Review of fed’s O&G revenue shortfall

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) has asked his staff to review the Trump Administration's accounting of $140 million the state was anticipating to get under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act. The state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority learned last week that Louisiana would get only $70 million under the act for FY 2018, which began Oct. 1. His staff is examining the 2006 law, revenue from offshore oil leases, and how the U.S. Interior Department calculated the payout. The GoM security act divides 37.5 percent of federal oil and gas revenues from drilling offshore of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Since taking effect in 2007, it has applied to only two small portions of the GoM. The second phase of the law, which takes effect in FY-18, covers more of the Gulf and wells to have come on line since 2007. That led to the coastal authority's estimate of $140 million for this year. "We're trying to do our own individual verification of those numbers," Cassidy said Oct. 27. "I'm not saying they're wrong. I'm not saying they're right." President Trump had called for rescinding the GoM security act and putting revenues elsewhere in the federal budget. State officials and Louisiana’s congressional delegation doubt that will make it through the budget process. (Source: NOLA.com 10/30/17)

Small GC tug firm obtains TSMS cert

Ivy Marine LLC, a two-tug boat operation out of Mobile, Ala., became the smallest tugboat operator to obtain a Towing Safety Management System (TSMS) certificate that meets the latest American authority requirements. The Gulf Coast-headquartered operator worked with maritime software developer Helm Operations to achieve the milestone. Its TSMS certificate meets requirements of the Coast Guard’s new Subchapter M regulations of Title 46 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations. It also meets standards under the American Waterways Operators’ Responsible Carriers Programme. (Source: Tug Technology and Business 10/30/17)

Tests limits of oil export infrastructure

Tankers with record levels of crude are leaving in droves from Louisiana and Texas ports, but more growth in the American oil export market may soon test the limits of pipelines, dock space and ship traffic. (Source: Marine Link 10/30/17)

LCS mine-hunt system mod pact

Raytheon Co. of Keyport, Wash., was awarded a $15,132,006 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N61331-17-D-0001) to exercise an option for maintenance and support for the AN/AQS-20 sonar mine detecting set to maintain and improve system sustainability. The AN/AQS-20 is a towed, mine hunting and identification system for Program Executive Office, Littoral Combat Ships. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, R.I. (65%); Keyport (30%); and Panama City, Fla. (5%), and is expected to be completed by October 2018. Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 10/27/17)

MIST summit set for Nov. 30

The Marine Industries Science & Technology (MIST) Cluster Small Business Summit will be held at the INFINITY Science & Discovery Center on Nov. 30 at the Stennis Space Center. The summit is to focus on the Navy, and large prime contractors supporting the sea service. Speakers will include persons from the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, Naval Research Laboratory, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic, Leidos, General Dynamics Information Technology, and Vencore Services and Solutions. The summit is also to feature information on upcoming contracts and ways small businesses can help support MIST’s small business goals on larger contracts. Registration, which includes lunch, is $25. (Source: Stennis Business and Technology Digest 10/28/17)

Navy diving’s lethal oxygen research

ARLINGTON, Va. - Special Operation divers take on life-threatening risks from combatants and harsh environments, but one of the silent hazards is oxygen toxicity, the result of breathing lethal levels of oxygen under water and pressure. Dr. Blair Johnson, who teaches exercise physiology at the University at Buffalo, is conducting for the Office of Naval Research a new type of research that may protect Navy divers from this deadly threat. "Recent evidence suggests that hormone levels critical to maintaining breathing and heart function drop sharply when someone is immersed underwater," said Dr. William D'Angelo, who manages ONR's Undersea Medicine Program. Johnson's groundbreaking research will expand on how water immersion triggers oxygen toxicity. Johnson’s team built a special water-immersion tank in the UB's Center for Research and Education in Special Environments where scientists can study simulated extreme environments - like breathing different gas mixtures underwater. (Source: Office of Naval Research 10/26/17) Gulf Coast Note: The Naval Special Warfare training detachment at the Navy Diving and Experiment Dive Unit in Panama City, Fla., provides SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) training to both U.S. and ally “Spec Ops” forces. The training offered focuses on the topics such as vehicle operations, hull maintenance, electronic equipment maintenance, and Underwater Breathing Apparatus (UBA) operation, maintenance and repair.

AF weapons evals over Gulf of Mexico

EGLIN AFB, Fla. - Explosions, combat jets and armed boats with faux rocket launchers will all be part of upcoming Air Force training exercises in early November. Eglin AFB’s 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group will be conducting operations from Nov. 1-3 and Nov. 6-8 in the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay as part of a Weapon System Evaluation Program. In the mornings of those dates between 8 a.m. and 12 noon, jets will be releasing munitions about 20 miles south of Destin in the Gulf. The test will be conducted within a cleared safety range that will include boat surveillance. Notices to mariners will be issued, and flyers will be handed out at the local NW Florida marinas. Between 1-5 p.m. daily, about 30 boats traveling in formation will transverse between the Mid-Bay Bridge and the U.S. Highway 331 Bridge, including 10-to-20 miles south of Destin in the Gulf of Mexico, according to base officials. The boat formation will be used as visual targets by military aircraft flying over the area. Some boats will have mock-up, fake deck guns and rocket launcher tubes, but no live weapons or ammunition will be involved. The boats also will be using marine flares as visual markers. (Source: News Herald 10/27/17) UPDATE: The operations is for a host of military aircraft from around the country participating in Combat Hammer, an annual weapons system evaluation exercise at Eglin AFB.

HII's $9.9M mod pact for DDG 114

Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HII) shipbuilding division at Pascagoula, Miss., was awarded a $9,920,893 cost-plus award-fee order against a previously awarded basic ordering agreement (N00024-16-G-2303) to provide program management, advanced planning, engineering, design, material procurement/kitting, liaison, scheduling, and participation in planning conferences and design reviews in support of the post shakedown availability for DDG 114. Work will be performed in Pascagoula (75%); and Everett, Wash. (25%), and is expected to be completed by January 2019. FY 2017 Navy shipbuilding and conversion funding in the amount of $9,920,893 was obligated at the time of award, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) - only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion, and Repair Gulf Coast of Pascagoula is the contracting activity. (Source: DoO, 1027/17)

‘Modernizing Ports for the Future’

The Commandant of the Coast Guard Adm. Paul Zukunft, Maritime Administrator Mark Buzby, and Federal Maritime Commissioner William Doyle were keynote speakers at the 91st Annual International Propeller Convention in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Oct. 18-20. The convention’s theme was "Modernizing Ports for the Future". Industry panel discussion topics included cyber security, Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) as ship fuel, navigation channel deepening and widening projects, landside port infrastructure, and port security. Florida Gov. Rick Scott opened the convention highlighting the state’s investments in its ports to the tune of $1.2B since 2011. Much of that spending was related to port expansions and waterways to handle larger ships serving world trade. A panel discussion on LNG was led by Doyle and consisted of industry leaders in operating ships with LNG for fuel, including Peter Keller, executive VP of Tote Inc., Chad Verret, executive VP of Harvey (La.) Gulf International, and Matt Jackson, VP of Crowley LNG. Tote operates the world's first LNG-powered containerships between Jacksonville, Fla., and Puerto Rico. (Source: Marine Log 10/27/17)

DISL on road to Ocean Commotion

DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. – The Dauphin Island Sea Lab's Discovery Hall Programs took a trip to the campus of Louisiana State University on Oct. 24 to participate in the annual Louisiana Sea Grant’s 20th annual Ocean Commotion educational experience. Some 1,600 school students participated in the one day ocean-themed educational fair. Exhibits focused on coastal marshes and wetlands, invasive species, local ecosystems, boating safety, and Louisiana's geology and wildlife. Many of the students had never been to a swamp or marsh, so, it was their first time to see marine animals, which DISL's Discovery Hall Programs' educator JoAnn Moody had on display. “The students were amazed by the more peculiar specimens, like batfish and stargazers, but really got excited over something most of us take for granted, live hermit crabs," Moody said. "I believe many of them could have spent their whole day just letting the hairy crabs walk around on their hands.” Ocean Commotion is an educational experience for Louisiana students. DISL has participated in Ocean Commotion since the start in 1998. (Source: DISL 10/26/17)

NOLA floodwall section replacement

NEW ORLEANS - A 500-foot section of a Mississippi River floodwall in the French Quarter will be replaced beginning in November, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The wall will be built between the French Market’s shopping area and river. It will cost $4.5 million. Work will take about 18 months. MTC Construction LLC of St. Martinville, La., is the main contractor. The project will include removal of an existing wall, with the top of the new wall at 22.6 feet above sea level, and 1.7 feet higher than the existing one. (Source: NOLA.com 10/24/17)

FEMA grant for port security

PENSACOLA, Fla. - The City of Pensacola received notice from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that its Port of Pensacola had been awarded a $315,375 grant for FY 2018 for a Maritime Fire Training Simulator through the Port Security Grant Program (PSGP). The simulator will be used for port response, incident control and hazard mitigation training by firefighters, law enforcement officers, hazardous materials teams, port response staff and incident command staff. The PSGP provides supports communities for addressing security needs of the country’s maritime ports. The grant requires $105,125 in local matching funds, which will come from Local Option Sales Tax funding, according to Pensacola Fire Chief David Allen. (Source: City of Pensacola 10/24/17)

Faux drone attack over NASP port

PENSACOLA, Fla. - A small unmanned aerial system hovered above Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla.’s port facilities Oct. 24 during a first-ever drone-related training exercise designed to ready base and community first responders for potential chemical, biological or radiation attacks. The scenario involved a drone dropping a fake chemical over the port, causing five sailors and a security guard to lose consciousness. Pensacola Police and Escambia County Sheriff's Office deputies were among first responders that watched and learned from the exercise. ESCO Deputy Jacob Halloway said coordination among the military and local law enforcement agencies is a crucial part of protecting the base and surrounding community. The exercise took more than two months to organize; and required base security and fire officials to determine potential threats and appropriate responses. First responders were not advised in advance as to what chemical the drone was to deliver; and had to prepare for multiple possibilities before donning protective gear and helping the downed sailors. (Source: Pensacola News Journal 10/25/17)

Southern Strike over Gulf Coast

Gulf Coast residents will be seeing increased air activity over the waterways throughout the region as Southern Strike 2018 – a multi-service training exercise hosted by the Mississippi Air National Guard’s Combat Readiness Training Center in Gulfport, Miss. – intensifies maritime and riverine operations. Southern Strike 2018 is a large scale combat exercise emphasizing air dominance, maritime and air support operations, and precision engagement. Units from across all 50 states, and international partners, will be participating. The exercise, which began Oct. 23, runs through Nov. 3. (Source: St. Louis Post Dispatch & DVIDS 10/25/17)

Largest ever O&G lease sale

The U.S. Department of Interior has proposed offering the largest oil and gas lease sale ever in the United States. DoI has proposed to offer more than 79.9 million acres within federal waters off the Gulf Coast states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas for O&G exploration and development. The proposed lease sale includes all available un-leased areas on the GoM’s Outer Continental Shelf. The sale is scheduled for March 2018. (Source: Maritime Herald 10/26/17)

Test of authority in Gitmo war court

MIAMI – There is a test of wills and authority going on between the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, military war-court judge and chief defense counsel. The judge, Air Force Col. Vance Spath, ordered the three civilian lawyers who quit the case against Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri, the man accused of orchestrating al-Qaida's October 2000 attack against USS Cole in Yemen, to return to court next week. Civilian lawyers Rick Kammen, Rosa Eliades and Mary Spears quit their jobs Oct. 11. The trio got permission to quit from chief defense counsel, Marine Brig. Gen. John Baker, who found "good cause" for their resignations. Judge Spath wrote in an Oct. 16 order that, while Baker "purported to find good cause" to approve the trio’s leaving the case, Spath he has not. The trio will remain counsel of record in this case, and are ordered to appear at the next scheduled hearing, Spath wrote. The issue is whether Baker or Spath has authority to excuse the lawyers from the case. The war court judge's book, "Trial Judiciary Rules of Court," says once a civilian lawyer has appeared in court, "excusal must be approved by the military judge." But the "Manual for Military Commissions," from which rules are drawn, says the authority goes to who appointed the lawyer(s) gets to excuse them for good cause. Al-Nashiri could face military execution, if convicted. (Source: Miami Herald 10/24/17).Gulf Coast Note: Among those serving in USS Cole with Gulf Coast ties included retired master chiefs James Parlier and Eric Kafka. Both had served with Navy Pensacola, Fla., commands.

Seacor gets first FSV delivery

Seacor Marine of Houma, La., recently took delivery of the first of a new fleet of fast support vessels (FSV), focused on enhanced passenger comfort and increased speed. The 13,500- horse-power propulsion system onboard the Ava J McCall gives the vessel a maximum speed of 38 knots, far above industry standards, according to Seacor officials. The vessel was also built with an ABS Class 2 Kongsberg dynamic positioning system, eight thrusters that provide excellent station-keeping and system redundancy, the company said. The Ava J McCall was built by Gulf Craft of Franklin, La. It was engineered by Australian-based Incat Crowther, which has an office in Lafayette, La. (Source: Work Boat 10/23/17)

Crowley delivering 9.5K loads to PR

Crowley Maritime Corp. expects to have offloaded more than 9,500 loads of commercial and government relief cargo into Puerto Rico by Oct. 20. The island was hit by back-to-back hurricanes. Crowley has added six U.S. flagged flat-deck barges to its fleet – a 40 percent increase in capacity - since Hurricane Irma struck in late September, and has one sailing every day this week to San Juan. “Given all that the island needs, we view all cargo … as vital to our recovery,” said Jose ‘Pache’ Ayala, VP of Puerto Rico services. The relief cargo is being distributed by Crowley Logistics, which has more than 375 trucks on the island. The logistics group is also providing services such as the short-haul transportation of goods via ground freight, direct deliveries, deconsolidation, inventory control, and providing forklift equipment and operators to expedite the handling of air freight at the airport. (Source: Crowley Maritime 10/18/17) Gulf Coast Note: Crowley has facilities along the Gulf Coast in Lake Charles and New Orleans, La., and Gulfport, Miss.

Mariners warning: Navy testing

PANAMA CITY – The Navy will be conducting surface and subsurface testing with an unmanned underwater vehicle deploying acoustic nodes for communication in St. Andrew Bay through Oct. 20 during daylight hours. All items deployed will be recovered daily. Mariners are requested to maintain a safe distance from surface craft and the UUV. Oct. 23-27, testing will be conducted in the Gulf of Mexico (30-07-46.6N 085-48-00.5W). Mariners are requested to maintain a one nautical mile perimeter of the test field. Navy Support Vessels will monitor VHF-FM Channel 16. For up-to-date information, mariners can contact the Coast Guard Sector Mobile at (251) 441-5976. (Source: Cruisers Net 10/19/17)

$332.9M Army contract to Textron

Textron Systems Marine and Land Systems of New Orleans was awarded a $332,900,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of up to 255 mobile strike force vehicles and related fielding hardware and field representative services for system de-processing. Bids were solicited via the Internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 13, 2024. Army Contracting Command of Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 10/18/17)

GoM oil spill estimates rise

An oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, from the Delta House floating production facility, located about 40 miles south of Venice, La., last week may be the largest in the U.S. since the 2010 blowout of BP’s Macondo well that sank the Deepwater Horizon rig. The Delta House facility released between 7,950 and 9,350 barrels of oil from Oct. 11-12, according to its operator, LLOG Exploration Co, making it the largest spill in more than seven years, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. But it's only a fraction of the millions of barrels ejected in the BP 2010 incident. The LLOG spill was triggered by a fracture in a flow-line jumper, according to Rick Fowler, the company’s VP for deep-water projects. (Source: Maritime Herald 10/17/17) Coast Guard UPDATE 10/18/17: LLOG revised the estimated volume of unaccounted-for oil to the CG and BSEE after additional data became available. The new calculations indicate that the total volume of oil discharged may be as much as 672,000 gallons rather than the 392,700 gallons initially reported.

Downed ships test deployment plans

With two Navy destroyers sidelined for massive repairs after deadly collisions in the Pacific this summer, the service is "surging" the Oct. 16 deployment of the cruiser USS Monterey for the 5th and 6th Fleet operational regions. Also, the destroyer USS O'Kane will deploy to the 7th Fleet area of operations later this year, according for Naval Surface Forces Atlantic spokesperson, Lt. Cmdr. Courtney Hillson. The collisions that caused damages to Fitzgerald in June and USS John S. McCain in August reduced the number of forward-deployed ships in the Pacific region that are equipped with Aegis ballistic missile defense capabilities. Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Pascagoula, Miss., shipyard was contracted for USS Fitzgerald repairs. (Source: Military.com 10/17/17)

DDG-62 won’t get Aegis upgrade

The Navy will not upgrade USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) to the latest version of the Aegis Combat System when it completes its repairs at Hunting Ingalls Industries’ Pascagoula, Miss., shipyard following a collision with a merchant ship off the coast of Japan, according to Naval Sea Systems Command. Instead of upgrading to the Baseline 9 standard, which allows ships to simultaneously take on ballistic missile and traditional air warfare threats, DDG-62 will retain its legacy version of Aegis when it returns to the fleet. (Source: USNI News 10/16/17)

SCOTUS declines Cole challenge

NAVAL BASE GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - The U.S. Supreme Court declined Oct. 16 to consider a pretrial challenge to the upcoming three-week hearing by death-penalty defendant Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, a former CIA captive accused of orchestrating the attack against the USS Cole in October 2000 in which 17 U.S. sailors were killed. It was the second SCOTUS rejection of a “Gitmo” captive's appeal in the last two weeks. Nashiri is accused of orchestrating al-Qaida's suicide bombing of USS Cole in the port of Aden, Yemen. DOD-paid defense lawyers for Nashiri asked the SCOTUS, in Nashiri v Trump, to consider the case as an exception to law that requires conviction before a civilian court review. The decision comes days after the captive’s civilian lawyers quit the case with permission of the Marine general overseeing the war court’s defense teams. The decision left a Navy lieutenant with no death penalty experience that had been accepted by Nashiri. Marine Brig. Gen. John Baker, the Chief Defense Counsel, is looking to hire a new lawyer learned in the practice of capital punishment defense to replace veteran defender Rick Kammen, among those who quit. By law, a capital case can't proceed without a “learned counsel” in court to proceed. It’s unclear what USS Cole case judge Col. Vance Spath will do about an the hearing, which is set to begin Oct. 30. (Source: Miami Herald 010/16/17) Gulf Coast Note: Two of the sailors serving aboard USS Cole - retired Master Chiefs James Parlier and Eric Kafka - had both family and service time along the Gulf Coast. Parlier served as a senior enlisted advisor for two of Naval Hospital Pensacola, Fla., branch medical clinics at Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) Pensacola and the former Naval Station Pascagoula, Miss. Kafka is the son of retired and former command master chief of Naval Hospital Pensacola, Randy Kafka; and served as an instructor at NATTC. USS Cole was built and refurbished at then-Litton Ingalls’ shipyard in Pascagoula.

HII employees earn SASE awards

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Four employees of Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Pascagoula, Miss., and Newport News’ shipbuilding divisions received awards from the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers’ (SASE) National Conference and STEM Career Fair held last week in Schaumburg, Ill. Two employees received (Employee Resource Group) ‘ERG Leadership’ awards. Alexander Yim, an Ingalls-Pascagoula training manager and Brittany Pollock of Newport News have both served in leadership capacities for HII’s Asian Pacific Islander employee resource group, and have advanced the mission of the ERG to support the company’s Asian-Pacific Islander employees. The SASE event is the largest conference and career fair for Asian Americans in the U.S. (Source: HII 10/17/17)

Panama Canal sets record tonnage

The expanded Panama Canal set a tonnage record (403.8M) of cargo passing through its links for FY 2017. It was the largest annual tonnage ever to transit in the canal’s 103-year history; and a 22.2 percent increase from FY-16. It can be directly attributed to the added capacity provided by the canal’s expansion for larger Neo-Panamax vessels. A total of 13,548 vessels passed through the canal during FY-17. The September 2017 transit of the COSCO Yantian containership marked 2,000th Neo-Panamax transit. The container segment continued to serve as the leading market segment for tonnage, accounting for 35.3 percent for a total 143M tons, including liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, which represented the No. 2 market segment (105M). The third largest segment was bulk carriers (79M) and vehicle carriers (47M). (Source: Marine Professional 10/17/17)

ZFM opens expanded ‘global facility’

ZF Marine opened its newest “global facility” this month in Elmwood, La. Though ZF has been in New Orleans area for two decades, this new facility represents a major change for its manufacturing and services’ availability to the commercial marine business. The facility “will help us respond to customer needs faster than before,” Dr. Klaus Geissdoerfer, head of ZF’s industrial technology division. ZF officials were clear that the firm plans to continue growing its presence in the region. (Source: Work Boat 10/12/17)

Metal Shark delivers ‘Taxi’s to DC

JEANERETTE, La. - The first two passenger vessels built by Metal Shark of Jeanerette for Entertainment Cruises’ Potomac Riverboat Co. division have been delivered to the nation’s capitol city and began service Oct. 12. The two 149-passenger high speed aluminum catamarans, “Potomac Taxi I” and “Potomac Taxi II”, departed Metal Shark’s Franklin, La., shipyard in mid-September, traveled the Gulf of Mexico coastline and crossed Florida via Lake Okeechobee before proceeding northward up the Atlantic coast to Washington, D.C. The vessels made their first runs on Oct. 12 from Georgetown and Alexandria to The Wharf in Washington, D.C., for a grand opening ceremony. (Source: Metal Shark 10/16/17)

Update2: Oil worker's body recovered

An oil-transfer platform exploded in Lake Pontchartrain about 10:15 p.m. Oct. 15 near St. Charles Parish, north of Kenner, according to a Kenner Police spokesman. Seven people were injured. An eighth is believed to be missing, according to Kenner Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Kriss Fortunato. The Coast Guard sent two rescue boats and crews. Five platform personnel were taken to the University Medical Center; and two to East Jefferson General Hospital, according to East Jefferson Emergency Medical Services. The five at UMC have blast-type injuries and burns and are listed in critical condition, an EMS official said, and the two at East Jefferson are in stable condition. The platform, located in unincorporated Jefferson Parish, is in production and owned by Clovelly Oil Co., according to Taylor Darden, a lawyer for the company and is listed as a registered agent with the Louisiana Secretary of State. (Source: NOLA.com 10/16/17) UPDATE: CG suspended the search for the missing platform worker in the evening of Oct. 16. The missing worker was identified, by the CG, as Timothy Morrison, 44, of Katy, Texas. The fire on the platform was extinguished Oct. 16, according to a CG media release. UPDATE 2: A five-day search for Timothy Morrison, the oilfield worker who disappeared when a storage platform exploded while a crew was cleaning it in Lake Pontchartrain ended Oct. 20 with the discovery of his body about three miles west of the structure. A Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office helicopter spotted the body on the shoreline after 1 p.m. Authorities recovered it for an autopsy, according to Sheriff Joe Lopino. The cause of the explosion has not been determined.

Update: GoM oil discharge

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard has responded to a report of an oil discharge in the Gulf of Mexico of up to 392,700 gallons 40 miles southeast of Venice, La., on Oct. 13. CG Sector New Orleans received a report from the National Response Center on Friday afternoon of the discharge from a damaged pipeline associated with a subsea well. The pipeline, operated by LLOG Exploration, has been secured. Initial over-flights identified three light sheens in the area. Two response vessels from Clean Gulf Associates and the Marine Spill Response Corporation are on scene. The CG is coordinating with the responsible party, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to locate and respond to any oil that may reach the surface. Initial trajectory models indicate that any surface oil is expected to move southwest, but not expected to impact the shoreline. (Source: Coast Guard 10/14/17) UPDATE 10/15/17: Four over flights were conducted Saturday and have identified no additional visible oil. The previously reported sheens have dissipated, according to the CG.

DISL to aid in marine mammal project

Dr. Ruth H. Carmichael of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and the University of South Alabama will be a co-investigator in a newly funded project by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative on marine mammal health effects as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The Advanced Research on Marine Mammal Health Assessment (CARMMHA) project will be led by Dr. Lori Schwacke of the National Marine Mammal Foundation. The research consortium will address a number of scientific questions that have emerged in respect to the 2010 oil spill on marine mammals, such as the bottlenose dolphin. (Source: Dauphin Island Sea Lab 10/13/17)

Keesler's 85th EIS deploys to PR

KEESLER AFB, Miss. – Hand-picked personnel from the Air Force’s 85th Engineering Installation Squadron at Keesler AFB deployed Oct. 13 to repair Puerto Rico’s land mobile radio communications infrastructure for first responders following Hurricane Maria. The 85th EIS was requested by name to help get it back up and running. “U.S. Army North had some direct influence in our tasking to Puerto Rico,” said Maj. Jason Read, operations director for the 85th EIS. “One of the comments a FEMA representative made was that they can’t make the proper assessments; that’s what they need us there for. At that point we knew we had to be prepared for everything.” The 85th EIS is the only active duty engineering and installation unit in the Air Force. Its expertise and reputation is the reason why they were selected. They handpicked every team member based on their skill sets ranging from radio frequency, airfield communications, cable antenna, translators and someone with local knowledge of Puerto Rico. (Source: Keesler AFB 10/13/17)

EPA head in MS to talk water

The federal Environmental Protection Agency’s Administrator Scott Pruitt was in Mississippi on Oct. 12 to discuss proposed changes to the Waters of the United States rule, days after announcing the repeal of the Clean Power Plan. The water rule sought to control pollution under the Clean Water Act of 1972. It had extended the U.S. government's authority over small waterways under the Obama Administration. GOP and industry groups argued it required costly and unnecessary permitting. Pruitt was meeting with agencies and stakeholders across the country to get input on how to best craft a new definition of U.S. waters. The definition implemented in 2015, Pruitt argues, "has created substantial confusion." (Source: Clarion Ledger 10/13/17)

HII authenticates LPD’s keel

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding Division authenticated the keel of the San Antonio-class amphibious transport ship Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) on Oct. 13 in Pascagoula. (Source: HII 10/13/17)

GoM-bound Navy ships stand down

Hurricane Nate to linger along the Gulf Coast for very long, and caused comparatively minimal damage with other recent storms. The Navy’s preparations to offer the central Gulf Coast disaster relief – from the amphibious assault ships Iwo Jima and New York - was never needed. But, on Oct. 8, Navy officials determined local GoM-regional civilian disaster relief authorities were not likely to request the Navy’s assistance. USS New York, which left Mayport, Fla., last Saturday, was ordered to return. USS Iwo Jima was in the process of having minor repairs made, but never left Mayport. (Source: USNI News 10/11/17)

Maritime consolidation may be key

Despite a recent uptick of crude oil prices, the off-shore oil exploration business has been very near in the tank for a number of years, especially in the Gulf of Mexico, where painful Chapter 11 filings and a sobering specter of vessels rolling off shipyard assemblies and go directly into cold iron layup. Some shore-based shale drillers haven’t found ways to reduce operating costs, or which way to turn the valve in response to market conditions. Industry consolidation, say some, may be a key to survival within the next year. (Source: Marine Link 10/12/17)

HII’s Petters named to NAM board

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) announced that Mike Petters, president/CEO of Huntington Ingalls Industries, has been named to the NAM board of directors. Petters will join the board to advance a manufacturing policy agenda promoting growth and prosperity. NAM is the largest industrial trade association in America; and an advocate for manufacturing. “I am honored … and (will) continue to fight for policies that will ensure our continued growth and success as manufacturers,” said Petters. “Mike is a true leader … and he will bring valuable insights” to the BOD, said NAM President/CEO Jay Timmons. “Mike knows what it takes to succeed in a changing global economy and the kinds of solutions, such as bold, comprehensive tax reform…” needed from “our elected leaders,” Timmons stated. (Source: National Association of Manufacturers 10/13/17) Gulf Coast Note: HII's Ingalls Shipbuilding Division at Pascagoula, Miss., is one two HII ship-building sites.

Economist: La. shipyard may close

The Houma-Thibodaux, La., area could lose as many as 1,800 jobs in 2018; and the Edison Chouest shipyard may close down, according to Loren Scott, economist and professor emeritus at Louisiana State University. Thoma-Sea and Bollinger shipyards are adapting by building other ships ... but Edison Chouest may shutter its shipyard “if there isn’t a turnaround in the Gulf oilfield in the near future.” Edison Chouest Offshore should be able to keep open LaShip and Port Fourchon’s repair yard even if the North American Shipyard closes. Despite the gloomy prediction, Scott predicts some 700 new jobs in 2019. The south Louisiana region has been affected by a three-year oil bust that has stripped more than 16,700 jobs from the economy. A September federal report showed the area, comprised of Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, had the fourth-worst economy in 2016 among the nation’s 382 metro areas. (Source: Daily Comet 10/12/17)

USS Cole attack @ 17 Years

The explosion was sudden, violent, and deafening. It was so intense that the 8,500 ton USS Cole (DDG 67) was lifted out of the water. The very metal of the ship shimmered and rippled in front of their eyes, according to survivors. The force threw retired Master Chief Sonar Technician Paul Abney out of his chair and sent a shipmate flying over his head. Everything went black. When the ship arrived at the port in Aden, Yemen, on the morning of Oct. 12, 2000, some sailors had gut feelings of doom. "I didn't have good feelings when we pulled into Aden," retired Master Chief Hospital Corpsman James Parlier, the ship's command master chief, explained. The rusting port presented an eerie sight. “Those things … didn't seem right.” The ship was on Force Protection Bravo (the second lowest of five levels describing a situation with a somewhat predictable terrorist threat, and information suggests probable violence, but nothing indicates that the ship was a target. “Even if we were at a higher force protection, there's no way we would have found the explosives in that boat alongside the ship," Parlier recounted. Minutes after the explosion, Parlier (an independent duty corpsman) was hard at work triaging patients. He quickly provided some battlefield training to crewmen on how to move the wounded and to provide rudimentary medical care. There were a lot of shrapnel wounds, broken bones, and blast injuries. One 19-year-old Sailor, he recalled, “was in horrific condition. The crew didn't know what to do with him. … We took him out on the fantail on the flight deck. ... I tried to do CPR on him … He was the first guy I've ever lost in my life, and I had to make a call because we had over 25 casualties on the fantail and flight deck. Seventeen Sailors died. Most were in the chiefs’ mess and galley, lined up for chow. (All Hands 10/17) Gulf Coast Note: Retired master chief Parlier served as a senior enlisted advisor for two of Naval Hospital Pensacola, Fla.’s branch medical clinics at Naval Air Technical Training Center aboard NAS Pensacola, and the former Naval Station Pascagoula, Miss. He was one of two sailors with ties to Navy Pensacola. Retired master chief Eric Kafla, son of retired and former command master chief at Naval Hospital Pensacola, Randy Kafka. USS Cole was built and refurbished at then-Litton Ingalls’ shipyard in Pascagoula.

GC firms part of new-tug builds

Waterfront Services Co. has begun to renew its fleet of tugboats with the delivery of the first of four new-build models. Master Marine of Bayou La Batre, Ala., delivered the tug Miss Deborah to WSC, which provides towing services in Illinois. Master Marine is building four tugs, each with a pair of Covington, La.-based Laborde Products’ diesel marine engines that meet American emissions standards. Gulf Coast Air & Hydraulics Inc. of Mobile, Ala., is supplying the steering system and a pair of Quincy F325 reciprocating air compressors. Schuyler Maritime of Broussard, La., is providing rubber fendering. RS Price & Son of Fairhope, Ala., supplies the Mitsubishi HVAC system for all interior spaces. (Source: Tug Technology & Business 10/11/17)

NCBC part of energy-action month

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - October is Energy Action Month and Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast is putting an emphasis on energy conservation. This year’s theme is “Energy Action=Mission Success”. The government-wide observance promotes energy awareness and encourages the smart use of energy and water resources. "Energy is critical to the Department of Navy's ability to accomplish its mission," said NAVFAC Southeast Regional Energy Program Manager Steven Webster. In recent months, the Navy has refined its focus on energy conservation and utilization. The region continues to implement significant projects that will reduce the amount of energy. One of those energy-saving projects is underway at Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) Gulfport, Miss., where more than $4 million is being invested in installing new interior lighting, new HVAC controls, new transformers, chilled water system upgrades and water conservation systems that will produce hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual energy savings. A similar project is underway at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas. Both projects are expected to be completed by January 2018. (Source: NAVFAC Southeast 10/10/17)

HII workers earn STEM awards

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced Oct. 10 that 16 employees from the Pascagoula, Miss., and Newport News, Va., shipbuilding divisions were recognized for achievements in science, technology, engineering and math during the 22nd annual Women of Color STEM Conference last week in Detroit. Four HII employees – all from Pascagoula - received Technology All-Star awards, which recognized accomplished women of color from mid-level to advanced stages of their careers who have demonstrated excellence in the workplace and in their communities. They are Debbie Clark, software development analyst; Donna Gardner, program control director; Robin May, industrial engineering manager; and Angela Pierre, administration director. HII-Pascagoula also had nine of the remaining 12 workers receive the Technology Rising Star awards for women who are helping to shape future technology. HII-Pascagoula workers are Ashley Allman, industrial engineer; Kimberly Cooley, accountant; Tracey Cryer, electrical engineer; Bridget Douglas, program cost control analyst; Carmilla Hoard, foreman; Jennifer Jones, administration manager; Bridgette Kirkpatrick, administration manager; April Martin, project management manager; and Camisha Peterson, electrical engineer. HII is America’s largest military shipbuilding company. (Source: HII 10/10/17)

WH signaling Adm. Harris nomination

The Trump Administration is carrying out consultations in the U.S. Capitol to test reactions to the appointment of Adm. Harry Harris Jr. as ambassador to Australia signaling the likelihood of the four-star U.S. Pacific commander will be nominated for the post. "The last American four-star to take up residence in Australia was Douglas MacArthur," the general who waged the WWII Pacific war against Japan from his HQ in Brisbane, according to an unnamed Washington observer. The U.S. and Australia are to celebrate 100 years of cooperation this year. Eight former American ambassadors to Australia have had military experience, but none have approached Harris' level of seniority. Harris and his wife, Bruni Bradley, are known to want the job. The admiral is a China hawk and one of Beijing's least favorite Americans. The Chinese do not want Harris to hold any official U.S. post. The consultations last week show that the administration is moving ahead with the process; but there is a timing issue: The post has been vacant nine months of Trump's term, yet Harris’ assignment to the Pacific command in Hawaii runs until May 2018. Several Washington insiders suggest that early next year is likely the earliest possibility. (Source: Sydney Morning Herald 10/10/17) Gulf Coast Note: Adm. Harris is a Pensacola, Fla.-based Washington High School graduate. He graduated while his father was on assignment at Naval Air Station Pensacola.

CG working MS vessels' issues

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard is working with Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), to assess pollution and recover displaced vessels after Hurricane Nate made landfall on the Gulf Coast on Oct. 8. There are currently two vessels in the Pass Christian Canal, one of which is sunk and the other is hard aground. Both vessels have containment booms around them due to pollution concerns. The vessels are being removed by the owners under CG supervision. In Moss Point, there are three vessels, one of which is lying on its side, one partially submerged, and one aground. DEQ and the CG are working with the owners of two of the vessels to have them removed. The Coast Guard is still trying to locate the owner of the aground vessel. (Source: Coast Guard 10/09/17)

Ports begin to reopen after Nate

NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard has completed its initial assessments of waterways along the Gulf Coast on Oct. 8 following Hurricane Nate. The Mobile Captain of the Port has reopened the ports of Panama City, Fla., and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway east of mile marker 207, and the Mobile River, Black Warrior River and Tombigbee Waterway System north of the Arlington Channel. The ports of Mobile, Ala.; Gulfport and Pascagoula, Miss,; Pensacola, Florida, and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway between mile markers 45-207 remain closed in Port Condition Zulu. The Port of New Orleans was reopened Oct. 7. (Source: Coast Guard 10/08/17)

Comfort care for critical PR patients

CARIBBEAN SEA - The Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), underway near the coast of the Arecibo-Manati region of Puerto Rico, received four critical patients from Hospital Menonita in Caguas, Puerto Rico, after the hospital’s generator failed Oct. 6. "We are a mobile platform that can respond to the greatest area of need or act as a strut to help the Puerto Rican health system," said Capt. Kevin Buckley, commanding officer of the medical treatment facility onboard Comfort. "We are engaged and determined to relieve human suffering." Patients were medevaced by USS Wasp (LHD 1) and USNS Comfort's Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 22 detachments. Comfort has treated 75 patients ranging from six months to 89 years of age, and performed numerous procedures, including an abdomen-wall gastrostomy tube placement, colectomies, sacral-decubitus ulcer tissue removal, and treatment of wounds, hernias and pneumonia. (Source: USNS Comfort 10/07/17) Gulf Coast Note: The Naval Hospital Pensacola, Fla., command has 19 sailors, including personnel from the hospital, and Naval Branch Health Clinics at Meridian, Miss., and Millington, Tenn. The senior officer and enlisted personnel are Cmdr. Kathryn Garner, a medical-surgical nurse, and Chief Hospital Corpsman Jonathan Pruss.

Austal: $584.2M LCS mod pact

Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., was awarded a not-to-exceed the congressional cost cap of $584,200,000 fixed-price-incentive firm target modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-17-C-2301) to exercise the option for the construction of a Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). Austal USA will perform and oversee all necessary design, planning, construction and test and trials activities in support of delivery of this ship to the Navy. The Navy expects to release a competitive solicitation(s) for additional LCS class ships in future years, and therefore the specific contract award amount for these ships is considered source-selection sensitive information (see 41 U.S. Code 2101, et seq., Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 2.101 and FAR 3.104) and will not be made public at this time. Work will be performed in Mobile (54%); Pittsfield, Mass. (9%); California, Md. (4%); Cincinnati, Ohio (4%); Leesburg, Va. (3%); Williston, Vt. (3%); Linthicum, Md. (3%); East Syracuse, NY (2%); Franklin, Mass. (2%); and various other locations of less than 2% each (totaling 16%), and is expected to be completed by October 2023. FY 2017 Navy shipbuilding and conversion funding, not-to-exceed the congressional cost cap of $584,200,000, for construction of one FY-17 LCS will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command of Washington, DC, is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 10/06/17) UPDATE: The Naval Sea Systems Command also awarded the Marinette, Wis.-based Lockheed Martin team a separate contracts to build one Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). Both contracts are under the $584M congressional cost cap per LCS. The Navy said specific LCS award amounts are not being made public because it considers it source selection sensitive information. The Navy noted it expects to release a competitive solicitation for future-year LCS. Austal will perform and oversee necessary design, planning, construction, test and trials activities to support delivery of LCS-30. It will be the 15th LCS that Austal has built. Austal delivered two LCS on schedule in 2016, and one of two so far this year. It delivered the future USS Omaha (LCS-12) last month.

CG rescues sailors near Slidell

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard rescued two people aboard a disabled sailboat in Lake Pontchartrain, near Slidell, La., about noon Saturday, Oct. 7. CG Sector New Orleans directed the launch of a CG Station New Orleans Special Purpose Craft and boat crew at 10:16 a.m. The 41-foot sailboat’s engine had ceased working while under power heading toward Oak Harbor Marina near Slidell. The boat crew brought the duo aboard the CG craft and anchored the sailboat. The two people aboard the sailboard were transported back to Oak Harbor. Both were reported in stable condition. (Source: Coast Guard 10/07/17) Hurricane Nate’s outer bands had researched coastal Louisiana in the early afternoon on Oct. 7.

La. solons to resist Jones Act changes

Any proposal(s) to modify the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, also known as the Jones Act, will meet stiff resistance from Louisiana congressional members who have vowed to fight efforts to weaken or abolish it. Few states benefit from the protections from cheaper foreign competition than the Jones Act creates for Louisiana and American ships and shipbuilders. (Source: The Advocate 10/06/17)

UPDATE: Amphib NY departs for GC

MAYPORT, Fla. - The amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima and amphibious transport dock ship USS New York will leave their homeport on the northeast coast of Florida to support the Gulf Coast region ahead of Nate, a potential hurricane by U.S. landfall. U.S. Fleet Forces Command boss, Adm. Phil Davidson, ordered the amphibs, with elements from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, to get underway from Mayport on Oct 7. Both ships are directed to be in position to support the Gulf Coast in the event assistance is requested. The Navy/Marine team has capabilities to be effective in disaster relief efforts. The combined aircraft on the two ships include three Marine CH-53E Marine Heavy Lift Helicopters, six Navy MH-60S, and four MH-60R Medium Lift Helicopters. The ships are capable of providing medical support, maritime civil affairs, maritime security, expeditionary logistic support, and diverse skills including assessment and security. (Source: U.S. Fleet Forces Command 10/06/17) Gulf Coast Note: USS Iwo Jima was built at Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss.; USS New York was built at a former Northrop shipyard in New Orleans. UPDATE: USS Iwo Jima’s departure from NAVSTA Mayport has been delayed due to a mechanical issue with the ship’s propulsion system. USS New York will still leave its homeport to support the Gulf Coast ahead of Hurricane Nate. UPDATE 2: USS New York (LPD 21), along with components of Fleet Surgical Team (FST) 8, Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 40, and HSM 46 departed Naval Station Mayport, Fla. on Oct. 7 to support the Gulf Coast region if assistance is requested in the wake of Hurricane Nate.

GINS closed ahead of Nate

GULF BREEZE, Fla. – The Gulf Islands National Seashore (GINS) has closed all of areas of the Gulf Coast on Oct. 5, including all Mississippi Islands, and Fort Pickens, Fort Barrancas, Naval Live Oaks, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and the Perdido Key in Florida to all public use due to the approach of Tropical Storm Nate. Campers at the Fort Pickens and Davis Bayou campgrounds must evacuate by noon Friday, Oct. 6. (Source: National Park Service 10/05/17)

GoM platforms evacuating staff

Oil and natural gas producers have begun evacuating staff from Gulf of Mexico platforms Oct. 5 ahead of Tropical Storm Nate, the second storm in the last two months to threaten Gulf Coast oil and refining facilities. (Source: Marine Link 10/05/17)

Hornbeck’s $29.6M mod contract

Hornbeck Offshore Operators of Covington, La., was awarded a $29,655,520 modification for the fixed-price portion of a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N62387-15-C-2507) to exercise a one-year option period for the operation and maintenance (O&M) of modified offshore-supply vessels identified as T-AGSEs serving as blocking vessels in support of the Navy. The contract includes a 215-day base period, nine one-year options and one 150-day option period. Work for this option period will be performed at sea worldwide, and is expected to be completed by Sept, 30, 2018. Navy and transportation working capital funds, and FY 2018 O&M contract funds in the amount of $29,655,520 are being obligated at the time of award. The funds will not expire at the end of the FY-18. The contract was issued on an-other-than full and open competition basis in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 52,217-8. Military Sealift Command of Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 10/03/17)

NSWC leveraging prototype sensors

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City scientists are providing national munitions response support by leveraging prototype sensors for transition to fleet assets. The Panama City team conducted a munitions response survey Sept. 19-17 in the Potomac River near Dahlgren, Va., in collaboration with Alion Science and Technology Corp., Edgetech Inc., Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, and Polatomic Inc. to deliver an integrated magneto-acoustic detection system mounted on a REMUS 600 autonomous underwater vehicle. The next opportunity for the sensor prototype to be used will be at the Coalition Warfare Program’s Joint Pacific Survey to be conducted in San Diego from Oct. 24–Nov. 8. The goal of that survey is to push the limits of unmanned unexploded ordnance (UXO) science and technology, and leveraging up mine countermeasure capabilities from both U.S. and German navies. (Source: NSWC Panama City 10/04/17)

Update3: CG preparing for Nate

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard’s District Eight command headquarters here has started securing its areas of responsibility, and adjusting port conditions, along the Gulf Coast as the threat of Tropical Storm Nate continues to move northwest Oct. 5. The CG urges mariners to continuously monitor weather sources and avoid coastal areas that may be impacted by the storm. Large boat owners are being urged to move vessels to inland marinas. Mariners leaving their boats in the water are reminded to update their Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon registration, and secure EPIRBs safely to vessels prior to the storm. The CG has set Port Condition “Whiskey” for New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., PC “Whiskey” is set when gale force winds are possible within 72 hours. All commercial vessels and barges greater than 500 gross tons and all oceangoing barges and their supporting tugs shall report to the Coast Guard captain of the port their intention to depart or remain in port. They shall also complete an application and submit it in writing within 24 hours to the Coast Guard captain of the port to remain in port. Mariners can stay updated on the latest port conditions through CG Sector New Orleans and CG Sector Mobile websites. (Source: Coast Guard 10/05/17) UPDATE: The CG has set Port Condition "X-Ray" for New Orleans' captain of the port zone. X-Ray is set when gale force winds are possible within 48 hours. All commercial vessels and barges greater than 500 gross tons and all oceangoing barges and supporting tugs shall report to the CG captain of the port their intention to depart or remain in port. Due to space in the Lower Mississippi River, the NOLA Coast Guard captain has closed the Lower Mississippi River to all inbound deep draft vessels that do not have confirmed berth arrangements. UPDATE 2: Assets currently pre-staged include eight shallow-water boats in New Orleans; six in Hammond, La.; 15 in Jackson, Miss.; five rotary-wing aircraft at CG Air Station NOLA; 4 at CG Aviation Training Center Mobile, Ala.; 13 rotary-wing aircraft at ATC Mobile; three at CG Air Station Houston; three at CG Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas; and two fixed-wing aircraft at CGAS Corpus Christi. UPDATE 3: The Coast Guard has set Port Condition Zulu for the New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., captain of the port zones. Zulu suspends all port operations and is set when gale force winds are possible within 12 hours.

Largest cruise ship for NOLA

NEW ORLEANS - Norwegian Cruise Line will start sailing its nearly 4,000-passenger Norwegian Breakaway cruise ship from New Orleans in November 2018. The ship will be the largest to call NOLA its homeport, and will nearly double Norwegian's cruise capacity from the city, according to an Oct. 3 news release from the Port of New Orleans. The ship will sail week-long as well as 10- and 11-day cruises to the Caribbean. (Source: NOLA.com 10/03/17)

Project-ideas for BP settlement funds

The Pensacola, Fla., City Council is to meet Oct. 5 to rank its top five Triumph Gulf Coast requests, which could include small coastal cruise ships at Community Maritime Park, a baywalk along Pensacola Bay, and an airport expansion. The Triumph Gulf Coast (TGC) board will begin accepting applications soon from eight Florida counties to allocate $300 million from the BP oil spill settlement. Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward sent his Top 5 projects to the county in September. Hayward's No.1 is an airport expansion to attract aviation businesses, according to Keith Wilkins, assistant city administrator. The mayor’s four other projects are part of a $56 million Pensacola Bayfront Redevelopment list that the city council will consider as part of its Triumph ranking. The council will meet to rank its project ideas from the mayor and the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency - a total of 15 potential ideas. TGC was formed by the Florida Legislature to allocate $1.5 billion in BP settlement funds for Northwest Florida. (Source: Pensacola News Journal 10/03/17)

MS firm to share in $25M contract

MOWA Barlovento JV-2 of Gautier, Miss., (W9216G-17-D-0061) was among six businesses selected to share in a $45 million firm-fixed-price contract to provide vertical construction services for a wide variety of new construction, maintenance, repair, alteration and minor tasks, including asbestos and lead-based paint abatement, for military and civil projects. Bids were solicited via the Internet. Thirty-one were received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order. The estimated completion date is Sept. 30, 2022. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity. (DOD award 09/30/17)

NavMed hospital ship departs for PR

PORTSMOUTH, Va. – Some 750 doctors, nurses, hospital corpsmen, and support personnel from across Navy Medicine East (NME) commands embarked aboard the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH-20) Sept. 29-30 in support of the military’s response to hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico. The ship departed from Naval Station Norfolk on Sept. 30. The numbers of personnel completed the medical manning needs to support the 250-bed ship. The regional personnel come from 11 different Navy medicine facilities, including 19 from Naval Hospital Pensacola, Fla. “We are a ready medical force,” said Rear Adm. Anne Swap, NME commander, “which includes responding when called upon to provide humanitarian assistance.” NME is headquartered in Portsmouth, Va., and serves the NavMed health care system in the eastern U.S., Europe, Africa and the Middle East. (Source: Navy Medicine East 09/28/17) Gulf Coast Note: Rear Adm. Swap is a former director for administration at NH Pensacola.

La. lawmaker chides Jones Act waiver

The Trump Administration waived the Jones Act in order to let foreign ships deliver relief to Puerto Rico. Now, he's facing pushback from Baton Rouge Republican, U.S. Rep. Garret Graves. “This is a solution in search of a problem,” Graves said Sept. 28. Graves doesn’t see the Jones Act as a problem. The issue, according to the lawmaker, is that the hurricane destroyed the island’s logistical systems to get supplies from ports to inland locations. Anybody that thinks the Jones waiver “just solved the problem is confused,” he said. He argues it did “more harm than good.” The Gulf Coast shipping industry needs the jobs. “You just took American jobs and sent them overseas." Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States. Graves got $22,585 from regional transportation unions and $20,200 from the sea-transport industry in the current election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The transportation unions are his fifth most generous industry and sea transport ninth. Puerto Rico’s Gov. Ricardo Rossello also came under criticism from Graves: He “needs to focus on real recovery for the island and stop asking for unicorns." (Source: NOLA.com 09/28/17)

CG medevacs man from Horn Island

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard medevaced a 34-year-old man suffering from heart attack-like symptoms near Horn Island, Miss. on Oct. 1 A 45-foot response boat and crew from Coast Guard Station Pascagoula, Miss., responded with local emergency medical services aboard. The man had been using a personal watercraft and was suffering symptoms on Horn Island. The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources also responded. The man was transferred from Horn Island to the CG response boat via personal watercraft, where an EMT evaluated him. The boat crew transported the man to a waiting ambulance at CG Station Pascagoula, which transported him to Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula, Miss. The man was reported to be in stable condition. (Source: Coast Guard 10/01/17)

Mod pact for 3 GC commands

Global Connections to Employment Inc. of Pensacola, Fla., was awarded $12,821,491 for modification (P00002) to extend a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N68836-17-C-0005) to exercise Option Period 1 for full food and mess attendant services in support of Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Fla.; Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal School at Elgin Air Force Base, Fla.; and mess attendant services in support of Naval Construction Battalion Center, Gulfport, Miss. The contract includes a one-month base period, two 12-month option periods, one 11-month option period, and a six-month extension option under Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.217-8, which if all options are exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $44,989,292. Work will be performed in Pensacola (60%); Elgin AFB (20%); and Gulfport (20%). Work is expected to be completed by September 2018. If all options of the contract are exercised, work will be completed by February 2021. Subject to the availability of funds, FY 2018 Navy operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $1,753,799 will be incrementally funded under the contract’s base period. The contract was a sole-source procurement under the AbilityOne Program (Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 8.704) with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command’s Fleet Logistics Center at Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 09/29/17)

Metal Shark pact for 50 PT boats

Gravois Aluminum Boats (aka Metal Shark) of Jeanerette, La., was awarded a $29,825,856 firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity single award contract for design and construction of up to 50 patrol boats for the Naval Expeditionary Combat Command. At the time of the contract award, 11 patrol boats are being purchased in addition to the initial engineering, design and data rights to the design of the patrol boats. The contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $90,271,218. Work under the first order will be performed in Jeanerette, La., and is expected to be completed by March 2020. FY 2017 Navy funding in the amount of $18,912,930 will be obligated at time of award, and would not expire Sept. 30. This contract was competitively procured as a small business set aside via Federal Business Opportunities website. Seven offers were received. Naval Sea Systems Command of Washington, D.C., is contracting activity. (Source: DOD 09/29/17)