channels from Key West, Fla., to Brownsville, Texas. (Source: Work Boat 09/19/17)

Lifelong Seabee to lead vets’ parade

BILOXI, Miss. - The Gulf Coast Veterans Parade organization announced Sept. 18 that the Grand Marshal for the 17th Annual Gulf Coast Veterans Parade will be retired Navy Master Chief Dick Wade. Wade enlisted in the Navy in 1944, and ended his military career at Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport in 1990. The Vets’ Day parade will be at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11 and start in front of city hall. (Source: Naval Construction Battalion Center Facebook page 09/18/17)

MS port suing SIC contractor

GULFPORT, Miss. - The Port of Gulfport is suing Southern Industrial Contractors of Rayville, La., for $5.8 million, plus punitive damages, over a $50 million construction contract that is about 18 month behind schedule. The port claims the contractor breached its contract to build terminals and transit warehouses for tenants on West Pier, which was under renovation and expansion through $570 million from the federal government after Hurricane Katrina. The project was to be finished in March 2016. The port terminated SIC’s contract a year ago. SIC’s bonding company, Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America, is responsible for seeing the job was completed. SIC has a lawsuit pending again the Mississippi Development Authority, which oversees the port, and others over the contract. SIC is seeking $50 million in damages and contends MDA, and port engineering and construction firms, were negligent in the administration and oversight of the contract. (Source: Sun Herald 09/18/17)

Eglin group qualifies carrier sailors

Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.’s 33rd Maintenance Squadron (MXS) provided training and support to F-35C Joint Strike Fighters operations from Aug. 30 to Sept. 7 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. Two AF technicians and two sailors from the aerospace ground equipment flight and wheel and tire shop at Eglin qualified shipboard sailors to operate F-35C support equipment bringing the Navy one step closer to initial operations capability. Navy Strike Fighter Squadron 101 from Eglin AFB, and VFA-125 of NAS Lemoore, Calif., flew six aircraft aboard the carrier to execute initial carrier qualification for 13 pilots, training that can’t be completely replicated on-shore. This qualification requires pilots to take-off and land the jets during day and night operations. With the ground equipment flight and wheel and tire shop training, Lincoln's aviation structural mechanics are now qualified to tear down, inspect, clean, rebuild and service wheel assemblies and to operate support systems of F-35C aircraft while its engines are off. The 33rd MXS group oversees all aircraft maintenance, sortie generation, weapons loading operations and logistics integration for the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin. (Source: 33rd Fighter Wing 09/18/17)

Austal delivers 6th LCS to Navy

MOBILE, Ala. - The Navy accepted the delivery of the future Littoral Combat Ship USS Omaha (LCS 12) during a ceremony Sept. 15 at the Austal USA Shipyard in Mobile. The delivery marks the official transfer of LCS 12 from the Austal USA-led team to the Navy. It is the final milestone prior to commissioning, which is planned for early 2018 in San Diego. Omaha is the 10th LCS to join the fleet (six are of the Independence variant – all built by the Alabama shipyard). The Independence variant is noted for its unique trimaran hull, ability to operate at high speeds and its large flight deck size. (Source: PEO LCS 09/18/17)

Stennis R&D ocean dynamics pact

Vencore Inc. of Chantilly, Va., was awarded a $22,819,701 cost-plus-fixed-fee completion contract for the research and development of ocean dynamics and prediction oceanography. Work will be performed at the contractor’s facility at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Work is expected to be completed Sept. 14, 2022. Navy working capital funds in the amount of $741,951 will be obligated at the time of award. No funds will expire at the end of the current FY on Sept. 30. This contract was competitively procured under Naval Research Laboratory broad agency announcement N00173-17-S-BA01, topic number 73-17-01, Ocean Dynamics and Prediction Oceanography, for which numerous offers were received. The Naval Research Laboratory of Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 09/15/17)

HII delivers new LPD to Navy

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division delivered the amphibious transport dock Portland (LPD 27) to the Navy in an afternoon ceremony Sept. 18 at its facilities in Pascagoula, Miss. Portland was delivered at the ceremony with shipbuilders, ship’s force, and representatives of the Supervisor of Shipbuilding-Gulf Coast in attendance. The signing of the DD 250 document officially transfers custody of the ship from HII to the Navy. (Source: HII 09/18/17)

NHC expects Maria to miss GoM

Hurricane Maria, a Category 2 storm, will hit the Leeward Islands on the edge of the Caribbean Sea on Sept. 18 threatening areas that are still coping with the devastation brought by Hurricane Irma two weeks ago. Predictions call for it to pass straight over Puerto Rico on Sept. 20. The hurricane is headed in a NNW direction. The Keesler AFB, Miss.-based reserve unit known as the “Hurricane Hunters” flew on a route in and around Hurricane Maria on Sept. 18 to investigate the storm's development, according to the hurricane center. (Source: NPR 09/18/17) Maritime interests in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic are on alert since the two previous hurricanes this month have landed along Gulf coastlines. UPDATE: The National Hurricane Center expects Hurricane Maria to make a northerly turn and stay out of the Gulf of Mexico.

ESC awarded LLTM for 1st OPC

PANAMA CITY, Fla. - Eastern Shipbuilding Group of Panama City was awarded a Long Lead Time Material (LLTM) contract for the first Offshore Patrol Cutter, USCGC Argus (WMSM 915), on Sept. 7 for the Coast Guard. The LLTM award allows ESG to move ahead on a schedule to deliver the ship to meet the CG mission needs. The award includes main propulsion, machinery control, electrical and mechanical equipment orders that need to be placed in advance of awarding the construction contract for the OPC that is planned for the summer of 2018. Delivery is anticipated for August 2021. The award included development and approval of design specifications, which include CG requirements, and all American Bureau of Shipping Naval Vessel Rules. The OPC is the first CG vessel ever constructed to meet both very specific vessel classification requirements. (Source: Eastern Shipbuilding 09/15/17)

NASDA motions to deepen MS River

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture’s President and Commissioner of Louisiana’s Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Dr. Michael Strain, championed a motion, at its annual meeting in New Orleans recently, to support the deepening of the Mississippi River Ship Channel to 50 feet from Baton Rouge to the Gulf of Mexico. Dr. Strain led the effort to gain the support of the Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture (SASDA) on the motion. (Source: Marine Link 09/15/17)

UPDATE: Tripoli christened at HII

The Navy christened its newest America-class amphibious assault ship, the future USS Tripoli (LHA 7), Sept. 16 at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss. Thomas Dee, performing duties of Under Secretary of the Navy, delivered the ceremony’s principal address. Lynne Mabus, wife of former Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, served as the ship’s sponsor. LHA 7 will incorporate key components to provide the fleet with a more aviation centric platform. The design of the future Tripoli will feature an enlarged hangar deck, realignment and expansion of the aviation maintenance facilities, a significant increase in available stowage for parts and support equipment, and increased aviation fuel capacity. The ship will also be the first LHA replacement ship to depart the shipyard fully ready to integrate the entire future air combat element of the Marine Corps, including the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter. Along with its pioneering aviation element, LHA 7 will incorporate a gas turbine propulsion plant, zonal electrical distribution, and fuel efficient electric auxiliary propulsion systems first installed on USS Makin Island (LHD 8). (Source: U.S. Navy 09/14/17) UPDATE: Lynne Mabus breaks champagne bottle to christen Tripoli. http://newsroom.huntingtoningalls.com/file?fid=59bd69372cfac2083a47492a

High priority: Revamping Navy’s fleet

U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Scott H. Swift said Sept. 14 that the Navy is revamping the way combat ship crews train, maintain vessels, and get credentialed for missions at sea after multiple U.S. 7th Fleet collisions that claimed the lives of 17 sailors, and a ship grounding in the Asia-Pacific region. Swift, who controls 60 percent of the Navy’s combat ships and more than 140,000 sailors from the West Coast to the waters of North Korea and Australia. “I’m the one that is responsible (for fixing the issues)” he told the San Diego Union-Tribune. Swift has proposed the creation of a Naval Surface Group Western Pacific, made up of 30-to-50 experts in engineering, safety, maintenance, seamanship and training that will report directly to him. It may begin working on the issues as early as next week. Over the last 10-plus years, the Navy has doubled the number of warships based overseas in order to boost its “forward presence” and rapidly respond to crises in area waters like the South China and Yellow seas. Swift and Adm. Harry Harris Jr., commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, continue to have ongoing discussions about prioritizing missions, increasingly with an eye on ensuring combat ships are fully trained, and resourced for their operations. … “I know what the wrong answer is,” Swift said. (It is) “the status quo … And that’s unacceptable.” (Source: San Diego Union-Tribune 09/14/17) Gulf Coast Note: U.S. Adm. Harry Harris Jr. graduated from high school in Pensacola, Fla., the son of a career Navy man in a training billet at NAS Pensacola. None of the ships involved in the collisions in the Asia-Pacific region were built on the Gulf Coast. UPDATE: Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer is set to testify Sept. 19 before a Senate committee on two deadly ship collisions in the Pacific. The appearance by Spencer and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson will be before the Senate Armed Services Committee at 8:30 a.m. (CT) comes after service officials testified in the House last week, saying there was no excuse for the collisions of the USS John S. McCain and USS Fitzgerald destroyers that killed 17 sailors.

JHSV 2 launched today in 2012

The Joint High Speed Vehicle USNS Choctaw County (JHSV 2) was christened and launched at Mobile, Ala.’s Austal USA Shipyard on this day (Sept. 15) in 2012. The ship is operated by the Military Sealift Command. MSC operates some 110 non-combatant, civilian-crewed ships that replenish Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world, and move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. and coalition-partner forces. JHSV 2 was the second Spearhead-class expeditionary fast (EPF) transport ship built at Austal USA. It was previously named Vigilant by the Army before being transferred to the EPF program where it would get its new name – for three counties in Alabama, Mississippi and Oklahoma. It was accepted for delivery from Austal USA on June 6, 2013, in Mobile. (Source: U.S. Navy history website 09/15/17)

HII prez earns prestigious award

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Mike Petters, Huntington Ingalls Industries’ president/CEO, was honored with the 2017 Owen B. Butler Education Excellence Award at the Committee for Economic Development’s Distinguished Performance Awards Dinner Sept. 13 in New York City. The award was established in 2013 for the former chairman of the Committee for Economic Development. The award recognizes an individual’s exceptional commitment to quality education, skills development and workforce development programs. In 2016, Petters established the annual HII Scholarship Fund for children of its employees pursuing post-secondary college or technical/vocation degrees, or enrolled in Pre-K school readiness programs. Petters declines his annual salary, except for a dollar, to fund the program. (Source: HII 09/14/17) Gulf Coast Note: HII’s Shipbuilding Division includes Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss.

ESG's forward-thinking Thunderbolt

Eastern Shipbuilding’s forward-thinking inland towboat design features (Caterpillar’s) CAT Tier 4 propulsion and after-treatment. Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) of Panama City, Fla., first introduced its 4,000 horsepower (hp) Thunderbolt inland towboat that's designed around a twin azimuthing AAA Propulsion electric V-Pod configuration and diesel-electric technology in 2015. The collaborative input included operators, naval architects, and propulsion original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). In selecting the propulsion pod system for inclusion in the design, ESG met with inland owner-operators that had, and didn’t have, Z-Drive towboats. After listening, ESG selected the V-Pod. ESG also designed underwater protection for the Thunderbolt: Pipe guard protection system for each V-Pod. The pipe guards protected from side bank and stern impacts. Now that the new EPA Tier 4-compliant CAT engines are part of the concept design, it may be a positive combination for those looking for a next new-build package. ESG coined the Thunderbolt as a future vision for inland waterways. (Source: Marine Link 09/13/17)

Contract: HII, $73M

Huntington Ingalls Industries' Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $72,992,210 cost-plus-award-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-12-C-4323) for the continuation of integrated planning yard support for CG 47 and DD 963 class ships. HII-Pascagoula will provide planning yard support including but not limited to Navy modernization program planning, ship change planning development and installation, operating cycle integration program management, type commander support, mobile assist teams, rotatable equipment pools, ship configuration and logistics support, provisioned items orders and other material support, surface ship life cycle management support, hull mechanical and electrical engineering standardization efforts, and diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages identification, tracking, and resolution support. This modification includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this modification to $150,817,600. Work will be performed in Pascagoula and is expected to complete by September, 2018. Naval Sea Systems Command of Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD, 09/12/17)

Contract: HII, $10.7M

Huntington Ingalls Industries of Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a cost-plus-award-fee contract modification in the amount of $10,673,401 to a previously awarded contract (N00024-12-C-4323) to provide long lead-time material procurement, and management services. The contract is for planning yard services for CG-47-class cruisers and DD 963-class destroyers. Huntington Ingalls provides necessary engineering, technical, planning, ship configuration, data, and logistics efforts for CG-47-class cruisers and DD 963-class destroyers for lifetime support of both maintenance and modernization. Work will be performed in Pascagoula and is expected to be completed by September 2018. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion, and Repair Gulf Coast of Pascagoula is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD, 09/12/17)

HII launches future DDG 119

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - The future Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) was launched from Huntington Ingalls Industries’ shipyard on Sept. 8, according to a Sept. 11 media release from Naval Sea Systems Command. Launching of a ship is a multi-day process that includes moving the ship from a land facility to the dry dock, and slowly flooded until the ship is afloat. With the ship in the water, final outfitting and production can commence. “With four DDG 51-class ships currently in the water and in route to delivery, the program is in serial production and leveraging production efficiencies,” said Capt. Casey Moton, DDG 51 program manager. The ship is being configured as a Flight IIA destroyer, which enables power projection, forward presence, and escort operations at sea in support of Low Intensity Conflict/Coastal and Littoral Offshore Warfare as well as open ocean conflict. HII-Pascagoula is currently in production on future destroyers Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), Paul Ignatius (DDG 117), Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) and Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123). HII also is under contract for one additional DDG, Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), awarded as part of the five-ship buy. It will be the first ship to be configured in the Flight III design. (Source: Seapower Magazine 09/11/17)

Byrne: Navy needs more ships, money

U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.) thinks he has an answer for the Navy's collision problem: More ships and money. In a Sept. 10 statement, Bryne referred to two recent ship collisions that killed 17 sailors and Navy testimony at a recent subcommittee meeting of the House Armed Services Committee, which "made clear” investigations were ongoing, but "a number of conclusions can be drawn." The Navy needs improved training, additional sailors and ships, he argued. More ships mean less frequent deployments, and the "lack of adequate funding” means uncertainty for national defense. At the HASC subcommittee meeting, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Vice Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Bill Moran, told lawmakers that Navy ships have much more impact when they're stationed near high-tension areas. But such deployment puts a strain on manpower, maintenance and training. A GAO report concludes that a quick fix is not feasible: The Navy has "extended its time frame for readiness recovery to at least 2021, but it still has not developed specific benchmarks or interim goals for tracking and reporting on readiness recovery." Byrne supports an expansion to a 355-ship Navy. In his statement on readiness, Bryne appeared miffed at the Senate’s inaction on budget bills for 11 more ships. U.S. Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.), who also supports a 355-ship goal and more spending, has filed an amendment to the bill to authorize $1.2 billion more for ship construction, including three Littoral Combat Ships to be built at Austal USA Shipyard in Mobile, Ala., for FY-18. (Source: AL.com 09/11/17)

Ships preparing for Irma relief

Naval Air Station Key West, Fla., has no power, but there were no major damage or injuries among the 36 personnel who remained on base as Hurricane Irma passed. Commanding officer Capt. Bobby Baker and 35 staff had sheltered in a Category 5 rated hotel and remained in contact with the Navy throughout the storm, which made landfall about 18 miles from the base Sunday morning, according to the Navy. The NASKW staff has begun to assess the condition of the base. USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), with 27 helicopters, is staged off-shore to assist with that damage assessment and positioned itself for disaster relief, according to U.S Northern Command, which is coordinating the military’s response with civilian authorities. USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7), USS New York (LHD-21), USS Farragut (DDG-99), and USS San Jacinto (CG-56) were also moving into position to assist, if requested. Before the Pentagon can provide assistance, a formal request must be made by state and federal officials. As of Sept. 11 that request had not been made. The status of other Navy installations in Florida, other than a storm surge of about three feet above normal Sept. 11 at NAVSTA Mayport, the Navy was waiting to assess damages at Panama City, Orlando, and Pensacola. (Source: USNI News 09/11/17) Gulf Coast Note: On Sept. 11, the AF’s Hurlburt Field, Fla., became a staging area for a California Army National Guard unit called in to help with relief efforts in other parts of the state. The guard unit brought two cargo planes loaded with relief supplies, along with numerous helicopters for search and rescue. Eglin AFB, Fla., became a FEMA staging area. As of Sept. 12, none of the bases in the Florida Panhandle – NAS Pensacola and Whiting Field, Eglin, and Hurlburt - had reported major damages.

Contract: HII, $12.8M

Huntington Ingalls Inc. of Pascagoula, Miss., was awarded a $12,782,253 cost-plus-award-fee contract modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-12-C-4323) to provide long lead-time material procurement, and management services. The contract is for planning yard services for CG-47-class cruisers and DD 963-class destroyers. HHI provides necessary engineering, technical, planning, ship configuration, data, and logistics efforts for CG-47-class cruisers and DD 963-class destroyers for lifetime support of both maintenance and modernization. Work will be performed in Pascagoula and is expected to be completed by September 2018. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion, and Repair, Gulf Coast of Pascagoula, is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD, 09/11/17)

Apply to be ‘Great Ship of 2017’

Maritime Reporter & Engineering News profiles the most outstanding ships built in shipyards around the world, recognizing shipbuilders, ship owners, ship designers and equipment manufacturers as leaders in their field. The ultimate prize will be the naming of the “Great Ship of 2017” for the web-magazine’s December edition. Those in the shipbuilding industry are encouraged to complete an online application by Nov. 1, 2017. Only vessels delivered in 2017 will be considered. Source: Maritime Reporter & Engineering News.

Lawmaker seeks to change MMPA

Acoustic surveys seeking oil and gas deposits beneath sea-beds are being called the “least intrusive way” to explore for those natural resources, according to an industry report from the International Associate of Geophysical Contractors. Environmental advocates see it as a “blunt force weapon” that injures and kills marine mammals. U.S. Rep. Mike John (R-La.) has stepped into the fray siding with industry to amend the 45-year-old Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), and make it easier to obtain government permits for seismic surveys in federal waters, including the Gulf of Mexico. The Bossier City Republican’s proposal, called the Streamlining Environment Approvals Act of 2017, is pending in the U.S. House with seven co-sponsors, including all of Louisiana representative except Cedric Richmond (D-New Orleans). Johnson is a member of the Natural Resources Committee and its subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans. The Marine Mammal Protection Act generally forbids one to "hunt, harass, capture or kill" marine mammals. There are exceptions for "incidental take," which is the unintentional but foreseeable effect of certain activities such as military sonar and training, oil and gas work, and geophysical surveys for energy and science projects. The environment groups Oceans and the Center for Biological Diversity have long decried seismic blasting. The OCBD cites a new environmental impact statement from the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management that says seismic surveys for O&G in the Gulf of Mexico will injure as many as 31.9 million marine mammals - including 80 percent of sperm whales. (Source: NOLA.com 09/09/17)

Carnival re-routes ship to NOLA

Carnival Cruise Line was to have re-routed one ship and its 4,222 passengers to New Orleans on Sept. 9 to wait out Hurricane Irma. The hurricane was expected to make landfall on the southern Florida peninsula Sept. 10. Passengers aboard the Carnival Magic will be allowed to disembark in New Orleans. From there, passengers can make independent arrangements to travel home or remain onboard and sail back to Port Canaveral, where they can disembark as soon as the port reopens. Port Canaveral was closed to all port traffic Sept. 8. Officials said the port will reopen "as soon as an accurate assessment can be made for its safe reopening."It’s the third time in recent weeks NOLA has hosted Carnival cruise ships stranded by a storm. (Source: NOLA.com 09/08/17)

Mod PSA pact for 2 LCS

BAE Systems’ San Diego (Calif.) Ship Repair was awarded a $24,448,647 cost-plus-award-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-16-C-2309) to exercise options for post-shakedown availabilities (PSA) for USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) and USS Omaha (LCS 12). PSAs are accomplished within a period of approximately 10-to-16 weeks between the time of ship custody transfer to the Navy and the Navy shipbuilding and conversion obligation work limiting date. The PSA encompasses all of the manpower, support services, material, non-standard equipment and associated technical data and documentation required to prepare for and accomplish the PSA. The work will include correction of government-responsible trial card deficiencies, new work identified between custody transfer and the time of PSA and incorporation of approved engineering changes that were not incorporated during the construction period which are not otherwise the building yard's responsibility under the ship construction contract. Work will be performed in San Diego, and is expected to be completed by October 2018. (Source: DOD 09/08/17) Gulf Coast Note: Both Independence variant Littoral Combat Ships were built at Austal USA Shipyard in Mobile, Ala.

Temp waiver of Jones Act

WASHINGTON - The Trump administration has waived Jones Act requirements until Sept. 15 to address the potential for a fuel shortage in Florida caused by Hurricane Irma and lingering Gulf Coast pipeline and refinery disruptions following Hurricane Harvey. The Jones Act requires vessels transporting goods between U.S. ports to be U.S.-flagged, U.S.-built and majority U.S.-owned. On Sept. 8, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke signed a waiver which will allow gasoline and other refined products to move between U.S. ports on foreign-flagged vessels over the next seven days. The waiver is needed to "facilitate" shipments of refined petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, from ports in New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Louisiana, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Puerto Rico. Officials may extend the waiver beyond seven days if deem necessary, according to administration officials. (Source: Platts 09/08/17) The Coast Guard has closed Tampa, St. Petersburg and Manatee, Fla., ports, Sept. 9; and set Hurricane Condition ZULU (sustained gale force winds within 12 hours). The ports are closed to all inbound and outbound traffic. No vessel may enter, depart or transit within this safety zone without the permission of the Captain of the Port.

Dragon Masters deactivated

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – After 63 years of flying test and evaluation aviation missions, Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City’s (NSWC) “Dragon Masters” Aviation Unit was deactivated Sept. 8. Its mission was to fly test and evaluation missions for the only Navy lab located along the Gulf Coast. The unit is presently comprised of 53 military and contractors, and two MH-60S aircraft. The aircraft will be returned to the Navy fleet in San Diego on Sept. 10. NSWC will continue to support the Navy’s mine-countermeasure missions, said base commander, Capt. Aaron Peters. Five of the unit’s military billets and three contractors will remain at NSWC. The phase out will occur between FY 2018-20. Those personnel will assist in conducting Unmanned Aerial System drone test flights. Additionally, a Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) detachment of up to 100 sailors will use the aviation unit as they train on the next generation LCAC presently under construction at Textron Inc., in Mobile, Ala. (Source: NSWC Panama City 09/08/17)

CG station flood teams in Mobile

ST. LOUIS - Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River is deploying three flood punt teams Sept. 8 to assist with Hurricane Irma responses. The flood punt teams will stage in Mobile, Ala., and remain ready to respond to affected areas. The flood punts are small watercraft that can operate in shallow flooded areas. The CG's Seventh District Office in Miami, Fla., is temporarily relocating personnel to St. Louis to monitor and manage the incident from a safe location. “The Coast Guard in St. Louis played a crucial role in the response to Hurricane Harvey and will do so again for Hurricane Irma,” explained Capt. Scott Stoermer, commander of Sector Upper Mississippi River. “We stand ready to assist any and all those in need in the wake of this natural disaster.” (Source: Coast Guard 09/08/17)

Weeks Marine beach-fill contract

Weeks Marine Inc. of Covington, La., has been awarded a $9,524,950 firm-fixed-price contract for beach fill at Brigantine Inlet to Great Egg Harbor Inlet and Brigantine Island in Atlantic County, N.J. Work will be performed in New Jersey with an estimated completion date of Jan. 22, 2018. FY 2017 funds in the amount of $9,524,950 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 09/07/17)

Optimizing MS oyster production

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Seventy-five percent of oysters harvested in the U.S. come from Gulf Coast states, but Mississippi oyster production has been sliding for a decade. In 2004, nearly 500,000 sacks were harvested compared to 2014 when it was a little more than 78,000 harvested, according to the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. The economic impact of the lack of oyster production went down more than $10M - from $23.7M in 2009 to $13.47M in 2011. Mississippi State University environmental and agricultural economic researchers are hoping to develop a tool that helps the state’s oyster industry. Daniel Petrolia, an associate professor of environmental economics in the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, was awarded nearly $600,000 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and will lead a team to develop a shellfish portfolio assessment tool called SPAT. The tool will assist resource managers and oyster farmers to determine the best oyster cultivation practice that will minimize risk while maximizing benefits. The state established a goal to produce one million sacks of oysters per year (a sack equals 1.5 bushels). (Source: Mississippi State University 09/07/17) William Walton, associate professor in the School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences at Auburn (Ala.) University; Just Cebrian, senior marine scientist with the Dauphin Island (Ala.) Sea Lab; Jason Rider, oyster extension agent with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources; and George Ramseur, office director for Coastal Restoration and Resilience with the Mississippi DMR, also are collaborating on the project.

Gulf ports watching Irma shutdowns

NEW ORLEANS - This hurricane season is giving the maritime industry a lot of breathing room. Hurricane Harvey shuttered ports in Texas; and Irma is threatening to affect a number of others on the East Coast of Florida, and potentially all the way to New York. Louisiana ports are paying attention. All commercial vessels, including cruse and cargo ships, will depart the Miami-Dade County, Fla., port starting at noon Sept. 8, according to Miami Mayor Carlos Gimenez. The port will close at 8 a.m. on Sept. 9. NOLA maritime experts say the impact could stretch beyond Florida to as far north as Boston and New York, according to Gary LaGrange, executive director of the Ports Association of Louisiana. Harvey’s sidelining of Texas ports caused the Port of New Orleans to welcome cruise ships. Louisiana ports are watching to see if they will pick up slack from ports affected by Irma. The NOLA port’s market area is the 31 states making up mid-America. Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans ports could “benefit on a short-term basis,” said Robert Landry, VP/COO at the Port of New Orleans. (Source: WVUE 09/06/17)

LCS program vastly different

SAN DIEGO – The Littoral Combat Ship fleet has spent the last year in the midst of reorganization, and preparations for a new way of conducting business after a 2016 LCS Review recommended injecting simplicity, stability and ownership into the program. A year into implementing the recommendations, the LCS fleet looks different than initially envisioned. LCS ships now fall under one of two squadrons: LCSRON-1 in San Diego or LCSRON-2 in Mayport, Fla. LCSRON-1 will eventually have four divisions and consist of the first four ships in the Independence class to focus on testing hardware, software and concepts of operations to support bringing new mission module equipment into the fleet; a surface warfare division; a mine countermeasures division; and an anti-submarine division. LCSRON-1’s surface warfare-focused Division 11, the first warfare-focused division to stand up, will include USS Jackson (LCS-6) as the training ship, and USS Montgomery (LCS-8), USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) and USS Omaha (LCS-12) as the ships to forward deploy. For the training ships, “what we’re going to do is build a more senior crew with a little more resident LCS expertise so they are able to train and certify the three ships that will each be blue and gold, six crews,” said LCSRON-1’s Capt. Jordy Harrison. LCSRON-1 staff won’t deploy. The commander’s sole job is to make sure crews and ships are ready to deploy, overseeing training, maintenance, manning and certification to deploy. (Source: Part 1 of 3 USNI News 09/06/17) Gulf Coast Note: All LCS home-ported in San Diego are Independence variants built by Austal USA shipyards in Mobile, Ala.

$10.5M NOLA port deal

The Port of New Orleans closed a multi-million dollar real estate deal Aug. 28 as part of a process putting Public Belt Railroad in port hands, and turning prime Mississippi River-front real estate over to the city. The port purchased a former France Road shipyard on the Industrial Canal for $10.5M from a real estate firm belonging to Shane Guidry, owner of Harvey Gulf International Marine. Port President/CEO Brandy Christian and Guidry signed the deal Aug. 28, according to Orleans Parish real estate records. (Source: NOLA.com 09/06/17)

ESG cuts steel for NYC ferry

PANAMA CITY, Fla. - Eastern Shipbuilding Group of Panama City, Fla., announced Sept. 5 that the New York City Department of Transportation’s Staten Island Ferry Division and Eastern cut steel to start construction of the first of three new Staten Island Ollis Class Ferries. The steel cutting ceremony of the 320-foot ferry took place at Eastern’s indoor steel processing and pre-fabrication building in Panama City. (Source: Eastern Shipbuilding 09/05/17)

Austal order award: $12.2M

Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., is being awarded $12,283,922 for cost-plus-award-fee delivery order 7F18 against a previously awarded basic ordering agreement (N00024-15-G-2304) to provide engineering and management services for advance planning and design in support of the post shakedown availability for the Littoral Combat Ship USS Omaha (LCS-12). Work will be performed in Mobile (75%); and San Diego (25%). It is expected to be completed by August 2018. FY 2017 Navy shipbuilding and conversion funding in the amount of $7,537,555; and FY 2012 Navy shipbuilding and conversion funding in the amount of $3,230,381 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire Sept. 30, 2017. Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion, and Repair Gulf Coast of Pascagoula, Miss., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 09/06/17)

Fla. signs buffer deal for NSAPC

The State of Florida’s Department of Environment Protection has completed a deal worth $1.67M for eight-plus acres of property, known as “Barefoot Palms,” as a buffer zone around Naval Support Activity Panama City. The acquisition “will prevent further incompatible development” adjacent to NSAPC and “prevent potential major interruptions to their military mission,” said David Clark, the DEP’s Division of State Lands director. “It will provide additional security and a buffer to one of the more sensitive areas on the installation.” NSAPC is home to some 3,000 military and civilian personnel, Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Panama City, and the Navy Experimental Diving Unit. (Florida Politics 09/04/17)

Bollinger delivers 25th FRS to CG

LOCKPORT, La. - Bollinger Shipyards of Louisiana has delivered the 25th Fast Response Cutter (FRC), USCGC Jacob Poroo, to the U.S. Coast Guard on Sept. 5 in Key West, Fla. The vessel’s commissioning is scheduled for Nov. 8 in New Orleans. (Bollinger Shipyards 09/06/17)

La. shipyards awarded DOT grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) has awarded $9.8 million to 18 American shipyards as part of its Small Shipyard Grant Program. Gulf Island Shipyards of Houma, La., was awarded $757,168 to support the purchase of a laser CNC cutting machine and a CNC pipe bending machine. A&Z Marine of Port Allen, La., was awarded $900,000 to support the purchase a 440-ton marine travelift. Grants are available to American shipyards with less than 600 production employees. Since 2008, MARAD’s grant program has awarded $174 million to 169 small shipyards. (Source: Marine Link 09/06/17)

Ships entering, exiting TX channel

HOUSTON - Salvage efforts continue Sept. 4 to remove a sunken drydock in the Houston Ship Channel. There was no timeframe given for the removal of drydock debris. The channel links the busiest petrochemical port to the Gulf of Mexico. The channel is open just past the Exxon Mobil Corp's Baytown refinery to vessels up to a 40-foot draft. Ships were entering and exiting the channel on Monday, according to Alberto Hernandez, a watch supervisor for the Coast Guard. (Source: Reuters 09/04/17)

CG locates drifting fishermen

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard located two fishermen drifting in a life boat off the coast of Panama City, Fla., early Sept. 2. The raft and occupants were located by CG aircraft, and recovered by a good Samaritan vessel. The duo was later transferred to the Franklin County (Fla.) Sheriff’s office, who brought them ashore. CG Sector Mobile (Ala.) watchstanders received notification at 9 p.m. on Sept. 1 of an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) signal coming from the Panama City coastline. The CG had directed the launch of an Aviation Training Center-Mobile HC-144 Ocean Sentry fixed-wing aircrew and a CG Station Panama City response boat and crew to search for the raft. (Source: Coast Guard 09/02/17)

Prez’ intended nominees & Gulf Coast

President Donald J. Trump announced Sept. 2 his intent to nominate individuals to key positions within the administration. Among those intended nominees, which may be of interest to Gulf Coast environmental, maritime, and defense industries include:
* Former Navy Rear Adm. Timothy Gallaudet, whose last command was as Oceanographer of the Navy and Commander of the Navy Meteorology and Oceanography Command at Stennis Space Center, Miss., was listed as a intended nominee for Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.
*Randy Reeves to be Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Memorial Affairs. Reeves currently serves as Executive Director of the Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board and serves as President of the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs. A native of rural Mississippi, he served as an enlisted man in the Air Force (1980-88) before earning a commission as a Navy officer (1988-2008). Retired Navy Cmdr. Reeves is a Gulf War Veteran with service in Operations Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom.
*Robert Behler to Director of Operational Test and Evaluation at the Defense Department. He previously worked as President/COO for SRC Inc. – an independent, not-for-profit research and development corporation – with a offices in 13 locations, including Eglin AFB, Fla. Behler is a retired Air Force major general.
*Matthew Z. Leopold of Florida to be an Assistant Administrator/General Counsel for the Environmental Protection Agency. Leopold is a lawyer in Tallahassee, Fla. He is the former General Counsel for the Florida Department of Environment Protection; and a former attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division. He represented the State and Federal governments in the case of the United States v. BP Exploration and Production, Inc., to address the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
*Thomas B. Modly of Maryland to be Under Secretary of the Navy. He is currently a managing director at Pricewaterhouse-Coopers’ Global Government and Public Services sector, and the firm’s Global Government Defense Network Leader, where he is responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of solutions for government defense clients worldwide. Modly, a U.S. Naval Academy grad, served in the Navy as a helicopter pilot. (Source: White House 09/02/17)

Cruise ship returns to Texas port

HOUSTON - The Coast Guard monitored the return of cruise ships Sept. 1 to ports in Galveston, Texas. Cruise ship passengers were allowed to disembark at Galveston ship terminals after being stranded at sea for an additional six days due to Hurricane Harvey. The CG is working with federal, state, local and industry partners toward the recovery of ports affected by the hurricane, and to support safe, secure and efficient marine transportation. “Many of the ports have been reopened with restrictions,” said Steven Nerheim, director of Vessel Traffic Service at CG Sector Houston-Galveston. “We understand the national and economic significance of these ports and are working diligently to reopen them to their normal operating conditions.” (Source: Coast Guard 09/01/17)

EPA estuary award for Escambia, Fla.

A group of Northwest Floridians, called the Choctawhatchee Bay Estuary Coalition, has worked to produce an application for a $2.2 million estuary program grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. The group found out Aug. 31 that it had lost the competition to a group proposing to protect the Pensacola Bay and Perdido Bay watersheds in Escambia County, Fla. EPA has helped fund 28 National Estuary programs, but hasn’t paid to establish a new one which 1995. The Pensacola Bay/Perdido bays award was the first of its kind in Northwest Florida, according to Jim Trifilio, Okaloosa County coastal management coordinator. Seed money for the award was provided by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council using BP RESTORE Act funds. The grant monies are to be spent on projects designed to improve water quality and wildlife habitat in the Pensacola/Perdido bays’ watersheds. (Source: NW Florida Daily News 09/01/17)

Contract: Lockheed, $17.5M

Lockheed Martin's Rotary and Mission Systems of Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded a $17,496,073 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-15-C-5151) to exercise options for ship integration and test of the Aegis Weapon System (AWS) for AWS baselines through Advanced Capability Build 16. Work under this modification will be performed in Pascagoula, Miss. (40%); Moorestown, N.J. (20%); Washington, D.C. (10%); Bath, Maine (10%); Norfolk, Va. (10%); San Diego (10%). It is expected to be completed by February 2020. FY 2014 Navy shipbuilding and conversion funds in the amount of $7,237,019 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire Sept. 30; and FY 2017 Navy operation and maintenance funds of $457,931 will be obligated at time of award and will expire Sept. 30. Naval Sea Systems Command of Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. b(Source: DOD 09/01/17)

Contract: Textron, $7M

Textron Systems' Marine and Land Systems of New Orleans, is being awarded a $7,050,010 cost-reimbursable, not-to-exceed undefinitized contract action for procurement of long-lead time material for ship to shore connector class crafts 109 and 110. Work will be performed in New Orleans (41%); Riverdale, Iowa (32%); Russellville, Ark. (6%); Gulfport, Miss. (6%); Stamford, Conn. (5%); St. Rose, La. (5%); and Stafford, Texas (5%). It is expected to be completed by August 2019. Naval Sea Systems Command of Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity). (Source: DOD 09/01/17)

CG urging holiday boating cautions

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard reminds all boaters to exercise extreme caution while on the water over the Labor Day weekend because of the “high probability” of large debris in the waters around the Gulf Coast following Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey. A tree branch, board or other rubble, just under the surface of the water, “could result in a tragic accident to a water skier and property damage to watercraft,” says Ed Huntsman, boating safety program manager for the CG’s 8th District. Always wear a life jacket and boat responsibly. It only takes a moment for an accident to happen. (Source: Coast Guard 09/01/17)

Industry may seek Jones Act waiver

A disruption of oil refinery operations and ocean shipping on the Gulf Coast, in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, may prompt the oil industry to request a waiver of the Jones Act to permit non-U.S. vessels to move crude oil and refined products to eastern markets. However, U.S. agencies have sparingly granted waivers after severe storms, although they were granted after hurricanes Katrina in 2005 and Sandy in 2012. (Source: Lexology 08/31/17)

LCS 4 adds OTH firepower

The Navy broke ground Aug. 27 on another drone milestone when an MQ-8B Fire Scout helped track a Harpoon anti-ship missile fired from the deck of the USS Coronado (LCS 4) off the coast of Guam, which North Korea has threatened to attack with ballistic missiles. Additionally, Iran dispatched small drones to harass Navy warships in the Persian Gulf. The tracking assistance from the Fire Scout unmanned drone and an MH-60S helicopter, the Harpoon Block 1C missile destroyed its over the horizon (OTH) target giving the LCS more firepower, according to the Navy. (Source: Defense Tech 08/27/17) Gulf Coast Note: Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., builds the even- numbered hulls of the Independence variant such as USS Coronado.