CG medevacs 5 ‘May Day’ boaters

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard medically evacuated five injured boaters April 29 after the vessel struck a decommissioned rig some 20 miles southeast of Venice, La., in the Gulf of Mexico. The “May Day” call came in just after midnight. CG Station Venice launched a response boat. CG Air Station New Orleans launched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter to the site. The helicopter hosted two patients aboard, and transferred the duo to University Medical Center New Orleans. The response boat crew took the remaining three boaters and transferred them to an awaiting emergency medical vehicle at CGS Venice. The cause of the incident is under investigation. (Source: Coast Guard 04/29/17)

Metal Shark moves beyond family biz

With a focus on engineering and a large in-house design team of naval architects and marine engineers, Metal Shark - a south-central Louisiana-based shipbuilder - offers a full portfolio of its own designs and the ability to customize each one to meet a wide range of needs. The Jeanerette, La., shipbuilder doesn’t shy from tackling diverse projects. It’s that philosophy that has fueled Metal Shark’s rise to becoming a major industry player. It was launched as a family operation more than three decades ago. In 2003, MS was approached to produce aluminum patrol boats and work boats for military and law enforcement customers. It followed up with the 2014 opening of a shipyard in Franklin, La., with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico. It aided the firm’s expansion into building passenger vessels and large ships up to 250 feet long. “Because of our engineering-centric capabilities, we’re not afraid to tackle any job that comes our way,” says Greg Lambrecht, Metal Shark executive VP. Tackling intricate builds with demanding timelines requires the right personnel and equipment. MS recently invested in five Dynasty 400 TIG welders from Miller Electric Mfg. The machines allow the company to weld thicker materials without preheating, which saves time and improves productivity, while maintaining quality requirements. (Source: Marine Link 04/27/18)

PC port expansion funds

Workforce training in a variety of high-paying, high-tech and skilled trades got a boost thanks to restoration funds resulting from the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Triumph Gulf Coast, the Florida organization charged with overseeing the distribution of the money, approved about $19M in grants on April 27 for counties in Northwest Florida. It includes $3M for the Escambia County (Fla.) School District and Pensacola State College for workforce development, allowing both to expand its pipeline for training and certifying students for careers in information technology, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and aviation/aerospace. The grant was one of the first four projects approved in what is expected to be $1.5B worth of job-creating initiatives funded over 12 years. One of the other projects is $10M for the Port of Panama City, Fla. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 04/28/18)

Pascagoula included in $92M contract

Scientific Research Corp. of Atlanta was awarded a $92,499,118 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of the command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) engineering, integration and installation contract, which includes integration, engineering, procurement of incidental supplies, fabrication, assembly, test, inspection, delivery and installation of integrated C4I capabilities aboard new construction ships. The contract includes support for shipbuilding conversion, Navy and other U.S. government shipbuilding programs. The contract’s principal place of performance is Charleston, S.C. Work at anticipated shipyards includes San Diego; Pascagoula, Miss.; Dahlgren, Newport News, and Norfolk, Va. Contract actions will be issued and funds obligated as individual delivery orders are issued. This contract was a sole-source for continued requirements, including but not limited to CVN 73 production, test integration facility (TIF), shipboard installation and testing phases; CVN 74 planning, requirements, design, procurement, production, TIF and lab testing phases; CVN 78 local area network drops, CVN 79 Radio Communication Suite/Distributed System shipboard installation and testing phase; and CVN 79/80 ship signal exploitation space design, procurement, production, TIF and lab testing phases. This contact is issued under the authority of 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1, only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command of San Diego is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 04/27/18)

DoD: Contaminated water on bases

PENSACOLA, Fla. - The Pentagon has released a study that indicates 126 U.S. military installations across the globe have contaminated water that may cause cancer and birth defects. Seven of those military installations are in our area. Gulf Coast military bases identified in the report include NAS Pensacola, NAS Whiting Field, Saufley and Bronson fields, and Eglin AFB, all in Florida; and two Navy bases in Mississippi: NCBC Gulfport and NAS Meridian. The Defense Department conducted groundwater testing and found military, private and public drinking water systems may pose threats. DoD’s No. 1 priority, according to the report, is to protect personnel living and working on these properties, and the communities. DoD is addressing the cleanup responsibility and looking to lower the levels of contaminated water. (Source: WKRG 04/28/18) The entire DoD report is available through the link listed.

Sub drones explore GoM shipwrecks

Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are conducting an expedition to explore shipwrecks in the uncharted waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and returning topside with stunning video. The researchers are using remote-operated submarine drones to investigate some of the shipwrecks that are thousands of feet deep in the GoM. From a tugboat that was the subject of a daring rescue mission off the coast of Louisiana during a tropical storm in the 1960s to German U-boats and 19th century pirate ships, the NOAA scientists and archaeologists are seeking to learn all they can about the ships’ histories. (Source: Business Insider 04/29/18)

MS port project nearing completion

The restoration and expansion of the Port of Gulfport, Miss., is about six months away from completion, according to Jonathan Daniels, executive director of the port. Job creation is also “trending” toward meeting the terms of the $570M federal government agreement. As of April 13, $459M had been disbursed, says Daniels. New jobs with the project remain the same as last year: 425, most of which are at the Island View Casino Hotel. In exchange for HUD money, the Mississippi Development Authority agreed that the port would create 1,300 jobs - 51 percent of which are to be targeted for low- to middle-income persons. Many of those jobs are in the pipeline, and not being counted. One hundred of those jobs are associated with McDermott International, which mmitted as a tenant at the port four years ago. McDermott makes submersible pipe for oil and gas exploration. Daniels said that calculations on “additional full-time jobs associated with shipyard operations,” under the control of the International Longshoreman’s Association, also are not being counted. (Source: Mississippi Business Journal 04/26/18)

1,300-lb. Twitter celeb visits NW Fla.

Northwest Florida’s Panhandle was recently visited by a 1,326-poud celebrity, who has swum 10,000 miles over the past 14 months. Hilton, a white shark with nearly 20,000 Twitter followers, was first tagged in March 2017 by OCEARCH, a global non-profit shark research organization, off Hilton Head, S.C. His movements have been track ever since. The 12.5-foot shark has mostly hugged the Atlantic coastline, sometimes swimming as far north as Nova Scotia, but was recently pinged April 25 off the Gulf of Mexico coast south of Navarre, Fla. A "ping" is determined when a tagged shark's dorsal fin breaks the surface and transmits a signal to a satellite overhead, according to OCEARCH. The transmission then sends an estimated geo-location. Hilton has moved even further west along the Gulf Coast. On April 27, he was pinged near the shores of Port Eads, La. (Source: Pensacola News Journal 04/26/18)

Silver Ships debuts fire/rescue boat

Silver Ships Inc., an aluminum boat-building organization headquartered in Theodore, Ala., is in partnership with Norwegian developer FELL Marine for the outfitting of a fire/rescue demo boat. FELL Marine, developer and manufacturer of marine electronics that specialize in wireless safety technology, has added its MOB+ Wireless Man OverBoard System to SSI’s new fire/rescue boat. The system is an electronically-controlled wireless cut-off switch that adds an extra level safety to all types of boats. The demo boat is outfitted for firefighting, dewatering sinking boats, providing medical treatment, evacuations and search and rescue operations. FELL Marine’s “unobtrusive wireless kill switch technology works very well for fire/rescue applications,” said Steven Clarke, co-owner of Silver Ships. SSI’s new vessel debuted April 23 at the FDIC International conference in Indianapolis. It will also be at the SEAFC’s Annual Leadership conference in Montgomery, Ala., from June 25-29. (Source: FELL Marine 04/20/18)

La. shipbuilder delivers boats to VI

JEANERETTE, La. - Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark has delivered two new custom welded aluminum vessels to the Virgin Islands Port Authority (VIPA). The vessels, designed by Metal Shark and built at the company’s Jeanerette, La., production facility, were recently delivered to St. Thomas and transferred to the VIPA. The two vessels are already operating from the Edward Wilmoth Blyden IV Marine Facility on the Charlotte Amalie waterfront, where they serve the islands of St. Thomas and St. John. The new pilot boat is a 45-foot Defiant-class mono-hull pilothouse vessel with a military-proven hull design and a unique deck arrangement specifically designed for pilot operations. (Source: Metal Shark 04/23/18)

New VP for contracts at HII

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division announced April 24 that Eric Crooker has been promoted immediately to vice president of contracts and pricing. He will succeed Don Perkins, who retires July 1. Crooker will have overall responsibility for contracts, estimating and pricing, and export/import licensing and compliance for Ingalls shipyard. Crooker joined HII in 2012 and served as a senior counsel at HII-Pascagoula. Prior to joining HII, Crooker practiced commercial litigation, employment, and business counseling. He has earned both a bachelor’s in economics and Juris Doctor degree from Tulane University. (Source: HII 04/25/18)

EPA: $600K for NOLA brownfields

DALLAS - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded $600,000 in Brownfields assessment coalition grants to the Regional Planning Commission of New Orleans for sites along the Inner Harbor Navigational Canal (IHNC). The award is part of $54.5M EPA is distributing to 145 communities across the country to assess and clean up underutilized properties while protecting public health and the environment. The NOLA commission, and its partners that includes the Port of New Orleans, has a “strong vision for the future of the Inner Harbor area,” said Regional Administrator Anne Idsal. “This funding will enable us to work on key sites identified by the community through the Port’s EPA-funded Brownfields Area-Wide Planning initiative,” said RPC executive Jeff Roseel, “to help convert abandoned and dilapidated properties into community assets and spur further redevelopment in communities where it is greatly needed.” The RPC will get two assessment coalition grants: A community-wide hazardous substances grant of $360,000 to be used to conduct Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments and prepare cleanup plans; and a $240,000 grant for petroleum site assessments and cleanup plans. The Brownfields Program targets communities that are economically disadvantaged and provides funding and assistance to transform contaminated sites into assets that can generate jobs and spur economic growth. (Source: EPA 04/25/18) The IHNC is a 5.5 mile waterway that connects the Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartrain. It separates New Orleans East from the city. The canal passes through the entirety of the city's 9th Ward.

EPA reduced diesel emission funding

DALLAS – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced April 24 the availability of grant funding to modernize the nation’s diesel fleet by retrofitting or replacing vehicles with cleaner, more efficient diesel engines. EPA anticipates awarding about $40M in Diesel Emission Reduction Program (DERA) grant funding to eligible applicants, subject to the availability of funds. EPA Region 4 covers most Gulf Coast states. Region 6 will accept proposals requesting up to $2.5M, and includes Louisiana. Diesel-powered engines move some 90 percent of the nation’s freight tonnage. Nearly all highway freight trucks, locomotives, and commercial marine vessels are powered by diesel engines. EPA is soliciting proposals nationwide for projects that significantly reduce diesel emissions, especially in areas designated as having poor air quality. Eligible applicants include regional, state, local tribal agencies, some non-profit groups, and port authorities with jurisdiction over transportation or air quality. Applicants must request funding from their EPA regional geographic project location office. There are 10 regional offices across the country. EPA anticipates releasing a separate Request for Proposals for Tribal applicants later this year. Since the first year of DERA, EPA has awarded funds to more than 730 projects. (Source: EPA 04/24/18)

HASC sub adds 2 more LCS

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. House's Armed Services Committee released sections of its FY 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, which recommends buying 13 ships and beginning a handful of aircraft multi-year contracts. The bill would authorize 10 ship-buys, and HASC’s seapower and projection forces subcommittee recommended adding two more Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) – for a total of three. The full committee is scheduled to meet before May 9 to begin working on an NDAA markup session. An HASC staff member claimed the committee had determined the Navy’s one-LCS request was “damaging to the two construction yards” – Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., and Fincantieri’s Marinette (Wis.) Marine. Both yards need to remain healthy ahead of the new FFG(X) frigate competition in 2019, the staffer said. A three-ship buy would put the Navy at 35 LCS – three over the stated need. The move was meant to ensure the Navy had a good price point for the FY-19 LCS. The subcommittee also wants to require the Navy to ensure it has the technical data rights for the FFG(X)-selected design. Five firms are currently participating in a design effort, and are expected to compete for the detailed design and construction contract, which allows the Navy to conduct an open competition after the first 10 FFG(X)s are built. The two current LCS designs are largely proprietary. It’s important the Navy own the design in order to re-compete, the staffer concluded, if it chooses to do so, in the future or add a second builder to meet the Navy’s and industrial shipyards’ needs. (Source: USNI News 04/25/18)

LOOP-loaded VLCC arrives in China

The first very large crude carrier (VLCC) to directly load a cargo at the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) at Cut Off, La., arrived April 22 at the port of Huizhou, China. The Saudi Arabian-flagged Shaden departed the LOOP on Feb. 18 after a loading time of five days. The VLCC took about two months to reach its final destination on the east coast of China, according to Platts. Prior to arriving at Huizhou, Shaden had stopped at Rizhao, China, on April 17. As the only U.S. Gulf Coast export facility that does not require Aframax or Suezmax vessels for reverse lightering onto a VLCC, LOOP is poised to become a major export hub in the coming years. (Source: Hellenic Shipping News 04/24/18)

SECNAV: Marinette, Navy need to talk

Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer suggested April 24 that leadership at Fincantieri Marinette (Wis.) Marine should talk with the service about coming up with more competitive prices for its Littoral Combat Ship’s (LCS) Freedom variant. SECNAV noted the proposed session in response to an LCS question from Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) during a Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee hearing. Marinette’s shipyard builds the Freedom-variant. Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., makes the Independence-variant. Last week, a bipartisan congressional delegation from Wisconsin and Michigan sent Spencer a letter expressing concerns about the Navy’s LCS acquisition strategy, especially how it may be biased against the Freedom-variant. Baldwin repeated those concerns that the Navy is focusing on lowest-price choices rather than including overall value measurements, and that the shipyard needed its skilled workers to maintain an effective competition for the service’s follow on future frigate (FFG(X)) program. Spencer said U.S. shipbuilders “have an amazing working force” … but also “there is probably room at the owner of the LCS operation up there (in Wisconsin) to be competitive. … (T)hey should sit down with us and address those abilities to become competitive,” he added. (Source: Defense Daily 04/24/18)

‘Spirit of Service' nom packages

WASHINGTON - The American Legion, for the 18th consecutive year, will present its ‘Spirit of Service’ award to an enlisted service member – E-5 or below – at its 100th national convention in August. Nomination packages are being accepted until May 29. Each service will select one overall winner based primarily on the level of community volunteerism. The award will be presented at the national convention in Minneapolis, Minn., that runs from Aug. 24-30. Eligible service members must epitomize core values and be nominated by the service member's commanding officer. (Source: Navy Office of Community Outreach 04/24/18) There are multiple-service military bases along the Gulf Coast from NAS/JRB New Orleans, CG Air Station Mobile, Ala., to Naval Surface Warfare Center in Panama City, Fla.

Update: Oil spill estimates lowered

The Coast Guard was responding to a heavy fuel oil discharge into the Mississippi River near Norco on April 23. An estimated 2,600 gallons spilled from a 600-foot-long tanker ship, the Netherlands-flagged Iver Exporter, moored at the Shell Norco Manufacturing Complex near mile marker 126, according to a Coast Guard media release. The spill was reported at 1 a.m. There were no known injuries or waterway closures. OMI Environmental Solutions’ oil spill response team responded to the spill. The CG is assessing affected areas by air. The cause of the spill is under investigation. (Source: NOLA.com 04/23/18) UPDATE: The CG later down-graded its earlier estimate of fuel oil spilled to 1,400 gallons. The Unified Command conducted overflights and found shoreline impact from mile marker 126-122.

LHD 3, Groundwork NOLA team up

NEW ORLEANS – Some 100 Marines and sailors assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) teamed with local volunteers from Groundwork New Orleans on April 20 as part of a community service project during Navy Week NOLA. The service project gave service members an opportunity to support the outdoor classroom focused on educating children and young adults on environmental conservation. Groundwork New Orleans runs a job-training program for high school students and work force development for young adults, according to Alicia Neil, executive director. "We focus on building resiliency through storm water management and addressing environmental hazards and conservation. We want to create more green space in underserved communities." Service members worked Groundwork NOLA to accomplish more than a week's worth of work in only a few hours, including clearing two blocks of trash and debris from the surrounding area. (Source: USS Kearsarge 04/23/18)

LPD Flight II winks on The Hill

CAPITOL HILL – The Navy and Marine Corps is trying to figure out whether to make the San Antonio-class LPD Flight II, and other ships, larger and more lethal for the near-future fleet. Navy leaders testified at two hearings with the Senate Armed Services Committee last week to address multiple ship classes for current and future operations. The Navy announced its LX(R) effort to replace the Whidbey Island-class dock landing ships (LSD 41-49) would be formally named LPD Flight II. LX(R)’s design will be based on the San Antonio-class amphib (LPD-17), which was built at Huntington Ingalls’ shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. In one ASC session, two questions arose: How quickly can the Navy buy the ships; and how lethal can the Navy make them? During an April 19 hearing, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) asked Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller about the role of amphibs. In the midst of answering, Wicker posed: “What if we put the vertical launch system (VLS) on the Flight II LPDs?” The commandant: “I think that’s a great idea.” Then Wicker turned to SECNAV Richard Spencer and asked if he agreed. “Most definitely,” Spencer chimed. After the hearing, Spencer told USNI News that the VLS idea was only one being considered. LCS’ over-the-horizon missile competition is still ongoing. The missile selected may be one option for the LPD Flight II program for commonality. Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition James Geurts said about the LPD Flight II acquisition plan: “It’s a derivative design, so that will be a high-confidence acquisition.” LPD 30 would be the first of the Flight II ships. The first 13 LPDs were bought one at a time. With the design proven and stable, HII-Pascagoula may be in a strong position to negotiate a multi-ship buy. (Source: USNI News 04/20/18)

New data link for LCS 26 & 28

WASHINGTON - The Navy has selected L3 Technologies to provide its upgraded Maritime Surface Terminal (MST) communications gear aboard both variants of Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) allowing MQ-4 Triton or MH-60S pilots to share full-motion video and other data with the ships. The new gear will be fitted on LCS 25, 26 and 28, officials told Defense News. Even-numbered hulls are Independence-class LCS built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. Freedom-class ships are built in Wisconsin. L3T manufactured its T-Series Model S Surface Terminals for the first 24 LCS. The new MST is 700 pounds lighter, transmits 45 megabits/second (more than twice the speed of older version), and has two data links instead of one. The drone and helicopter are intended to work together. Currently, Fire Scouts pass reconnaissance and targeting information to the MH-60 and back to the ship. MST will allow both platforms to send full-motion video to the LCS at the same time. (Source: Defense News 04/20/18) LCS hulls 26 and 28 are named Mobile and Savannah.

USM opens Marine Education Center

The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) officially opened its new $16.1M Marine Education Center (MEC) April 16 at its Gulf Coast Research Laboratory’s (GCRL) Cedar Point site in Ocean Springs, Miss. “This facility is the crown jewel of marine education at USM,” said Dr. Monty Graham, director for the USM’s School of Ocean Science and Technology. The MEC “will catapult us far ahead of some very prestigious marine education powerhouses,” he continued. The MEC is located on 100 acres, and is to serve as the education and outreach arm of GCRL, and provide an immersion experience for participants in a unique, coastal setting. (Source: USM 04/16/18)

American LNG projects on move

The recently-expanded Panama Canal may carry up to 500 percent more liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2020 than it did in 2017 (6M tons) while production of LNG in America, and Asia’s demand for it, goes up, Jorge Quijano, head of the Panama Canal Authority, told Reuters. LNG volumes traversing the canal could hit 30M by the end of 2020, he said. Demand has significantly risen over three years. The increase to its supply, especially from onshore shale fields in the U.S. and reserves in Australia, has made it more competitive. America’s only LNG export facility is located at Sabine Pass, La., which exports via the Panama Canal mostly to North Asia and Latin America’s Pacific coast. However, there are at least a dozen LNG projects currently under construction or that have been approved by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission – mostly along the Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coast. With the LNG projects under construction, total U.S. capacity for LNG may reach nearly 70M tons. One reason: Countries have been switching to LNG – away from coal - more quickly than expected. American LNG exports through the canal are set to rise to as much as 11M tons through 2018, and about 20M through 2019, he said. (Source: Marine Link 04/20/18)

Coast Guard issues first COI

The Coast Guard issued its very first certificate of inspection (COI) under the Subchapter M requirements that set new rules for the inspection, standards and safety policies of towing vessels. The COI was issued to Marine Towing of Tampa, Fla.'s 90-foot tug Endeavor on April 20. Endeavor assists and escorts vessel throughout Tampa Bay. With the first COI under Subchapter M, Endeavor leads the way for more than 5,500 vessels that will need to be certified under the new rules. All U.S flagged towing vessels are required to comply with the provisions of 46 CFR Subchapter M by July 20, 2018. There is a phase-in period for issuance of the COI. (Source: Marine Link 04/20/18) Gulf Coast Maritime Note: Endeavor was built in 2000 by Halter Marine of Lockport, La.

Panel: Base infrastructure priority

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Rear Adm. Bret Muilenburg, commander of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), identified cyber and energy security as two main resiliency efforts needed across the service. He was joined in a panel discussion focused on ensuring installation (bases’) readiness in support of the war-fighting mission. Among the panelists included Phyllis Bayer, assistant secretary of the Navy’s Energy, Installations and Environment (EI&E). Bayer noted the time had come to make bases’ infrastructure a priority in order to support current and future mission needs. She called for NAVFAC and Chief of Naval Installations (CNIC) commanders to re-establish those bases’ infrastructure priorities to address requirements. She asked the two commands to “relook” at FY 2018-19 and FY-21 budgets to “make sure” the Navy is getting the right resources for infrastructure needs for installation upgrades. "We held an all-day session with industry, and we talked about 'how can we describe our requirements better’?" said Muilenburg. "How can we structure the contract better? What industry best practices can be introduced into the government system? We surveyed other federal agencies like NASA on how they do it," he continued. Likewise, CNIC Vice Adm. Mary Jackson promoted a shift in how installations are viewed, to better align the shore with the needs of the war-fighter. "Naval installations are complex platforms," said Jackson. "We certainly think of ships as platforms and airframes … but an installation is really a platform, too. It's a system of systems,” she said. “I do believe that it starts and ends with the shore (commands/bases). The panel was part of the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space Global Maritime Exposition on April 10 in Maryland. (Sources: Naval Facilities Engineering Command 04/20/18)
Gulf Coast Note: There are at least 12 major military bases across the Gulf Coast region from New Orleans to Panama City, Fla., including NAS/JRB New Orleans, La.; Keesler AFB, Miss.; NAS Pensacola, Eglin AFB, Tyndall AFB, and Hurlburt Field, all in Fla.

‘Addiction’ team lands 634-lb. tuna

Louis ‘Captain Scooter’ Porto and four friends from the "Real Addiction Fishing Team" reeled in a monstrous eight-foot long, 634-pound Bluefin Tuna on April 18, but it took an all-hands effort that lasted five hours about 130 miles offshore of Pensacola (Fla.) Pass. Laurie Jones, owner of the 56-foot boat used in the adventure, battled the tuna for several hours, but Gulf Breeze resident Tyler Massey finally reeled it in. (Cobia season kicks off along the Gulf Coast) Even more fascinating was the contents of the tuna’s daily menu - lionfish, blackfin tuna, a piece of wood and plastic, Porto posted on Facebook. (Source: Pensacola News Journal 04/19/18)

CNO: 2019 LCS deployment reset

WASHINGTON – Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John M. Richardson, the Navy’s top officer, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 19 that the gap in overseas deployments of Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) is part of a reset and their deployments will resume next year. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) asked why no LCS deployments in 2018 when there have been 11 ships already delivered to the Navy, a number adequate to having some deployed. CNO initially noted the program’s “troubled times” and that the Navy “probably pushed that ship out forward deployed a little bit ahead of its time” before becoming more stabilized. CNO had asked Naval Surface Forces to take a longer look at the LCS program, which led to changes in maintenance, crewing, and where to homeport and forward deploy those ships. This year has become a “reflection of that shift,” CNO said, and beginning in 2019, the Navy will restart deploying LCS. “They’ll be sustainable. They’ll be more lethal by virtue of the enhancements we’re putting on (LCS),” he said. There are 24 deployments planned from 2019-24. This is a “reset year” to put in place those “sustainable” changes in advance of a future model ship, CNO explained. Since March 2013, the Navy has deployed three LCS in succession to Singapore: Two Freedom class LCS - USS Freedom (LCS 1), USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) – and the Independence class USS Coronado (LCS 4). (Source: Seapower magazine 04/19/18) Gulf Coast Note: The Independence class is built by Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala.

BP oil spill restoration boss still ‘angry’

Retired Army Gen. Russell Honore, the man who oversaw restoration efforts along the Gulf Coast following the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill – which was eight years ago April 20 – has penned an 'Opinion' piece in The Advocate of Baton Rouge, La., and he is still angry. ... “I’d like to remind you what happened on April 20, 2010, a fateful day that too many are still suffering with the aftermath. As we observe the 8th anniversary of the BP disaster in the Gulf, tens of thousands of men and women who cleaned up this unnecessary environmental catastrophe still suffer due to the negligence and greed of politicians, attorneys and administrators for those impacted by the largest single oil spill in America’s history. As this year’s BP disaster anniversary falls on Earth Day, I’m calling attention to these facts in the Garretson Resolution Group Status Report (February 2018) and verified at the Facebook site Justice for BP Health Victims. …” (Source: The Advocate 04/19/18)

NOLA Navy Week kicks off

NEW ORLEANS - The "Big Easy" will host ships from three navies including the flagship USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) during the week-long New Orleans Navy Week from April 19-25. The event will feature the Norfolk, Va.-based amphibious assault ship Kearsarge; HMCS Charlottetown (FF339) from Halifax, Nova Scotia; French ship La Resolue from Degrad Des-Cannes, French Guiana; and two U.S. Coast Guard ships, USCGC Cypress (WLB 10) from Pensacola, Fla., and USCG Benjamin Dailey (WPC 1123) from Pascagoula, Miss. (Source: Navy Region Southeast 04/18/18)

Weeks Marine $11.4M contract

Weeks Marine Inc. of Covington, La., has been awarded an $11,445,250 firm-fixed-price contract for Wilmington Harbor (N.C.) Inner Ocean Bar maintenance dredging in Brunswick County. Bids were solicited via the Internet with two received. Work will be performed in Southport, N.C., with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2018. FY 2014/16/17/18 Army operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $11,445,250 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Wilmington, N.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 04/19/18)

HII-built LPD commissioning

The Navy will commission its newest amphibious transport dock, the future USS Portland (LPD 27), during an 8 a.m. CST ceremony April 21 at the Port of Portland's Marine Terminal 2 in Portland, Ore. Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan will deliver the ceremony’s principal address. Bonnie Amos, wife of the 35th Commandant of the Marine Corps, retired Gen. James F. Amos, serves as the ship’s sponsor. In a time-honored Navy tradition, she will give the order to “man our ship and bring her to life!” (Source: DoD 04/19/19) Gulf Coast Note: USS Portland is the 11th San Antonio-class amphib to joint the fleet. Portland's keel was laid down Aug. 2, 2013, at HII-Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss. The ceremony will be live-streamed at http://www.navy.mil/ah_online/live/ah-live.asp. about five minutes prior to the commissioning (7:55 a.m. CST).

La. firm’s subsea pipeline to Mexico

Kevin Bordelon Sr., vice president of Crosby Construction Services Inc., a lessee at the Port of Iberia in New Iberia, La., indicated during a POI District Board Commission meeting April 17 that his company was working to build a 42-inch tie-in-spool for a 400-mile undersea international natural gas pipeline between the U.S. and Mexico. It would be the first subsea international gas pipeline between the two countries, according to Bordelon. The project is tentatively scheduled to provide Mexico with 30 percent of its natural gas. Additionally at that meeting, the port authority moved closer to acquiring 106.72 additional acreage, and was considering turning it into an industrial park. Port executive Craig Romero was given authorization to make an offer on the property with Goldman Sachs. (Source: Daily Iberian 04/18/18) More than 100 companies, with a workforce of some 5,000 employees, call the Port of Iberia home.

Ala., SA firms' MOU for RO/RO ops

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – The Port of Mobile, Ala., is slated to become a major hub of automobile export activity with a new facility that would allow vehicles to be driven directly onto cargo ships bound for markets around the world beginning in late 2019. On April 17, representatives from the Alabama State Port Authority and AutoMobile International Terminal - a joint venture between Terminal Zárate S.A. of Argentina and SAAM Puertos S.A. of Chile - signed an MOU to develop and operate a vehicle processing roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) facility at the Alabama port. Automobiles have long been Alabama’s top export: Last year, topping $7.75B. Construction on the RO/RO is scheduled to start at the end of 2018, and completion by the end of 2019. Terminal Zárate is among the largest RO/RO terminals in the Americas with a nine million vehicle throughput. SAAM Puertos is a subsidiary of Sociedad Matriz SAAM S.A., a Chilean multinational company that provides foreign trade services by means of port terminal operations. With a network of 11 ports, Puertos is one of the major port operators in South America and partners with the world’s leading shipping companies. (Source: Made In Alabama 04/18/18)

ACU crews to run LCAC 101 trials

Textron Marine and Land Systems, operated out of Slidell, La., began at-sea testing of its first Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC), and was awarded a $7.9M modification award to an existing contract to begin procuring long-lead materials for FY 2017-18 craft. The SSC, which looks similar to the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) it is replacing, improves on the legacy craft by adding a fly-by-wire control system, new drive and propulsion system, and more powerful engines, while also reducing the number of parts to simplify logistics and maintenance requirements. LCAC 100, the first craft in the class, got underway in a bayou near the East New Orleans shipyard April 10. Textron pilots were conducting testing while tethered to a ramp ahead of time to prepare for the first in-water test, and official builder’s trials would soon follow. After a couple of week, Textron will address any deficiencies, and move into Navy acceptance trials. Those trials will be run by LCAC crews from Assault Craft Units (ACU) 4 and 5 from Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, Fla. LCAC 100 will be preliminarily accepted by the Navy and transferred to a test facility in Panama City for more tests. LCAC 101, the first of six, is set to come off the production line by the end of April, and delivered in the fall to ACU4. Over the next two years, Textron will ramp up to build eight per year - one every six weeks. Textron is currently under contract for crafts 100-108. On April 13, the Navy awarded Textron a modification to the initial contract to buy long-lead materials for LCACs 109-112. (Source: USNI News 04/17/18) In February 1986, ASU4 was commissioned in Panama City. On March 18, 1987, ACU4 accepted delivery of the Atlantic Fleet's first LCAC, which were designed to operate from every welldeck-configured amphibious ship. The LCAC's mission was to deliver a 60-ton payload to a designated beachhead at speeds in excess of 35 knots.

MARAD small shipyard grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the availability of $19.6M in federal grants to support capital improvements and employee training at small American shipyards. The grants are provided through the Small Shipyard Grant Program to help eligible shipyards modernize operations, increase efficiency, and reap benefits from increased productivity. In 2013, U.S. shipbuilders directly employed 110,000 workers and produced $37.3B in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The grants to U.S. shipyards, with less than 1,200 workers, support capital and related improvements, skill-training, and equipment upgrades for ship construction, repair and reconfiguration. Applications for the grants are due by 4 p.m. CST on May 22, 2018. MARAD intends to award grants no later than July 23. (Source: Maritime Professional 04/16/18)

Shark delivers 6 more PBs to Vietnam

JEANERETTE, La. Six more military patrol boats, built by American shipbuilder Metal Shark of Louisiana, were delivered to the Vietnam Coast Guard last month. The newest boats follow an initial six-vessel delivery of Metal Shark 45-foot Defiant-class patrol boats to the Vietnam Coast Guard in May 2017. The Metal Shark patrol boats (PBs) were handed over during a ceremony March 28. The PBs are part of a $20M U.S. transfer of infrastructure and equipment to Vietnam. Metal Shark CEO Chris Allard said the PBs represent a “significant capabilities boost” for the Vietnamese military; and are “symbolic of the strengthening ties between the United States and Vietnam. It’s an honor to contribute to this historic moment.” Metal Shark is the government/commercial boat entity division of Gravois Aluminum Boats LLC, which was established in south Louisiana back in 1986. Metal Shark supplies custom boats for defense, law enforcement, and commercial entities. (Source: Metal Shark 04/12/18)

Ingalls DDG-51 pact: $27M

Huntington Ingalls Industries' Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $27,079,692 cost-plus-award-fee contract for DDG 51 class follow-yard services (FYS). FYS provides necessary engineering, technical, material procurement and production support; configuration; class flight and baseline upgrades and new technology support; data and logistics management; lessons learned analysis; acceptance trials; post-delivery test and trials; post shakedown availability support; reliability and maintainability; system safety program support; material and fleet turnover support; shipyard engineering team; turnkey; crew indoctrination, design tool/design standardization, detail design development, and other technical and engineering analyses for the purpose of supporting DDG 51 class ship construction and test and trials. In addition, DDG 51 class FYS may provide design, engineering, procurement and manufacturing/production services to support design feasibility studies and analyses that modify DDG 51 class destroyers for Foreign Military Sales programs sponsored by the Defense and Navy departments. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $181,413,887. Work will be performed in Pascagoula (97.8%); Washington, D.C. (1.7%); and Bath, Maine (0.6%). It is expected to be completed by April 2019. If all options are exercised, work will continue through April 2023. FYs 2018, 2014 and 2017 Navy shipbuilding and conversion funding in the amounts of $13,564,247, $10,193,136, $1,767,250 (respectively) will be obligated at time of award and 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. Naval Sea Systems Command of Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 04/16/18 Ingalls has delivered 30 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the Navy. Destroyers currently under construction at HII-Pascagoula include Paul Ignatius (DDG 117), Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) and Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123).

MPC remains on Superfund list

ATLANTA - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released an updated Administrator’s Emphasis List of Superfund sites April 16 that are targeted for intense attention. The former Mississippi Phosphates Corporation (MPC) site in Pascagoula, Miss., remains on the list. A great deal of progress has been made at the MPC site since it was added to the emphasis list, according to the federal agency. EPA formally added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List and proposed a $71M cleanup plan for portions of the site in January. (Source: EPA 04/16/18) The MPC facility ceased operations in December 2014 under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, leaving more than 700M gallons of low-pH, contaminated wastewater stored on site. More than 9M additional gallons of contaminated water is generated with every one inch of rainfall. Wastewater treatment is occurring at a rate of about 2M gallons a day at a cost of about $1M per month, per EPA's fact sheet on MPC.

NW Fla. STEM events

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Northwest Florida students will get an up-close STEM-related experience during an April 28 collaboration with Navy engineers from Naval Surface Warfare Center, Florida State University-Panama City and Gulf Coast State College. The trio of entities are partnering for the Invention Convention and STEM Open House where students and budding scientists can gather to learn about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers. “It’s to establish a link for those students during high school to see that they have a way to get to work at the Navy base in a lab,” Gulf Coast unmanned vehicle system program coordinator Jose “Tony” Lopez-Baquero, an event collaborator, said. The free-to-attend events are from 1-4 p.m. at Gulf Coast State College and FSU-Panama City. (Source: Panama City News Herald 04/16/18)

The eyes have it in Panama City

NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY PANAMA CITY, Fla. - The Navy Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU) at Panama City will begin using never-before-used eyewear technologies in June to track blood flow and oxygen levels in the brain during training. The glasses and headgear monitors biological conditions. The off-the-shelf eyewear, called Tobii Pro Glasses 2, monitors a user’s retina location and its accompanying headgear, called Artinis Brite23, tracks blood flow and oxygen levels in the brain during training. NEDU conducts biomedical research and saturation dives. It will be using the new technology to measure the effects of diving, which can take divers hundreds of feet deep and that could cause physical problems. Tobii and Artinis are commercial products developed by European-based companies, and used in tracking the eye in video game circles. It’s the first time that NEDU researchers are using the technology to collect data. Artinis is wireless, and the headgear assists the Navy by keeping “the edge” in human performance. “Hopefully in 10 years or so the Navy will have a “really good picture” of what “goes on inside the brain and body” as a result of diving, breathing different gases and changing temperature levels during dives, NEDU research psychologist Lt. Jennifer Jewell told the News Herald. (Source: Panama City News Herald 04/12/18)

HII to restore original site

The site of the original Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp., founded in 1938, was decimated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. For the company’s 80th anniversary, the East Bank site in Pascagoula, Miss., will be reactivated and restored to support Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) current ship construction and modernization programs; and prepare for future work, including the next-generation of amphibious assault and surface warfare ships. Work on the project will begin immediately, and will likely take about two years to finish. The primary component of the project includes the addition of large, covered areas for construction of ship assemblies and components as well as the restoration of an outfitting pier. (Source: HII 04/12/18)

LCAC 100 to PC this summer

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - The Navy’s newest ship-to-shore connector - Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) – has completed its first in-water testing April 10, according to the Slidell, La.-based Textron Marine and Land Systems’ VP Scott Allen. The lead ship in the class, LCAC 100, is on path for delivery this summer. In an April 11 interview with Seapower magazine, Allen said the underway test was an important milestone that brings the LCAC 100 class closer to entering naval service. The lead craft in the new class will go through builder’s trials later this month, and being prepared for Navy acceptance trials. The craft will be delivered to the Navy in the summer for further testing at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Panama City, Fla. (Source: Seapower 04/11/18)

Update: MS river traffic operational

NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard and local agencies are responding to reports of an oil spill April 12 near mile marker 100 on the lower Mississippi River near New Orleans. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a mid-morning report of the Singapore-flagged ship Pac Antares hitting a pier and reportedly leaking diesel fuel. The vessel is currently moored at Nashville Avenue Wharf and the leak has reportedly been plugged. The Mississippi River is closed to vessel movement from mile marker 91 to mile marker 101. (Source: Coast Guard 04/12/18) UPDATE: The CG lifted its waterway restriction on the Mississippi River near New Orleans on April 14. The Unified Command, Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinators Office, Gallagher Marine, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and response personnel are continuing cleanup efforts. (Source: CG 04/14/18)

MIW building 4 towboats for Kirby

Main Iron Works of Houma, La., is building four new 2,680-hp inland towboats for Kirby Inland Marine, headquartered in Houston but with a river operations division in Baton Rouge, La. Work on the 88-foot vessels have begun. Delivery is scheduled for August, October, and December. Designed by Sterling Marine of Fairhope, Ala., with 9-foot drafts, the vessels will be twin propeller conventional towboats. The boats will be used in the transportation of a variety of petrochemicals, refined products, oils and liquid fertilizers. (Source: Work Boat 04/12/18) Kirby Inland Marine operates the nation’s largest fleet of inland tank barges and towing vessels. Kirby’s service area spans America’s inland waterway network: Gulf Intracoastal Waterway; and Mississippi, Illinois and Ohio rivers.

Study: Money won't fix La. delta

For a thousand years, the Mississippi River built about 4,000 square miles of land at a rate of up to three square miles annually. The river no longer has the ability to keep up with rapid land loss in its delta, according to a study published April 11 in Science Advances. The study concludes land loss will continue despite the state's attempts to pump millions of dollars into re-growing the delta. The study concludes with serious implications for various aspects of life that rely on the delta such as shipping commerce, offshore oil and gas exploration, wildlife habitats, and wetlands that buffer coastal communities from storm surge. Before the Mississippi River was constrained to its current flow by man-made levees, it continuously switched routes on the way to the Gulf of Mexico and deposited sand and clay along the way in building more land. That untamed river built the delta twice as fast than the current pace of land building in the Wax Lake Delta, south of Morgan City. Wax Lake is the only place to show delta growth along the state's coastline within the last 100 years. But the Mississippi River delta is losing land up to seven times faster than the average prehistoric rate of land building, according to the study. (Source: NOLA.com 04/11/18)

Oxford firm's $36M Army contract

Carothers Construction Inc. of Oxford, Miss., was awarded a $36,159,560 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of general purpose warehouse at Red River Army Depot in Texas. Bids were solicited via the Internet with five received. Work will be performed in Texarkana, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 18, 2020. FY 2018 military construction funds in the amount of $36,159,560 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 04/12/18)

1 LCS may turn into 3, again

Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer was on Capitol Hill in March defending the service’s plan for buying one Littoral Combat Ship for FY 2019. The plan didn’t go over well with U.S. House members who represent Alabama and Wisconsin, where commercial shipyards are located that build the two separate variants. One LCS purchase wouldn’t provide enough work at those shipyards, and cause them to “crumble on us” and become “effectively crippled,” said Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.), whose district includes the Austal USA facility in Mobile that builds the Independence variant. However, analysts say Congress will almost certainly add up to two additional LCS to the Navy’s FY-19 budget – just like it did last year. “The 2019 LCS shortfall is likely to take care of itself from a congressional shipbuilding plus-up perspective,” said Jim McAleese, founder of McAleese and Associates, a government contracts consulting/legal firm. The Navy is trying to focus on ending the LCS program and replacing it with a guided-missile frigate over the next few years. (Source: (Washington Examiner 04/10/18)

GC senator to lead Appropriations

WASHINGTON – Alabama Republican Sen. Richard Shelby is the new leader of the U.S. Senate’s appropriations committee. He takes over from retiring Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran. The move will likely impact upcoming FY 2019 budget debates for the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments. Shelby was named chairman of the appropriations committee for the rest of 2018, and will also serve as head of the subcommittee on defense spending. Administration and congressional negotiators have set a framework for FY-19 defense spending at $716B, but Shelby’s committee will be charged with working out the specifics. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) will take the helm of Shelby’s former position as chairman of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee; and giving up his former job of Military Construction and VA subcommittee leadership role to Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.). Both also serve on the Senate VA committee. The VA has requested an FY-19 budget request of nearly $199B (6 percent above FY-18 levels). The VA’s budget has grown by nearly 500 percent over the last 20 years. FY-19 begins Oct. 1. It’s unclear whether lawmakers will meet that deadline because of political bickering. Lawmakers are likely to pass a temporary budget extension in September amid mid-term elections in November. Source: Military Times 04/10/18)

FMS contract work for Mobile

International Systems Management Corp. of Greenbelt, Md., is being awarded a $7,078,371 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for engineering support services to conduct feasibility studies, program planning and scheduling support, and technical services in support of the Australia SEA 4000 and SEA 5000 programs. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $12,040,531. This contract involves Foreign Military Sales to Australia. Work will be performed in Washington, D.C. (92%); and at Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala. (8%), and is expected to be completed by April 2021. If all options are exercised, work will continue through April 2023. FMS funding in the amount of $1,228,050 will be obligated at the time of award and not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(4): international agreement. Naval Sea Systems Command of Washington, D.C, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 04/09/18)

CG rescues 8 in NW Fla.

NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard rescued eight people aboard a disabled vessel near the Pensacola (Fla.) Bay Bridge in the evening of n April 9. CG Sector Mobile (Ala.) received a report at that eight people, including a pregnant woman, were aboard a 26-foot Pontoon boat that had a disabled engine, no navigational lights, no radio, and a dragging anchor. CG Station Pensacola launched a 29-foot small response boat and towed the pontoon to the 17th Street Boat Ramp. There were no injuries reported. (Source: Coast Guard 04/09/18)

MS port, Yildirim negotiations

Mississippi State Port Authority and Yilport Holding A.S., a subsidiary of Yildirim Group of Companies, have a letter of intent to allow for negotiations for the potential location of the global terminal operator at the Port of Gulfport. The port is nearing completion of a $570M restoration project. Yildirim may consider a commitment to invest in more upgrades, which would mean the firm’s first port terminal in North America. YH currently operates a ferroalloys facility in Pennsylvania. Expanding to the Mississippi Gulf Coast would only further increase YH’s capabilities in North America. Yildirim specializes in energy production, port management and logistics, international trade, industrial construction, and shipbuilding. Its investment portfolio also includes a nearly 25 percent stake in CMA CGM Group, which is the third largest container shipping company in the world. (Source: Maritime Executive 04/08/18)

CG rescues mariners in NW Fla.

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard rescued two men from a capsized vessel southeast of St. George Island, Fla., on Sunday (April 8) night. CG Sector Mobile, Ala., received notification from the CG Cutter Barbara Mabrity that two men were hanging onto the side of a capsized vessel. The cutter recovered the men from the water. Both men, who had been exposed to the elements for about 27 hours, had severe sunburn and swelling of the lower extremities. An MH-60J helicopter aircrew from CG Air Station Clearwater, Fla., arrived and hoisted the men aboard and transferred them to local EMS. (Source: Coasts Guard 04/04/18)

$10.2M Austal pact for LCS 14

Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., is being awarded $10,252,142 for cost-plus-award-fee order 7F20 against a previously awarded basic ordering agreement (N00024-15-G-2304) to provide engineering and management services in support of work specification development, prefabrication efforts, and material procurement for Littoral Combat Ship, USS Manchester (LCS-14) post shakedown availability. The PSA is accomplished within a period of approximately 16-20 weeks between the time of ship custody transfer to the Navy and the Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy Obligation Work Limiting date. Efforts will include program management, advance planning, engineering, design, prefabrication, and material kitting. Work will be performed in Mobile (60%); and San Diego (40%), and is expected to be completed by July 2019. FY 2013 Navy shipbuilding and conversion funding in the amount of $2,494,932 will be obligated at time of award, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion, and Repair Gulf Coast of Pascagoula, Miss., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 04/05/18) The LCS program is operating at a full rate of production with six ships under construction and two set to commence in 2019. Charleston (LCS 18) is preparing for trials; final assembly is underway on Cincinnati (LCS 20) and Kansas City (LCS 22); and Independence-variant modules for Oakland (LCS 24) and Mobile (LCS 26) are under construction. (Source: DoD 04/05/18)

Horizon Shipbuilding springing back

It’s been a busy 2018 for Bayou La Batre, Ala.-based Horizon Shipbuilding after announcing plans to reorganize last fall amid insufficient revenues. So far in 2018, it’s been a steady stream of new construction and repair work. The yard’s new construction projects include delivery of an 88-foot bunker boat and 25-foot truckable towboat. Horizon is also building another truckable towboat and 38-foot towboat for Marine Inland Fabricators of Panama City, Fla. Horizon’s most significant projects include a comprehensive repair to the towboat Red Wagner for the Tennessee Valley Authority; and ongoing repairs to towboats L.W. Nelson for Parker Towing of Tuscaloosa, Ala., and F/V Miss Peggy of Bon Secour (Ala.) Fisheries. (Source: Marine Link 04/06/18)

NPS selects Fla. ferry service operator

National Park Services has selected Gulf Coast Maritime Services Inc. of North Carolina to operate Pensacola Bay (Fla.) Cruises. The firm will be responsible to provide at least three loops per day of passenger ferry service between downtown Pensacola, Pensacola Beach, and Fort Pickens. The selection marks the next step in the process of bringing the water-based experience to the northwest Florida area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore; and provides alternative access to Pensacola Beach from downtown. Two NPS-owned 150-passenger double-decker catamaran ferry boats will be assigned to Gulf Coast Maritime Services. (Source: Gulf Breeze News 04/05/18)

HII sinking about $2B into shipyards

Huntington Ingalls Industries, the only builder of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, is investing $1.8B in its two shipyards on the East and Gulf coasts through 2020 to help grow the Navy’s targeted-growth of 355 ships. HII’s monetary influx includes digital technologies to streamline traditional heavy labor, such as welding steel and cable installation. The HII-Pascagoula, Miss., shipyard builds destroyers, amphibious ships, and the Coast Guard’s National Security Cutter, the firm's proposed plan for the Navy’s future frigate program. Although HII wasn’t specific, some $850M of its investment is likely going to Newport News and $950M to Ingalls. It’s original 2016-20 plan called for $1.5B equally distributed, according to CFO Chris Kastner explained, but another $300M was announced this year that would split it up 33-67 percent in favor of the Gulf Coast shipyard. HII has also invested in replacing paper plans with digital ones; tablets make it easier for workers to cross-reference detailed instructions and technical data. HII also has an early-in-the-works project with augmented-reality goggles that would be able to superimpose digital plans on the wearer’s view, letting workers see exactly where the next part goes. The yards are also exploring automated welding, but other crafts - electrical, pipefitting, pipe-welding, painting, riggers - may be harder to automate, he said, and will “still require some human touch,” Kastner said. (Source: Breaking Defense 04/04/18)

HII awarded more funds for DDG 62

Huntington Ingalls Industries' Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded $56,990,298 for cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification under previously awarded contract (N00024-17-C-4444) for the execution of USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) emergent repair and restoration. This effort provides for additional collision repairs as well as maintenance and modernization. Work will be performed in Pascagoula and is expected to be completed by January 2020. FY 2018 Navy operations and maintenance and FY-17 other Navy procurement funding. An amount of $28,495,148 will be obligated at time of award. Contract funds in the amount of $28,477,931 will expire at the end of FY-18. Naval Sea Systems Command of Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 04/03/18)

Aussies select HII’s tech solutions

Australia’s Department of Defense has awarded a contract to Naval Shipbuilding Institute (NSI), a joint venture between Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Technical Solutions division and Kellogg Brown and Root’s (KBR) government services division, to establish and manage the island-nation’s new Naval Shipbuilding College. This effort is in support of Australia’s mission to recapitalize its shipbuilding and maritime sustainment industry. Australia announced its Request For Proposals in 2017 to establish a workforce “equipped with the right skills” to implement the country’s naval shipbuilding program by establishing the college as part of $90B (AUD) investment in Australia’s sovereign shipbuilding enterprise over 30-plus years. HII and KBR have put together a team from the shipbuilding, academic, and business sectors across Australia to ensure the mission of the Naval Shipbuilding College is properly executed. HII’s Technical Solutions was formed in December 2016 after HII acquired Camber Corp. and combined it with HII’s existing subsidiaries. Technical Solutions provides fleet maintenance and modernization, unmanned solutions and rapid prototyping, software development and network engineering, nuclear engineering and fabrication, and oil and gas engineering. Technical Solutions employs more than 5,000 workers in 35 states and 11 countries with mobile “fly-away” teams that support emergent situations around the globe. (Source: Marine Link 04/03/18) Gulf Coast Note: Technical Solutions has Gulf Coast sites in Pensacola and Panama City, Fla.; Dothan, Ala.; and New Orleans.

Daniels appointed to CMR

BILOXI, Miss. – Gov. Phil Bryant has appointed Ronnie Daniels to the state Commission on Marine Resources (CMR) to represent charter boat fishermen. Daniels begins his term on July 1. He is to replace current representative Ron Harmon. Daniels of Pass Christian owns Fisher-Man Guide Service and has 20 years of fishing experience. (Source: Commission on Marine Resources 03/29/18)

Eglin putting Walton on fast track

Walton County, Fla., based on March census figures, is the sixth fastest growing county in the United States. Its population jumped just shy of 3,000 (to 68,376) from 2016-17, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released March 22. The 4.5 percent jump put Walton behind only one county each in Virginia and Utah; and three in Texas. In 2015-16, Walton was the nation’s 21st fastest growing county. The growing rate is not new, and likely will continue upward, said Bill Imfeld, executive director of the Walton County Economic Development Alliance. “We met with an economist who told us over the next decade the two fastest growing counties on the Gulf Coast were going to be Baldwin County, Ala., and Walton County, Fla.,” Imfeld told the Northwest Florida Daily News. Among the reasons for the growth is an anticipated expansion of the military’s hypersonic weapon systems testing program. Walton and Okaloosa County officials have been warned to get ready for an influx of military and contractors affiliated with the weapons testing over the Gulf of Mexico - the nation’s largest testing set-a-side area for the military. Source: Northwest Florida Daily News 04/01/18)