Pipeline firms penalized for spills

DALLAS – In the latest joint federal-state Clean Water Act enforcement action, Sunoco Pipeline agreed to pay civil penalties, state enforcement costs, and to implement corrective measures to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Water Act and state environmental laws. The penalties by Sunoco and Mid-Valley Pipeline Co. stem from three crude oil spills in 2013, 2014 and 2015 in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. The U.S. Justice Department, EPA, and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) jointly announced the settlement. Under a proposed consent decree lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Sunoco will pay the U.S. $5M in federal civil penalties for Clean Water Act violations, and pay LDEQ $436,274.20 for civil penalties and response costs to resolve claims asserted in a complaint filed today. Additionally, Sunoco agreed to take actions to prevent future spills. (Source: EPA 01/31/19)

Kirby buys Cenac Marine’s fleet

Kirby Corp. of Houston announced Jan. 31 that it will be purchasing the fleet of Cenac Marine Services of Houma, La., for about $244M. The deal is to be financed through borrowings, and is expected to close late this quarter. Cenac’s fleet consists of 63 30,000-bbl inland tank barges with about 1.9M bbls of capacity, 34 inland towboats, and two 3,200-hp offshore tugs. Cenac moves petrochemicals, refined products, and black oil, including crude oil, residual fuels, feed stocks and lubricants on the Lower Mississippi River, its tributaries, and Gulf Intracoastal Waterway for major oil companies and refineries. Cenac said the deal will “enhance its marine construction operations by focusing on its best in-class shipyard at Main Iron Works. Cenac’s marine employees, from deckhands to captains, will be offered jobs by Kirby and the vessels they man will continue serving current routes. Cenac Marine will remain headquartered in Houma. Kirby will occupy an on-site suite at Cenac HQ. (Source: Work Boat 01/31/19) Kirby operates the largest inland and offshore tank barge fleets in the United States, and has river operation centers at Baton Rouge, La., and Greenville, Miss.

Austal’s LCS 34 has a name

 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer announced Jan. 31 that the next Independence-variant of the Littoral Combat Ship will be named USS Augusta (LCS 34) in honor of the capital city of Maine. The future USS Augusta will be built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. The Navy has accepted delivery of 17 LCS, including the recent contract modifications. A total of 35 LCS have been procured with 11 ships under construction (LCS 17, 19-26) and seven more ships in pre-construction ships (LCS 29-32, 34, 36, 38). Austal USA builds the even-numbered hulls. (Source: Secretary of the Navy 01/31/19)

Feb. 7 meeting of LW&F commission

The next regularly scheduled Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meeting will be held Feb.7 at 9:30 a.m. at the LW&F headquarters at 2000 Quail Dr. in Baton Rouge. The commission will receive public comments for the Notice of Intent for Rule Changes in wild quadrupeds and wild bird rules and regulations; receive and consider amendments to the Notice of Intent for Rule Changes in general and wildlife management area hunting rules and regulations regarding limited access areas; receive and consider a Notice of Intent to modify Oyster Leasing policies and procedures and establish procedures to lift the Oyster Lease moratorium; receive and accept the stock assessment report for Striped Mullet; and receive a summary on the January 2019 Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council meeting. A live audio/video stream of the meeting will be available via Gotowebinar.com. To attend a live broadcast of any LW&F commission meeting register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3210356646338320386 (Source: LW&F 01/31/19)

Bringing STEM disciplines to school

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. – Naval Surface Warfare Center and Navy Experimental Diving Unit civilian and military personnel devoted their off time Jan. 30 with 45 elementary and middle school students at Girls Inc. to demonstrate a variety of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) type jobs the Navy does in Panama City. The students were divided into groups and experienced hands-on displays and activities mentored by scientists and engineers from various STEM disciplines. Paige George, NSWC’s STEM outreach programs manager, says that interacting with students at the earliest level of education is critical. “It is up to us to get young people excited about STEM” and set them on a path to degree programs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in case they’re interested in various military or civil service careers within the Defense Department. Myranda Chapman, a scientist at NSWC, felt compelled to serve at the event to demonstrate the fun, importance, and “relatable ways to use math” as a positive influence on a student’s perspective, especially females. Chapman designed a ‘Princess vs. Villains’ war game exercise to show students training techniques that Navy surface warfare users implement through decision- making processes, as well as understanding the significance of the fleet-like training. (Source: NSWC 01/30/19)

Metal Shark delivers 4 to DCCG

JEANERETTE, La. – Alabama-Louisiana shipbuilder Metal Shark delivered four new high speed patrol boats Jan. 23 to the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard (DCCG) on the island of Aruba. The new Metal Shark patrol boats were acquired by the Dutch Ministry of Defense to bolster its capabilities in the Caribbean. DCCG will operate 12 Metal Sharks in the territorial waters of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, and Saba. Designed in-house by Metal Shark and built at the company’s Louisiana production facility, the new 38-foot Defiant-class welded aluminum mono-hulls are powered by twin Cummins Marine QSB6.7 diesel engines and can run in excess of 45 knots. The delivery represented the latest in a multi-year collaboration between Metal Shark and the Dutch Ministry of Defense, and end-users in Curaçao, Aruba, and St. Maarten. The final four vessels are currently en route to St. Maarten, according to Henry Irizarry, Metal Shark’s VP of international business development. Metal Shark has three shipbuilding facilities at Mobile, Ala., and Jeanerette and Franklin, La., which span more than 75 acres; and has 500-plus workers that build more than 200 vessels annually. (Source: Metal Shark 01/30/19)

Keel laying for EPF 12 at Austal

MOBILE, Ala. - The Navy held a keel laying and authentication ceremony for its 12th Expeditionary Fast Transport, the future USNS Newport (EPF 12) here at Austal USA’s shipyard on Jan. 29. The keel was authenticated by Charlotte Dorrance Marshall of Newport, R.I., signed her initials into the keel plate. She is a board member of the Hamilton Family Charitable Trust. EPFs are non-combatants designed to operate in shallow-draft waterways, increasing operational flexibility for maneuvering and sustainment, relief operations or being a key enabler for rapid transport. The ships are capable of interfacing with roll-on/roll-off discharge facilities, as well as on/off-loading vehicles such as a fully combat-loaded Abrams Main Battle Tank. USNS Burlington (EPF 10) was delivered to the Navy last November2018, and Austal is currently in production on Puerto Rico (EPF 11), which was christened in November 2018. The Navy issued Austal long-lead-time material contracts in late 2018 for EPF 13 and EPF 14. (Source: PEO Ships 01/30/18)

Crowley’s 2019 new cargo units

Crowley’s logistics division has invested nearly $30M in new cargo-carrying equipment within the last 12 months. Its latest acquisition includes 1,500-foot dry container units being delivered to multiple ports in order to integrate with the firm’s equipment fleet. These containers follow the company’s December 2018 receipt of 400 new 40-foot-wide cubed refrigerated cargo containers for use by perishables customers between the U.S., Central America and Caribbean. The company anticipates 150 new 40-foot flat racks in the coming months to serve those markets. (Source: Maritime Logistics 01/28/19) Gulf Coast Note: Crowley has cargo facilities in New Orleans and Lake Charles, La.; and Gulfport, Miss.

AAPR: $4B for U.S. ports' upgrades

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) has identified about $4B in crucial port and supply chain security needs to better meet security infrastructure of commercial seaports and related maritime operations over the next decade. It’s that amount of funding needed to maintain and upgrade U.S. port facilities and ensure they are equipped handle evolving security challenges, according to AAPA’s latest report in its “The State of Freight” infrastructure series. It’s the fourth report in the series designed to highlight needs of America’s deep-draft commercial public ports. The report recommends refocusing the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Port Security Grant Program (PSGP) to better meet those needs of commercial seaports and maritime operations, which includes an estimated $2.62B in maintenance upgrades to port security equipment, and systems; $1.27B more for investments to tackle cybersecurity, active shooter, drone mitigation, resiliency and other evolving security threats. The U.S. government invests $100M a year in its PSGP to protect resources that account for more than a 25 percent of the U.S. economy. (Source: Marine Link 01/28/19)

ESG steel-cuts first OPC

Eastern Shipbuilding Group of Panama City, Fla., reported the steel cutting of the first Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) Argus (WMSM-915) at a ceremony Jan. 7. ESG achieved the milestone even after sustaining damage, and work interruptions, due to Hurricane Michael. The steel-cutting started fabrication and assembly of the OPS’s hull. The keel-laying of Argus will take place later this year. ESG also completed the placement of orders for all long lead-time materials for the second CG cutter Chase (WMSM-916). ESG will construct the OPCs to replace medium endurance cutters currently in service. The contract includes options for production of up to nine OPCs with options for two additional ones. The CG plans to acquire 25 OPCs. (Source: Marine Link 01/29/19)

Navy seeks noms for LREC awards

WASHINGTON, DC - The Navy Language, Regional Expertise and Culture (LREC) Office is seeking nominees for the FY 2018 Language Professional of the Year (LPOY), Linguist of the Year (LOY), and Command Language Program of the Year (CLPOY). The program awards are presented to active duty, reserve, and civilian members with foreign language capabilities who have distinguished themselves in support of the Navy's LREC mission. The CLPOY award recognizes the Navy's top command language program. Nomination procedures are outlined in OPNAV Instruction 1650.31 and in OPNAV Instruction 1650.32. The deadline to submit nomination packages is March 30, 2019. E-mail nomination packages to ALTN_N13F1@navy.mil. (Source: Chief of Naval Personnel 01/28/19)

NMOC inducts first hall of famers

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - The Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (NMOC) hosted a ceremony Jan. 25 to induct its first Hall of Fame honorees and to dedicate the latest supercomputers named after those Naval Oceanography legends. Among the HoF inductees was Rear Adm. (ret.) James Koehr who commanded then-named Naval Oceanography Command from 1984-91; Dr. Donald Durham served as Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command’s technical/deputy director from 1989-2002 and was its senior civilian executive and the top scientific advisor; and Vice Adm. (ret.) Paul Gaffney II who commanded NMOC from 1994-97. The ceremony also unveiled the newest DoD Supercomputing Resource Center’s supercomputers that were installed in 2018 and named after the HoF trio. The installations will provide users with almost seven petaflops of computing capability, and are among some of the fastest supercomputers in the world. NMOC - with some 2,500 global military and civilian personnel – collects, processes and exploits environmental information to assist fleet and joint commanders in all warfare areas and the physical battlespace from the depths of the sea to the stars. (Source: NMOC 01/28/19)

FFG(X) coming into focus

WASHINGTON - The Navy is zeroing in on a cost and the shape of its new frigate (FFG(X)) as it prepares to launch an open competition in the summer. Through the conceptual design phase, which began in 2018, the Navy asked for feedback from the five competitors – Lockheed Martin, Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., Fincantieri, Navantia, and Huntington Ingalls of Pascagoula, Miss. The result was more than 300 suggestions for ways to evolve the design and save money, according to Naval Sea Systems Command’s FFG(X) program director Regan Campbell. Some 200 were accepted by the Navy. The five designs include LM’s mono-hull and Austal’s trimaran variant of the Littoral Combat Ship; Fincantieri’s FREMM; Navantia’s F-100 frigate; and HII’s national security cutter design. The Navy is expecting other designs may get in on the detailed design phase, says Campbell. The shadow company may be BAE Systems’ Type 26, which has won frigate competitions in the U.K., Canada and Australia. (Source: Defense News 01/28/19)

Fossil fuel rollbacks: Pros & Cons

Federal government agencies are projecting billions of dollars in potential future savings for energy-sector companies that extract, burn, and transport fossil fuels based on the White House’s rolling back of environmental and safety rules. The Associated Press identified and analyzed 11 targeted rules for repeal by using the administration's own estimates that could lead to as much as $11.6B in potential future savings for energy-related firms, but at a steep price: Up to 1,400 annual premature deaths and illnesses from air pollution; 1B tons of vehicle emissions; increase risk of water contamination from the drilling technique of fracking; and fewer safety checks to prevent off-shore oil spills. The rule changes examined by The AP mark a much-needed pivot away from heavy regulations that threatened to hold back the president's goal of increasing energy production. But, The AP's findings seem to underscore the administration's willingness to put profits ahead of safety and pollution effects. (Source: The AP 01/27/19)

GC firms part of SeaPort-NxG

The Navy is awarding 1,870 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contracts (MACs) to businesses in multiple locations across 46 of 50 states, District of Columbia, and Guam for competition of support service requirements under the SeaPort Next Generation (SeaPort-NxG) program with a potential value of $52.5B over 10 years. The award will enable companies to build on its high-tech solutions Defense Department programs at the Naval Surface Warfare Centers in Dahlgren, Va.; Crane, Ind.; and Panama City, Fla. Seaport-NxG is the Navy’s contract vehicle used in acquiring support services in systems engineering, software development, research and development, system design documentation and technical data, financial analysis, quality assurance, configuration management, information technology and logistics support. Companies will compete for individual task orders supporting Naval Sea Systems Command, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, Naval Supply Systems Command, Military Sealift Command, Naval Facilities Command, Office of Naval Research, and the Marine Corps. (DoD 12/03/18) Among the Gulf Coast companies selected are Adsync Technologies of Pensacola, Fla.; Advanced Concepts Enterprises, Inc. dba ACEs of Shalimar Fla.; Advent SVCS of Panama City, Fla.; ASTA Group of Pensacola; B3H Corp. of Shalimar; Beast Code, Dalpar Corp., and DMR Consulting dba DMR, all of Fort Walton Beach, Fla.; Deltha Corp. of New Orleans; Downey Engineering Corp. and Geocent of Metairie, La.; Global Business Solutions dba GBSI Pensacola; Global Commerce and Services of Harvey La.; H2 Performance Consulting Corp. of Gulf Breeze, Fla.; HX5 of Fort Walton Beach; Innovative Professional Solutions of Panama City; Vertex Aerospace of Madison, Miss.; Louisiana Technology Consulting of Mandeville, La.; Louisiana Technology Group dba LATG of New Orleans; MaceTech Security Solutions dba Mace Consulting Services of Panama City; OnesourcePCS of Pensacola; Operations and Security Integrated Solutions dba O&SIS and Professional Systems Associates, both of Panama City; Risk Mitigation Consulting of Destin, Fla.; Science and Management Resources and Summit Technologies, and Technical Software Services, Inc. (TECHSOFT) all of Pensacola.

HII STEM grants to GC schools

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula was awarded $99,783 in grants to 31 STEM-related projects and initiatives from schools and educational organizations in both Alabama and Mississippi. It’s the 11th year for the program, which has awarded more than $1M for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) projects. (Source: HII 01/25/19)

Prez to temporarily re-open gov’t

President Donald Trump agreed to temporarily re-open the federal government – after congressional funding approval – until Feb. 15 basically surrendering to Democrats in the U.S. House. Trump agreed Jan. 25 with negotiated terms of lawmakers after the 35-day shutdown began to negatively impact air travel. Earlier Jan. 25, LaGuardia (NYC) Airport briefly closed due to a shortage of air traffic controllers. Under the agreement, Trump will sign a short-term spending bill through Feb. 15 and Congress will begin negotiating border security legislation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said the chamber will vote “immediately” on the deal. House passage is required and could happen quickly, unless a member objects. In that case, House members would have to return to Washington for a floor vote. (Source: Bloomberg 01/25/19)

Judge: Fitz CO court-martial invalid

WASHINGTON - The court-martial of Cmdr. Bryce Benson, commanding officer of USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) has had a dramatic turn after a military judge disqualified Adm. Frank Caldwell from serving as the convening authority. Benson was aboard the ship when it collided with a merchant ship in June 2017 while on routine operations in Sagami Bay, about 56 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka, Japan. The collision resulted in the deaths of seven sailors. The judge’s ruling puts a hold on legal action against Benson and raising the possibility that charges could be dismissed. As a result, the court-martial of Benson is no longer valid, and it narrows the pool of remaining Navy authorities who could pursue the charges: Chief of Naval Operations and the Vice CNO. "I would say that it is highly improbable that either (CNO or the VCNO) could act as convening authorities in these cases. It's highly improbable," Lawrence B. Brennan, a law professor at Fordham University and a retired Navy Judge Advocate General, told Stars and Stripes. (Source: Stars and Stripes 01/23/19) Gulf Coast Note: USS Fitzgerald has been under repair at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., for more than a year.

MCM integration tests in LCS

SAN DIEGO - The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Mission Module Program effectively completed the shipboard integration testing of two unmanned systems aboard USS Independence (LCS 2) on Jan. 14, reads a media release from Naval Sea Systems Command. The Knifefish unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) and the Unmanned Influence Sweep System (UISS) are part of the Mine Countermeasures (MCM) Mission Package (MP). Both Knifefish and UISS verified the communications link between the first in-class Independence – built at Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. - and the unmanned systems MQ-8B Fire Scout helicopter - executed multiple launch and recovery evolutions from LCS 2. These tests marked a milestone for the LCS Mission Module Program having successfully tested each vehicle in the MCM program aboard the Independence-variant LCS. The tests are a subset of the overall testing program. The LCS program office will continue to incrementally deliver MCM MP systems to the fleet in advance of the formal MCM MP initial operational test and evaluations starting in 2021. (Source: Seapower 01/24/19) Knifefish was initially conceived out of Navy-Panama City, Fla.

RFI for UUV research at Stennis

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – Navy researchers in south Mississippi are looking for companies able to upgrade unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) for research programs in anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and mine countermeasures (MCM). The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) at Stennis Space Center, Miss., issued a Request For Information on Jan. 22 (N00173-19-RFI-WR02) for the UUVs for the Undersea Research project to upgrade the 21-inch-diameter Black Pearl UUV with new capabilities. The UUV is a popular vehicle for deep-dive research and CMC operations. The UUV is the basis for the Navy General Dynamics Knifefish surface-MCM unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) which was initiated out of Panama City, Fla. (Source: Military and Aerospace 01/24/19) Companies interested should respond by Jan. 31.

$16.3M Austal pact for LCS-20 EIPDA

Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., is awarded a $16,322,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee order against previously awarded contract (N00024-11-C-2301) to provide engineering, management, and production services in support of prefabrication efforts, material procurement, and execution of work items for the Littoral Combat Ship USS Cincinnati’s (LCS-20) extended industrial post-delivery availability. EIPDA is accomplished within a period of approximately 12 weeks between the time of ship custody transfer to the Navy and the shipbuilding and conversion, and the Navy's obligation work limiting date. Efforts will include program management, advance planning, engineering, design, prefabrication, and material kitting. Work will be performed in Mobile and is expected to be complete by August 2019. FY 2014 Navy shipbuilding and conversion funding in the amount of $5,011,000; FY-19 Navy shipbuilding and conversion funding in the amount of $2,550,000; and FY-18 other Navy procurement funding in the amount of $600,000 will be obligated at time of award, and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion, and Repair Gulf Coast of Pascagoula, Miss., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 01/24/19)

Navy plans to bulk-up LCS

The Navy is moving forward with plans to increase the firepower and other capabilities of its Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) designed to improve lethality and survivability, Joe DePietro, Lockheed Martin VP of small combatants and ship systems, said Jan. 17. The plans are to equip LCS with the Naval Strike Missile (NSM), an over-the-horizon anti-ship missile made by a Norwegian company along with Raytheon, that DePietro described as having a "long-range surface-to-surface capability that exceeds what the Harpoons (missiles) can do today on current surface combatants." The Navy also plans to add the Surface Electronic Warfare Information Program’s (SEWIP) Block 2 electronic surveillance sensors and MK 53 Decoy Launching System to protect the ships against inbound missiles. DePietro said the Navy is planning to place the NSM on all LCS platforms, starting with those slated to deploy in 2020. The Navy plans to commission 32 LCS. LCS is built in two variants. The Independence is built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. Freedom is built by Lockheed and Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin. There are seven Freedom and nine Independence variants now with the fleet. Upgrades will go on both variants. Sixteen LCS have been delivered. Ten LCS are under construction; and three are in the pre-construction phase. No LCS deployed in 2018 due to maintenance issues. The Navy plans to deploy three in the fall. (Source: Military.com 01/23/19)

Guv: $350M for coastal restoration

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Jan. 23 plans to spend more than $350M in surplus state monies and offshore federal oil revenue to pay for coastal restoration and hurricane risk reduction projects – including the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain levee - over the next three years. The proposal, which has to be approved by the legislature, would tap $55M of leftover monies from FY 2018, and monies from the state’s share of offshore oil revenue. Louisiana would use $30M to pay its share of land acquisition and related costs for the 18-mile, $760M West Shore levee, which likely would pave the way for the Army Corps of Engineers (CoE) to begin construction, Edwards said. Several of the projects proposed are part of the Coastal Protection Restoration Authority’s FY-20 proposed annual plan that outlines $780M for projects included in Louisiana’s coastal Master Plan. Last August, CoE officials said construction of the West Shore levee could begin in early 2021 and be completed by mid-2023. The state would also have to provide 35 percent of the levee’s construction costs over 30 years, once completed. (Source: NOLA.com 01/23/19)

GA-Tupelo part of $19.6M pact

General Atomics’ Electromagnetics Systems Group of San Diego is awarded $19,682,252 for firm-fixed-price delivery order N0001919F2406 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-16-G-0006). This order provides for the manufacture, assembly, inspection, integration, test and delivery of Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) spare parts in support of the CVN-78 prior to the Advanced Arresting Gear and EMALS material support dates. Work will be performed in San Diego (37%); Boston (18%); Tupelo, Miss. (10.7%); Aston, Pa. (5.8%); Guilford, Conn. (4.4%); San Leandro, Calif. (3.5%); Cincinnati, Ohio (2.6%); Randolph, N.J. (2.4%); Mankato, Minn. (1.4%); Middletown, Ohio (1.2%); Bindlach, Bavaria, Germany (.53%); and various locations within the continental U.S. (12.47%), and is expected to be completed in January 2023. FY 2018/19 Navy shipbuilding and conversion funds in the amount of $19,682,252 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Air Systems Command of Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 01/23/19)

Gulf Craft delivers 3rd SEACOR FSV

Franklin, La., shipbuilder Gulf Craft delivered the third of four in a series of mono-hull fast support vessels (FSV) for SEACOR Marine of Houma, La. The Libby L. McCall advances the traditional offshore support vessel model, and offers cost efficient and flexible options. Five Cummins QSK 60, EPA Tier 3 compliant diesel engines, each producing 2,680 bhp, coupled to Twin Disc MGX 61500 SC gearboxes, are provided for main propulsion power. Libby L. McCall is certified by the Coast Guard under Subchapters T (Small Passenger Vessels), L (Offshore Supply Vessels) and I (Industrial Vessels) and is classed by the American Bureau of Shipping as a High-Speed Craft with DP-2 and Fire-Fighting Capability notations. Gulf Craft is construction the fourth vessel, Express Plus. The other two vessels are named Liam McCall and Liam J McCall. (Source: Marine Link 01/23/19) Gulf Craft is one of the nation's leading family owned and operated companies that designs, engineers and builds aluminum commercial vessels to accommodate its customers’ diverse range of demanding applications. Its new main facility is completely integrated for efficient vessel construction; and located on 100 acres of property along the Charenton Canal in Franklin, La. The facility is easily accessible from the Gulf of Mexico via the Atchafalaya River and Intracoastal Canal.

PM: LPD 17s ‘can do anything’

ARLINGTON, Va. - The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships (LPD 17s) in production are incorporating upgrades as the class moves forward to the Flight II configuration, Capt. Brian Metcalf, LPD 17 program manager (PM), noted Jan. 16 at the Surface Navy Association symposium. The roles of the 14 elder Flight I LPDs and the forthcoming Flight II ships will remain the same, he said. Flight II is to begin with LPD 30, and it will incorporate those upgrades, including the Enterprise Air Search Radar (EASR), Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES) architecture, destroyer-style mast, boat deck, SLQ-32 Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program Block, and the Rolling Airframe Missile. Flight IIs will keep the same hull and propulsion plant as Flight Is, but have better fuel efficiency and electrical distribution. The future USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) will be the first LPD to have CANES installed, and fitted with a destroyer-style mast. The ship is scheduled for delivery in the fall of 2021. The future USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29), the last Flight I ship, will have EASR installed. The ship is scheduled for delivery in 2023. These amphibs can do anything,” Metcalf said, including “recovering spacecraft or put 800 Marines in your back yard.” The 11 commissioned ships of the San Antonio class have completed 21 deployments. Navy plans to procure 13 Flight II ships. Navy has an option to conduct a block buy, but does not yet have the congressional authority. (Source: Seapower 01/22/19) Gulf Coast Note: HII-Pascagoula, Miss., is the sole provider of the San Antonio (LPD 17) class of amphibious transport dock ships for the Navy. Collectively, LPD 17 class ships replace the functions of more than 41 amphibs in four classes (LPD 4, LSD 36, LKA 113, and LST 1179). The first nine ships in the LPD 17 class - USS San Antonio (LPD 17), USS New Orleans (LPD 18), USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19), USS Green Bay (LPD 20), USS New York (LPD 21), USS San Diego (LPD 22), USS Anchorage (LPD 23), USS Arlington (LPD 24), USS Somerset (LPD 25) and USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) and USS Portland (LPD 27) - have been delivered. The keel for LPD 28 was authenticated during a ceremony at HII-Pascagoula on Oct. 13, 2017, and is under construction. Pre-Commissioning Unit Richard M. McCool (LPD 29) has been authorized for construction.

Navy squeezing out FFG(X) costs

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Navy says it may have squeezed about $150M in cost savings as it closes in on final requirements for a planned class of next-generation frigates (FFG(X)). In 2018, the Navy told Congress that the upper-end cost for the second and beyond ships would be about $950M. The Navy is now saying that figure could be closer to $800M. Last year, the Navy awarded five shipyards with contracts for conceptual design work that would allow them time to tighten up designs based on more mature parent designs of warships currently in production and to help the Navy refine its requirements. Austal USA of Mobile, Ala.; Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Fincantieri Marine and Huntington Ingalls Industries of Pascagoula, Miss., were each awarded $15M contracts for the work. The Navy recently approved the Capability Development Document (CDD) solidifying the requirements for FFG(X). CDD is now awaiting Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) approval. Navy is set to issue a final design and construction Request For Proposals in the latter part of 2019; and award make a final pick for the 20-ship program in 2020. (Source: USNI News 01/22/19)

N95: Accelerate buys of big amphibs

ARLINGTON, Va. – In an attempt to address a “capacity problem” in the amphibious ship fleet, Maj. Gen. David Coffman, CNO’s director of expeditionary warfare (N95), wants to grow the construction of new amphibious assault ships and stop long-term upgrades for aging Dock Landing ships (LSD). The aging Whidbey Island-LSDs (41/49) will be replaced one-for-one with the more capable San Antonio-class Flight II amphibious transport dock ships (LPD), once built and delivered in the 2020s. Until then, Coffman wants to stop bringing LSDs up to capability and return them to the fleet to haul stuff around. But Congress pushed the Navy to modernize cruisers and LSDs. For the amphibs, it called for taking three LSDs and putting them on a reduced ops schedule until major C5I upgrades are made, and bring them back to the fleet with an extended service life and more war-fighting power. USS Whidbey Island (LSD-41) and USS Germantown (LSD-42) are included in Congress’ life extension plans. Coffman is interested in modernizing the original 13 Flight I LPDs in their mid-life service. As the LPD Flight II ships are built through the decade – through annual block buy contracts – USS San Antonio (LPD-17) and early LPDs will be approaching their mid-life availabilities. Under an Amphibious Warship Evolution Plan, Coffman says advances built into Flight II LPDs could be back-fitted into older Flight Is that would increase commonality between both types. For big-deck amphibs, Coffman proposed accelerating buy timelines and investing in a massive mid-life upgrade to increase the capability/capacity within the LHA/LHD fleet. The Navy wants 12 amphibious assault ships to complement the 26 combined LPD Flight I and II ships. However, with the future Bougainville (LHA-8) under construction at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi, a gap in production before the Navy buys LHA-9 (in 2024) causes risk to HII of losing experienced workers and missing out on lower costs of serial production. But the Navy puts at risk its ability to have 12 big decks in the fleet with USS Wasp’s (LHD-1) scheduled retirement in 2029. (Source: USNI News 01/22/19) Gulf Coast Note: HII-Pascagoula builds LPD and LHA classes of amphibs.

Reckoning for some senators Jan. 24

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate leaders agreed Jan. 22 to hold votes this week on a pair of proposals to reopen federal agencies still affected by the longest (partial) shutdown in history. It’ll be a reckoning for some senators: Side with President Trump or vote to temporarily end the shutdown and keep negotiating. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) set up the showdown votes for Jan. 24, one day before about 800,000 federal workers are due to miss a second paycheck. One vote will be on Trump’s offer to trade border wall funding for temporary protections for some immigrants. It has already been rejected by Democrats. The second vote is set for a bill approved by the Democrat-controlled House that would reopen the government through Feb. 8, but no wall money, to give bargainers time to talk. (Source: The AP 01/22/19)

MIW completes 1st of 3 tows for Kirby

Main Iron Works of Houma, La., recently completed the first in a series of three Subchapter M-certified 2,680-hp towboats for Kirby Inland Marine of Houston. The 88-foot Bailey is powered by a pair of Caterpillar 3512C-HD diesel engines, turning 1,340 hp at 1,600 rpm each through Twin Disc MG-5600 gears with 6.04:1 reduction ratios and a shaft braking system. “It is a pleasure working with Main Iron Works on the construction of one of the first Subchapter M towboats being built,” John Sansing, Kirby senior VP of maintenance, said in a prepared statement. Kirby is one of the nation’s largest tank barge operators that transports products along the Intracoastal Waterway, and Mississippi, Illinois and Ohio rivers. Main Iron Works specializes in the construction, repair, and repowering of marine vessels and barges; and is located at the 50-mile marker of the Intracoastal Waterway. (Work Boat 01/21/19)

U.S. to drive global O&G production

The global oil and gas industry reached a net production increase of 164B cubic meters (bcm) over the past year. It represents the highest production growth since 2010, according to Rystad Energy, an independent energy research and consulting firm HQ’d in Norway. “Year-on-year growth was clearly driven by North America, which accounted for 71 bcm …Europe was the only region that experienced a reduction in 2018,” Rystad Energy partner Espen Erlingsen told Marine Link. Rystad anticipates the supply surge will continue over the coming years. The anticipated average annual growth between 2018-21 is 115 bcm. The number would outpace the average annual growth from 2011-17 by 90 percent. “Going forward, global growth will be driven primarily by North American gas, which is going through an LNG development phase,” he said. Rystad estimates U.S. gas production will reach nearly 1,000 bcm annually (94 bcd) by 2025. (Source: Marine Link 01/20/19)

OCS graduations streaming live

NEWPORT, R.I. - Officer Candidate School (OSC) graduations are now available streaming live here from the Officer Training Command. The live stream broadcasts come from Kay Hall at OTC onboard Naval Station Newport, R.I, through the Defense Visual Distribution Service website. The first live streamed broadcast was Dec 14. (Source: OTC 01/18/19)

NI grant to reduce water pollution

New Iberia has been awarded, through the Louisiana Department of the Wildlife and Fisheries’ Sport Fish Restoration Wallop-Breaux program, a Clean Vessel Act pump system designed to reduce pollution and improve water quality in Bayou Teche. The CVA system will be a public facility donated to the city, and funds generated through the grant will be used to relocate an existing barge behind City Hall along the bayou; New Iberia boat slips project currently underway; and a proposed Civic Center Marina. Once completed, the project will benefit recreational boaters from around the state. (Source: Daily Iberian 01/18/19)

Iberia port tenants on ’19 fast tract

The Gulf Coast’s energy sector continues to be in a slump, but the Port of Iberia (La.) is seeing some tenants off to a fast start in 2019. “These guys are staying busy,” port executive director Craig Romero told the Daily Iberian. One of the most visible activities is the Bayou Companies pipeline coating facility, which has a contract to coat 1.8M feet of 36-inch pipe for a major pipeline project. The project is bringing tons of pipe via barge and railway to the port and traffic to the railhead at the Acadiana Regional Airport, where it is off-loaded and trucked to Bayou. The project brought a profit in the form of more than $400,000 in maintenance to the port’s railroad spur. That project is expected to keep the facility busy into 2020. Dynamic Industries’ fabrication facility is filling an order for 92 modules to be shipped to Pennsylvania for use in a polyethylene plant, and a supplemental order for 44 modular units going to Texas. The two orders will peak 450 workers employed. Local firms Omega, LQT and Berard Transportation will handle parts of the project. Custom Compression Systems is also busy, according to VP of Operations Joey Belfour. The company has been steadily supplying (up to 130 last year of) its skid-mounted compression systems to fields in Texas. CCS provides pressure for fracking activity across the region. More than 990 of an available 1,000 acres for lease at the port is already under contract. Activity should continue unabated through 2019, according to an optimistic Romero. (Source: Daily Iberian 01/20/19)

HII’s Tech solutions seeks Fulcrum

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced Jan. 18 it has entered into an agreement to acquire Fulcrum IT Services LLC, an information technology and government consulting firm located in Centreville, Va. The planned acquisition is expected to close in February. Financial terms were not disclosed. Fulcrum will join HII’s Technical Solutions division. Fulcrum would expand HII’s capabilities in enhanced situational awareness and predictive threat analytics through the firm’s advanced engineering, cyber security, software development, big data engineering, and intelligence and special operations experience across the C5ISR domain (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Combat Systems, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance), said Andy Green, president of Technical Solutions. (Source: HII 01/18/19) Gulf Coast Note: Technical Solutions provides fleet maintenance and modernization, unmanned solutions and rapid prototyping, agile software development and network engineering, training systems, logistics support, nuclear engineering and fabrication, and oil and gas engineering. TS employs more than 5,000 people across 35 states and 11 countries with mobile “fly- away” teams that can support emergent situations around the globe. One of those TS sites is located in Panama City, Fla., where they employ engineers and designers that provide rapid prototyping that also include unmanned systems.

SF Sgt. missing from NW Fla. base

Military and local police are searching for a missing Army sergeant assigned to 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) near Crestview, Fla., is located on Eglin Air Force Base’s range. The search began after Sgt. Greco Antoine Tucker Jr., 23, failed to report for duty Jan. 14. He was last seen Jan. 11. “Sgt. Tucker is a valued member of the 7th SFG(A) team, and we will do everything we can to facilitate the Crestview Police Department’s investigation,” Col. Patrick Colloton, 7th group commander, said in a statement to Military Times. The sergeant’s Crestview home showed no signs of forced entry, and all personal property was in place, according to police. However, his 2014 four-door, white Dodge Charger SE sedan was gone, police confirmed. At this time, police do not suspect foul play. Members of 7th SFG(A) described Tucker as an exemplary soldier, according to police. Anyone with information about Tucker or his car’s whereabouts (license plate: 044-QCF) are encouraged to contact the Crestview Police Department at (850) 682-3544. (Source: Military Times 01/16/19)

La. considers doubling diversion flow

Louisiana officials are considering nearly doubling the capacity of the proposed Mid-Breton Sediment Diversion freshwater flow to 75,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) of river water and sediment despite fishers’ concerns of the potential impact on the seafood industry. The state’s coastal master plan calls for a diversion structure on the Mississippi River near Wills Point, on the east bank of Plaquemines Parish. The initial Mid-Breton permit would allow up to 35,000 cfs of river water and sediment to flow into the Breton Sound estuary in an effort to rebuild land lost to erosion. But a more recent permit application from the state seek to nearly double the flow capacity, Mid-Basin Sediment Diversion Program Manager Brad Barth said at a Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority meeting Jan. 16. The increased capacity won’t significantly change the projected price tag of about $800M, he said. The potential increase would put it on par with a diversion slated down river on the west bank near Ironton. Fishers have criticized both plans over the potential impact of salinity levels in the bays needed to sustain a variety of fisheries. (Source: NOLA.com 01/17/19)

Seasor to buy Cosco PSVs

HOUSTON - The offshore marine support vessels operator Seacor Marine Holdings announced it has entered into definitive agreements to acquire three platform supply vessels (PSVs) from Cosco Shipping Heavy Industry, an affiliate of Cosco Shipping Group, the world’s largest ship owner. Aggregate consideration for the vessels will be about $46M, of which 30 percent will be paid in cash and the remainder under a four-year deferred payment agreement between Seacor Marine and Cosco Zhoushan. The three PSVs acquired will be registered in the Marshall Islands and be named the M/V Seacor Alps; Seacor Andes; and Seacor Atlas. Seacor Marine provides global marine and support transportation services to offshore oil and natural gas and windfarm facilities worldwide. (Source: Seacor 17/19) Gulf Coast Note: Seacor Marine Americas’ HQ is located in Houma, La.

Navy wants 2 common auxiliary hulls

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Navy has begun work on finding a common design for two ship-types under the Common Hull Auxiliary Multi-Mission Platform (CHAMP) program. The program office realized the five mission areas CHAMP seeks - strategic sealift, aviation intermediate maintenance support, medical services, command and control, and submarine tending - to fit  people-centric (not as much internal volume for smaller ships), but with more berthing capability; and volume-centric (large volume areas inside). After initial industry feedback, the office realized that two hull designs should yield more savings instead of paying for five separate ships, Capt. Scot Searles, Strategic and Theater Sealift program manager, said Jan. 16 at the Surface Navy Association’s annual symposium. As the program office looks for options to meet those needs, it has two ships with hot production lines: Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) made by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., and the Expeditionary Seabase (ESB) made by General Dynamics’ NASSCO in San Diego. Both builders have noted the vast space in both ships’ designs and the flexibility to use that space for multiple missions, including medical. The EPF has some medical spaces, but a large bay could be outfitted for patient beds, and operating rooms. The ESB has a wide-open mission bay too that could be used as a hospital. The Navy previously planned to buy 10 EPF, but lawmakers have funded the 13th and 14th, and are negotiating contracts with Austal. Until the CHAMP hulls come online, the Navy will do service-life extension work on the identified hulls and buy used auxiliary ships as needed, Searles said. (Source: USNI News 01/16/19)

Navy: 3 LCS to deploy in 2019

Without giving too many specifics, Vice Commander of Naval Operations Adm. Bill Moran said Jan. 15 that the Navy is optimistic that Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) will deploy this year at "100 percent fit and 100 percent full." Last week, the commander of Naval Surface Forces said the Navy plans to deploy three LCS in 2019 - two Austal USA-built ships from San Diego (USS Montgomery, LCS-8, and USS Gabrielle Giffords, LCS-10) and one (USS Detroit, LCS-7) from Mayport, Fla. The deployments would mark a return to the sea for nearly two years. Even-numbered hulls are built by Austal USA of Mobile, Ala. The USS Coronado, LCS 4, is now considered a prototype vessel, returned to San Diego in December 2017 from an 18-month deployment to the Pacific. Odd-numbered hulls are built at Marinette (Wis.) Marine by Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine. The Navy had intended to send three ships on deployment in FY 2018 after the overhaul, but it never happened. USS Little Rock, LCS-9, is slated to deploy in early in FY-20. (Source: Military.com 01/16/19)

CG ends Miss. River search

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard, state and Plaquemines Parish agencies are searching for two people in the water near Bootheville, La., on Jan. 16. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report around 10:40 a.m. of a capsized 32-foot vessel, with two people aboard, in the vicinity of mile marker 18 on the lower Mississippi River. Missing are Katelyn Carlisle and Rueben Arellano. River traffic is restricted from mile marker 15 to mile marker 18. The current queue of vessels is four northbound, 10 inbound, and 15 southbound. Bootheville is about 70 miles SSE of New Orleans. (Source: Coast Guard 01/16/19) UPDATE 01/17/19): The Coast Guard ended its search for the two people on Jan. 17 after searching some 130 square nautical miles for 27 hours.

HII joins effort to hire vets, spouses

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) is expanding efforts to create employment opportunities for military veterans and spouses. HII announced Jan. 16 that it has joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s “Hiring 100,000 Military Spouses” campaign to raise awareness of military spouse unemployment and to encourage employers to make military spouse hiring commitments. HII plans to hire 50 spouses over the next three years. “As the largest employer in Mississippi and industrial employer in Virginia, nothing is more important to us than growing our workforce through the recruitment, hiring and retaining of veterans and their families,” said Bill Ermatinger, HII’s executive VP. HII employs more than 6,600 former members of the Armed Forces, as well as current members of the National Guard and Reserve. (Source: HII 01/16/19)

Aegis Baseline 10 set for IOC in 2023

ARLINGTON, Va. - Lockheed Martin’s Baseline 10 is the latest Aegis combat weapon system upgrade that will be built for the Navy’s upcoming fleet of Flight III Arleigh Burke guided-missile destroyers and to provide the Navy with compatibility for older ships. The bulk of the Baseline 10 upgrade integrates the new AN/SPY-6(V) radar, Jim Sheridan, the head of Lockheed Martin’s Naval Combatants Group, told media at the 2019 Surface Navy Association Symposium. Baseline 10 will work with older systems, too. All ships will not have SPY-6 radars installed. In the meantime, Lockheed Martin designed Baseline 10 to be compatible with older variant AN/SPY-1 radars. The future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125), which is the first Flight III Arleigh Burke guided-missile destroyer, is being built with Baseline 10 and SPY-6 radar and is anticipated to be operational (OIC) during FY 2023. Lucas is under construction at the Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., and is expected to be delivered in 2021, according to HII. Lockheed is working to pair its HELIOS directed energy weapon with the Aegis system for the future. They plan to put HELIOS through a product design review in 2019. The LM believes HELIOS is promising enough to consider how to integrate the system into ship designs instead of building something bolted onto a ship. “It gives us an infinite magazine,” Sheridan said. (Source: USNI News 01/15/19)

Resources for affected fed workers

For the third time this year, federal employees are caught in the middle of a partial (25% of agencies) government shutdown. The current shutdown, which started Dec. 22, has a different feel than the others. For one, it looks like it’ll be lasting longer. Also, it doesn’t apply to the entire government. Agencies more affected include: Agriculture, Commerce, EPA and FDA, Interior, Justice, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Homeland Security, Interior, IRS and NASA, State, and Treasury departments. About 800,000 fed workers are being impacted: 380,000 furloughed, and 420,000 working without pay, according to U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.). With uncertainty still swirling, govloop.com’s website has provided a number of resources to help keep government employees informed. (Source: govloop.com 01/08/19)

Metal Shark ferries grow NYC

The NYC Ferry public system will expand to all five New York City boroughs in 2020, including a new cross-harbor route from Staten Island, service to Coney Island and additional stops on existing routes. Since launching in May 2016 the NYC Ferry system has carried nearly eight million riders. With the additional routes and new landings now planned, the city Economic Development Corporation forecasts ridership could reach 11 million annually by 2023. Last summer Metal Shark of Franklin, La., delivered the first of six 350-passengers vessels City officials say they will spend an additional $100M to add fleet capacity, build new landings, and invest in existing landings to support the system’s expansion. (Source: Work Boat 01/15/19)

JOO contract extension for OSVs

Jackson Offshore Operators LLC (JOO) of Harvey, La., has been awarded long-term contract extensions for at least two of its fleet of deepwater offshore supply vessels (OSVs), including the 4,357-dwt Lightning and Squall. The 2015-built 252-foot OSVs features deck areas of 7,800 sq. ft. and liquid mud capacities of 10,800 bbls. The contract extension follows a 2018 long-term contract, which included the OSVs Breeze and Thunder well as the 210′-foot fast supply vessels (FSVs) Cajun II and Cajun IV. Founded in 2011, JOO operates a fleet of fast supply crew vessels and OSVs in support of deepwater exploration and production for major oil and gas clients. (Source: Work Boat 01/15/19)

AF pitching fast-track pacts

ARLINGTON, Va. - The Air Force is calling for submissions from start-ups and small businesses while it seeks to quickly invest up to $40M at Air Force Pitch Day, which is part of a rapid contracting effort. Air Force Pitch Day is designed as a fast-track program to put companies on one-page contracts and same-day awards with the swipe of a government credit card. Submissions are open to ideas furthering national security in air, space and cyberspace with a special emphasis on three areas: Command, control, communications, intelligence and network technologies; Battlefield air operations family of systems technologies; and Digital technologies. Companies are encouraged to apply before Feb. 6. (Source: Secretary of the Air Force 01/15/19)

MS firm: $18M for river work

Mississippi Limestone Corp. of Friars Point, Miss., was awarded an $18,399,991 firm-fixed-price contract for articulated concrete mattress casting at the Mississippi River. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Delta, La., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 21, 2019. FY 2019 Army operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $18,399,991 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of Vicksburg, Miss., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 01/15/19)

NOLA 2% of Marine work

C4 Planning Solutions of Blythe, Ga., is awarded a maximum ceiling $45,488,761 firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity contract with a five-year ordering period and option to extend services up to six months for tactical systems support and professional engineering services for the Marine Corps’ Tactical Systems Support Activity. This contract contains an option, which if exercised, will bring the contract value to $49,999,196. Work will be performed at Camp Pendleton, Calif. (41%); Okinawa, Japan (15%); Camp Lejeune, N.C. (4%); Norfolk, Va. (4%); Alexandria, Va. (4%); Quantico, Va. (4%); New Orleans (2%); and additional various locations outside the continental U.S. (26%), and work is expected to be completed by March 6, 2024. If the option is exercised, work will continue through Sept. 6, 2024. FY 2017 Marine Corps operations and maintenance (O&M) funds in the amount of $515,910; and FY-19 Marine Corps O&M funds in the amount of $146,903 will be obligated under the initial task order immediately following contract award. Although expired, the FY-17 contract funds in the amount of $515,910 are available for this effort in accordance with 31 U.S. Code 1558. The contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received. Marine Corps Systems Command of Quantico, Va., is the contract activity. (Source: DoD 01/15/19) Marine Corps Systems Command is the acquisition command of the Marine Corps, serving as head of contracting authority and exercising technical authority for all Marine Corps ground weapon and information technology programs.

NOAA fellowships to grad students

The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium is accepting applications for four National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) fellowships. The fellowships are open to graduate students, and the application deadlines are in January and February. Students apply through the consortium’s program for fellowships that are in several different locations from Washington, D.C., to Oregon. (Source: Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium 01/11/19)

Carothers named to MEDC board

The Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission (HCPHC) has announced that its Chief Development Officer Janel L. Carothers has been selected as District 8 president of the Mississippi Economic Development Council (MEDC) Board of Directors. Carothers, a 10-year veteran economic development professional, has been instrumental numerous industrial locations and expansions in South Mississippi. She has been an active member of MEDC since 2008. She also is on the Foreign Trade Zone Board and is president of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Alliance for Economic Development. (Source: Mississippi Economic Development Commission 01/14/19)

Big biz winner of wetland rule changes

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has pointed to farmers to be among the winners of the administration’s proposed changes of federal protections for wetlands and waterways. Federal law and rules already had farmers and farmland exempt from most regulatory hurdles on wetlands that the administration has targeted. Environmental groups have argued that builders, oil and gas, and other industry would be the biggest winners, if the government adopts the rollback, making it easier to fill in bogs, creeks, and streams for plowing, drilling, mining or building. Government numbers released last month seem to support the argument. (Source: The AP 01/14/19) Gulf Coast Note: President Trump addressed the National Farm Bureau Federal's 100th convention in New Orleans today (Jan. 14). Trump defended his tough trade policies in front of thousands of farmers, a key constituency that has struggled because of his trade war with China, and promised fair trade deals that will put America's rural heartland back on its feet. There are some 3.2M farmers across America, according to Reuters.

Cronin to MS restoration fund cmte

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. - Greg Cronin of Ocean Springs, president/CEO of Charter Bank, has been appointed to the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund committee, which will assist the Mississippi Development Authority with the distribution of monies received from the settlement with BP regarding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The committee will ultimately be comprised of seven individuals: Three appointed by Gov. Phil Bryant, two by state House Speaker Philip Gunn, and two by Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves. Cronin was one of Gunn's two appointments. (Source: Mississippi Press 01/11/19)

Seacor terminates pooling agreement

Seacor Marine Holdings Inc. of Houma, La., announced Jan. 10 that it has acquired three fast support vessels (FSVs) in exchange for the private placement of 603,872 shares of its common stock to domestic U.S. holders affiliated with the McCall family of Louisiana. Seacor Marine has operated the three vessels for the past 10 years under a revenue sharing pooling agreement along with four of its owned FSVs. As part of the transaction, the pooling agreement was terminated. This will eliminate a $2.4M annual negative adjustment to Seacor Marine’s revenue and direct vessel profit (DVP). Seacor Marine had 41 FSVs as of Dec. 31, 2018, in the Gulf of Mexico, Latin America, West Africa, Mediterranean and the Middle and Far East. Seacor Marine provides global marine and support transportation services to offshore oil and natural gas and wind farm facilities worldwide. (Source: Work Boat 01/11/19)

CoE projects not in jeopardy: Graves

Some of Louisiana’s congressional delegation say planned flood and hurricane risk reduction projects – notably the Comite River Division Canal and the Westshore Lake Pontchartrain hurricane risk reduction system - would not be in jeopardy under a White House proposal to divert money and resources from the Army Corps of Engineers to build a 315-mile wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Trump administration brought forward the proposal Jan. 10 in a stalemate with Congress over border wall/national security funding that has a partial government shutdown heads into a fourth week. U.S. Rep. Garret Graves told NOLA.com via text Jan. 11 that those two state projects “are not on the chopping block.” If not, it would make a really awkward trip for POTUS on Monday.” Graves was referencing Trump’s scheduled appearance in New Orleans on Jan. 14 at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual conference. (Source: NOLA.com 01/11/19)

Slidell work on UISS program

AAI Corp. of Hunt Valley, Md., is awarded a $10,839,582 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-only, firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-14-C-6322) to exercise options for engineering and technical services for the Unmanned Influence Sweep System (UISS) unmanned surface vehicle platform. UISS will allow the Littoral Combat Ship(s) to perform its mine-countermeasures warfare mission. UISS will target acoustic, magnetic, and magnetic/acoustic combination mine types only. The UISS program will satisfy the Navy’s need for a rapid, wide-area coverage mine clearance capability, required to neutralize magnetic/acoustic influence mines. UISS seeks to provide a high area coverage rate in a small, lightweight package with minimal impact on the host platform. Work will be performed in Hunt Valley, Maryland (70 percent); and Slidell, La. (30 percent), and is expected to be complete by September 2019. FY 2019 Navy research, development, test and evaluation funding in the amount of $10,839,582 will be obligated at time of award, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command of Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 01/10/19)

Ala. sailor killed at Pearl Harbor ID’d

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said Navy Chief Warrant Officer John Arnold Austin of Warrior, Ala., was accounted for in September 2018, 77 years after his death on board the USS Oklahoma during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. USS Oklahoma was moored at Ford Island at Pearl Harbor when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. Austin, who had enlisted in the Navy in 1920 at the age of 15, was trapped with others on the ship but found a porthole beneath the water that provided an escape. He is credited with assisting 15 sailors in escaping, though he did not get out – one of 429 fellow crewmen. He was 36-years-old. Austin was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross in recognition for actions. The USS Austin, an escort destroyer, is named in his honor. In 2015, the Pentagon restarted efforts to identify sailors from USS Oklahoma and began exhuming their remains. Austin was identified by scientists using mitochondrial DNA, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. (Source: AL.com 01/09/19) Warrior, Ala., is 24 miles north of Birmingham.

Gulfport Seabees relieved of Yutu duty

OKINAWA, Japan – Sixty Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3 deployed to Tinian to assume charge of ongoing Tinian Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) relief efforts on the island from the Gulfport, Miss.-based NMCB-1 during a transfer of authority ceremony on Jan. 9. Tinian and Saipan are part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and were devastated by Super Typhoon Yutu, the second-strongest storm system to hit a U.S. territory in recorded history, according to the NOAA. Many homes and structures were destroyed or badly damaged; and many were left without power and running water. In response, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) stood up Task Force-West, divided into Task Group Saipan and Task Group Tinian, to conduct DSCA relief efforts in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. NMCB-1, along with other INDOPACOM units, conducted route clearance of 64 miles of road, built more than 150 FEMA-provided tents for families whose homes became unlivable, and produced more than 54,000 gallons of potable water during the relief efforts. Following the debris cleanup, the unit focused on roof repairs in which they assessed over 300 households and executed 122 repairs. (Source: Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3 01/09/19)

Update: Rush for GC deepwater ports

The oil export boom has set off a mad dash to build Gulf Coast ports to handle more than 3 million barrels per day in new supplies anticipated over the next five years. Of seven proposed Gulf Coast oil-export projects in the hopper, nowhere is the competition more heated that in Corpus Christi, Texas, where three firms are vying to open the state's first deep-water port. There is only U.S. facility, the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, which is headquartered in Covington, and has an operations center in Cut Off, can fully load supertankers capable of carrying 2 million barrels. The Corpus Christi port exports less than 1 million bpd, and its harbor is too shallow to fully load supertankers. The trio includes Trafigura, Carlyle Group, and Magellan Midstream Partners. Kinder Morgan Inc., JupiterMLP, and Tallgrass Energy have also proposed offshore ports along the Gulf Coast. (Source: Maritime Professional 01/10/19) Note: China, the fastest growing consumer of the fuel, became the world's second biggest LNG buyer in 2017. The U.S. is on track to become the world's third biggest LNG exporter by capacity this year as additional export terminals enter service. Firms proposing new U.S. LNG export terminals expressed optimism a new U.S.-China trade agreement could help advance their projects. UPDATE: Three cargo ship's filled with U.S. crude oil are on their way to China from the Gulf Coast, sources told Maritime Logistics on Jan. 14. It is the first departures since late September and a 90-day pause in the nations' trade spat that began in December. The vessels left Galveston, Texas, last month and are scheduled to arrive at Chinese ports between late January and early March, according to vessel tracking data. The shipments mark a change since Chinese buyers began avoiding American oil during the trade dispute from last summer.

Boat located, SAR continues

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard and local agencies are on a search and rescue (SAR) mission looking for two people aboard an overdue vessel in Mobile Bay, Ala., in the evening of Jan. 9. The missing duo was identified as Floyd Nelson, 85; and David Stadman, 40. CG Sector Mobile received a report at 6:30 p.m. of an overdue 22-foot ‘Jon’ boat with the two men aboard. A family member of one of the men reported that the men were planning to fish between the Theodore Ship Channel and Gaillard Island on Tuesday (Jan.8) evening and were supposed to return by 9 a.m. on Wednesday. CG Air Station New Orleans launched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter/crew; CG Station Dauphin Island, Ala., launched a 45-foot response boat/crew; CG Aviation Training Center Mobile launched an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft/crew. Anyone with information about the two men is requested to contact CG Sector Mobile at (251) 441-6211. (Source: Coast Guard 01/09/19) UPDATE: The capsized 20-foot fishing vessel was located Jan. 10 about 12:30 p.m. on the westside of Gaillard Island. The search for the two men is ongoing. (Source: Coast Guard 01/11/19)

Mobile to kick off Navy Weeks ’19

MILLINGTON, Tenn. - America’s Navy will sail into 14 sites across America in 2019 - from Puerto Rico to the frontier of Grand Junction, Colo. - as part of the “Navy Weeks” outreach program. The 2019 season will begin in Mobile, Ala., from Feb. 27 to March 5. Navy Weeks are designed to give Americans an opportunity to learn about the sea-service, its people, and the importance to national security and prosperity. Since 2005, the Navy Week program has served as the Navy's flagship outreach effort. There have been 224 Navy Weeks held in 76 U.S. markets. (Source: Navy Office of Community Outreach 01/09/19)

Communities coming to aid of CG

The U.S. Coast Guard continues to work despite the partial government shutdown, but the political standoff may cause personnel not to be paid Jan. 15. The last check was issued Jan. 1. With six days to go, neighbors of the Coast Guard Cape May (N.J.) Training Center are organizing donations of household supplies in case the budget impasse isn’t resolved. The CG is part of the non-budgeted Department of Homeland Security. Other groups also began collecting gifts, but ran into a snag. A provision in the code of federal regulations says federal employees cannot accept gifts of “anything of value,” according to a spokesman of the training center. But, the issue was resolved with the involvement of the Jersey Cape Military Spouses Association, a local non-profit that is accepting donations for distribution instead of it going directly to employees of any federal agency. In Michigan, local people and businesses are also making donations of free groceries. Bayside Market in Traverse City has an account set up to accept donations that can be used indirectly for CG members. All they have to do is show up with an I.D. Groceries will be offered free until the fund runs out, then the business will offer 25 percent off. (Source: Work Boat 01/08/19)

BP to invest $1B in Atlantis expansion

BP will invest $1.3B on an expansion of its Atlantis platform in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico about 150 miles south of New Orleans, the oil company announced in a media release Jan. 8. BP owns 56 percent of Atlantis, which is located in 7,000-plus feet of water and is its operator. BHP, another major international oil firm, owns 44 percent. BP said BHP was expected to make its own final investment decision for the project early this year. The firm will use similar advanced seismic imaging methods that were successful in adding as much as 1B barrels of oil to the expected lifetime production from its Thunder Horse platform oilfield. (Source: NOLA.com 01/08/19)

SCOTUS ends flood damage appeal

The Supreme Court of the United States ended a 14-year effort to appeal a lower court ruling by residents of south Louisiana in seeking compensation for flood damage during hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Gustav, and resulting from failure of the Army Corps of Engineers to maintain the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet. The highest court’s decision refused to certify an appeal by landowners and St. Bernard Parish of an April 2018 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that overturned a lower court ruling finding that the corps was responsible. The three-judge federal circuit found that U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge Susan Braden incorrectly interpreted the law in awarding $3.16M and interest to six “test case” landowners and in awarding lost taxes to New Orleans. The appeals panel found that property owners failed to prove that government action caused the flooding, and concluded that the corps could not be penalized for inaction. (Source: NOLA.com 01/07/19)

USS Cole case judge quitting military

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, Cuba – In another setback to the resumption of the USS Cole tribunal at ‘Gitmo’, the newest military judge, Col. Shelley Schools, who was to preside in the case, found a new job in an immigration court. It is the second time a judge in the case has found a new job in an immigration court. In August, Col. Schools was assigned to preside on the death-penalty trial against Saudi captive Abd al Rahim al Nashiri. She was chosen to replace Col. Vance Spath, who retired and has begun serving as an immigration judge, too. The next judge would be the fourth assigned to handle pretrial proceedings in the capital case against Nashiri – the alleged architect of al-Qaida’s suicide bombing of the U.S. Navy’s USS Cole off Aden, Yemen, in October 2000. Seventeen U.S. sailors died and dozens were injured in the blast. (Source: Miami Herald 01/07/19) Gulf Coast Note: One of three sailors then from the Pensacola, Fla., or with family in the area was injured. USS Cole returned to the fleet following a 14-month restoration project at then-Northrop Grumman Corporation's Ship Systems sector at Pascagoula, Miss. The ship departed Pascagoula on April 19, 2002, to return to her homeport in Norfolk, Va.

DDG 129 to be named for Denton

WASHINGTON - Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer named a future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer in honor of Navy Vietnam veteran and POW, Navy Cross recipient, and former U.S. Senator from Alabama, Jeremiah Denton. “Admiral Denton’s legacy is an inspiration to all who wear our nation’s uniform,” said SECNAV Richard V. Spencer. “His heroic actions during a defining period in our history have left an indelible mark on our Navy and Marine Corps team and our nation.” The Mobile, Ala.-born Denton graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1947 and served as a test pilot, flight instructor, and squadron leader, and developed operational tactics still in use, such as the Haystack Concept, which calls for the dispersing of carrier fleets to make it more difficult for the enemy to find the fleet on Radar. In July 1965, Denton was shot down over North Vietnam and spent nearly eight years as a POW. During an interview with Japanese media, Denton used Morse code to blink “torture,” confirming that American POWs were being tortured. Denton was released from captivity in 1973, retired from the Navy in 1977, and in 1980 was elected to the U.S. Senate from Alabama. The future USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129) will be constructed at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. (Source: Secretary of the Navy 01/04/19)

Opinion: Burning explosives danger

In a country that prides itself on high technology, the U.S. government is burning and detonating hazardous waste in the open air, using disposal methods that have been outlawed for private companies. In the 1980s, when federal hazardous waste rules were written, a special exemption was created for military explosives’ waste. Since then, open burning and open detonation (OB/OD) were the norm for waste munitions and explosives, and limits were ignored, even as more effective disposal methods were put in use by civilian companies. … and it’s dangerous. There are 60-plus military sites in America where millions of pounds of unneeded explosives (i.e. bombs, artillery, propellants, tactical missiles, napalm) are being burned and dioxins from it being spread beyond the point of release, and washing into rivers and bays, and leaching into groundwater, exposing communities. The contaminants can cause cancer, birth defects, cardiac and immune system deterioration, and brain damage. Eglin AFB, Fla., is the OB/OD disposal site for waste explosives and munitions generated at Hurlburt Field, Tyndall AFB, NAS Pensacola, and Navy Support Activity Panama City. Eglin has a Florida DEP permit that allows some nine million pounds to go up in smoke and come down as air and water pollution. While sites in other states are prohibited from OB/OD of certain wastes, there are no prohibitions at Eglin. (Source: Pensacola News Journal Guest Opinion 12/08/18) Note: Opinion writer Enid Sisskin is the chair of the Natural Resource Committee of the League of Women Voters of the Pensacola Bay Area. This is one of the issues being studied by the committee to present to the local LoWV for consideration.

Deep-draft ship grounded on Miss.

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard has responded to a grounded vessel in the Lower Mississippi River near New Orleans early Friday, Jan. 4. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report at 8:32 a.m. that the 837-foot UK-flagged deep-draft vessel Anglo Alexandria had grounded in the Mississippi River at mile marker 3.5, and was blocking the navigation channel. A tug is currently on-scene. The river is closed at mile marker 3.5. There were more than 50 vessels waiting in queue to transit in or out of the river. This number is larger than normal due to dense fog in the area. The vessel has activated its Vessel Response Plan. There are no current reports of pollution or injuries. The incident is under investigation. (Source: Coast Guard 01/04/19) UPDATE: The Coast Guard has reopened the Lower Mississippi River at mile marker 3.5 with restrictions near New Orleans, Friday.

Surface fleet expansion for 2019

Flag officers commanding the Navy’s surface fleet have outlined plans to further strengthen the capabilities and firepower of its fleet. The Navy has some 480 ships in the active and reserve fleets. Some 70 more ships are in the planning, ordering stages, or under construction. There are 174 commissioned warships in active service. The Navy also has 71 operational subs. 2019 is a critical year for the Navy's next generation of guided-missile frigate (FFG(X)). The Navy is expected to finalize requirements for FFG(X) in the next several months, and to put the first hull out for bid for a 2020 detailed design and construction award. Five ship designs will compete in the Navy’s bid for 20 (FFG(X), which is to follow the LCS. Five shipbuilders were awarded $15M contracts each for conceptual designs. The Navy intends to have a final Request For Proposal in 2019; and a contract award-winner in 2020. The five shipyards were Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics Bath (Maine) Iron Works, Fincantieri Marine and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) of Pascagoula, Miss. Work on the Future Surface Combatant (FSC), a sensor-packed warship that is to combine the capabilities of a cruiser, destroyer, and LCS, should begin to move forward in 2019. The Navy will begin its buy of the cruiser-destroyer replacement by at least 2024. FSC is envisioned as a large warship that will support the Arleigh Burke Flight III combat system and will combine elements from the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG-51) and Zumwalt-class. (Source: Business Times 01/03/19) HII-Pascagoula started fabrication of the first “Flight III” Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), last May.

WH considering Webb for SECDEF

The Trump administration is considering Jim Webb, a former Democratic senator from Virginia and former 1-year Navy secretary under former President Reagan, as the next Secretary of Defense, according to The New York Times. An unnamed official told the NYT that Vice President Mike Pence and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney have reached out to Webb. A senior Pentagon official also told the newspaper that Webb’s name had been circulating in the White House. President Trump is searching for a new Defense secretary after James Mattis announced he'd be resigning. Mattis resigned following Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria. Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive and deputy defense secretary, is serving as acting Defense secretary. Webb’s views on the Middle East align more closely with Trump’s. The decorated Marine veteran and Naval Academy grad was an outspoken opponent of the Iraq War while he served in the Senate. Webb served in Vietnam as a platoon commander for the Marines. Wounded twice, he was awarded the Navy’s second-highest decoration, the Navy Cross. Reagan appointed Webb to be SECNAV but he resigned after a year later over budget cuts to the Navy. He later switched political parties and in 2006, was elected to his first and only term as a senator from Virginia. (The Hill 01/03/19)

Gulf Island delivers 1st of 9 tugs

Gulf Island Fabrication’s Jennings, La., shipyard has successfully delivered the M/V Mark E. Kuebler, a Z-Tech 30-80 Terminal/Escort Tug to Bay Houston Towing Company of Texas. The escort tug will be operated by G&H Towing on behalf of Bay Houston Towing. Gulf Island is currently building nine sister-tugs that are at various stages of construction in Jennings. Gulf Island is headquartered out of Houma, La. (Source: Maine Link 01/03/20)

3 cited for harvesting polluted oysters

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ agents caught and cited two men and a woman, all from Houma, for allegedly taking oysters from Bayou Dominick in Terrebonne Parish - a polluted area that had been closed by the state. Agents cited Madge Cortez, 61; Moyces Narciso Carlos, 48; and Mario Gomez, 41. Agents observed the three subjects around 1 p.m. on Dec. 28 harvesting oysters from the bayou. The state Department of Health and Hospitals had closed that area to oyster harvesting due to high levels of fecal coliform bacteria, a sign of contamination from human or animal waste. Agents seized 15 sacks of oysters, about 1,500. They were returned to the water. The penalty for taking oysters from a polluted area is a fine of up to $950 and up to 120 days in jail. The suspects could also have their oyster harvester licenses revoked for up to a year and be required to perform 40 hours of community service. Cortez, who was in charge of the harvesting vessel, was also cited for violating log book requirements. The cause of the fecal contamination is unclear. (Source: Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries 01/02/19)

DISL: Trashing GC shorelines

Trash in the ocean, and along Gulf Coast shorelines, is an economic, environmental, health, and aesthetic problem causing serious challenges to communities. In an effort to identify issues, researchers kept tabs on marine debris that washed ashore monthly for over two years at 12 sites on nine barrier islands from North Padre Island, Texas, to Santa Rosa, Fla. Researchers from the Dauphin Island (Ala.) Sea Lab (DISL) and the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve teamed up for a study to document and identify the issues. Their findings are documented in the publication, ‘Accumulation and distribution of marine debris on barrier islands across the northern Gulf of Mexico’, in ScienceDirect’s Marine Pollution Bulletin. Trash was sorted by type, frequency, and location. The most shocking discovery was that 10 times more trash washes up on the Texas coast than any of the other Gulf states throughout the year. Most of the trash, over 69 percent, was plastic. (Source: DISL 12/28/18)

Paddlewheeler readying for tours

A recently renovated paddlewheeler, the City of New Orleans, is set to start Mississippi River cruises around Jan. 21 from New Orleans. The paddlewheeler is coming full circle back to Louisiana where it was built in 1991. For years it operated as a casino boat in Rock Island, Ill., until the mid-1990s, but had sat unused for years until it was purchased by the New Orleans Steamboat Company in 2016. The company’s other paddlewheeler, the Natchez, will go into its annual maintenance period later this month. The Natchez is one of only six commercially-operated steamboats left in the U.S. The new boat is run with a modern diesel-electric system. "Even though we don't have the steam engines, we do have the working paddlewheel, and we want to show that off," Matthew Dow, project manager for the new paddlewheeler told NOLA.com. (Source: NOLA.com 01/02/19)

First UD drill rig for GoM

The late 2018 oil price swoon has put a slow-down on what was a very positive year in the off-shore energy markets. But, Transocean Ltd. ended the year on a positive note by signing construction management and five-year drilling contracts with Chevron USA for one of its two dynamically positioned ultra-deepwater (UD) drill ships currently under construction in Singapore. The drilling contract has an estimated backlog of $830M, excluding mobilization and reimbursables. The rig will be the first ultra-deepwater floater rated for 20,000 psi operations, and is expected to begin operations in the Gulf of Mexico in the second half of 2021. (Source: Marine Link 12/28/18) Gulf Coast Note: The Swiss-based company has U.S. operations in Houston and a shipyard in Amelia, La.