CG, Samaritans assist charter

NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard and multiple good Samaritan charter and recreational vessels assisted another charter boat taking on water 13 miles south of St. Andrews Pass off Panama City, Fla., in the afternoon of Aug. 30. CG Sector Mobile, Ala., received a report at 12:47 p.m. of a charter boat with five people aboard taking on water in the Gulf of Mexico, and launched of response boat and crew and a special purpose craft/crew from CG Station Panama City to assist. The good Samaritan vessels transferred the passengers from the boat and began dewatering the boat. The CG crews arrived and using dewatering pumps to remove the remaining water. The vessel was escorted to shore and removed from the water. (Source: Coast Guard 08/30/19)

GAO denies Austal protest vs HII

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) this week dismissed the objections of Austal USA shipyard of Mobile, Ala., over a potential $931M contract awarded to Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII). The Newport News, Va.-based shipbuilder announced May 1 it was awarded the contract for “planning yard services” to support Littoral Combat Ships. The initial outlay was for $5M, but included options over six years that could increase its value to $931M, according to Naval Sea Systems Command. Austal USA, which builds the Independence variant of LCS, filed a protest with GAO on May 20. GAO didn’t provide a reason for its decision. The various services of the contract were to provided support for the ships, including managing maintenance, engineering/design and planning. HII planned to divide the work between two divisions: HII shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., and Technical Solutions, based in Hampton Roads with locations across the country, including Panama City, Fla. The award sparked a second protest from General Dynamics’ Bath (Maine) Iron Works. Bath builds the Freedom variant of LCS. GAO denied that protest in July. (Source: Newport News [Va.] Daily Press 08/29/19) https://www.dailypress.com/business/shipyards/dp-nw-hii-contract-protest-denied-20190829-gwrzhnny4zb7zjx7sv4tz356lq-story.html

More than just ‘cannon fodder’

PANAMA CITY, Fla. - Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City (NSWCPC) is leading a collaborative and innovative effort in the development of modular, inexpensive unmanned systems. The project is known as the 'microSwarm Family of Systems' (µFOS). The project seeks to reduce cost and manufacturing complexity in unmanned vehicle systems while maintaining performance and integrating the land, sea, and air domains through modular open architecture-based command and control. The program began when Dr. Cameron Matthews, µFOS principle investigator, recognized a need for inexpensive unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) assets as targets under his counter UUV efforts. “I got into this business to break vehicles, not to make vehicles,” he said. He and his partners, Jeremy Hankins and Brian Wallace, set out to develop a concept for extremely low-cost vehicles that “could do more than just be cannon fodder.” (Source: NSWCPC 08/12/19) https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Media/News/Article/1931792/navy-expands-innovation-through-unmanned-vehicles-saving-time-and-money/

Vets trans-Atlantic row team send off

For the second consecutive year Mobile Bay, Ala., served as training for a crew of military veterans – the Fight Oar Die - team is preparing to row across the Atlantic Ocean. Mobile and its mayor, Sandy Stimpson, showed its enthusiasm at an event at the GulfQuest maritime museum Aug. 28. Bryant Knight, an Army veteran from Mobile who rowed for last year’s team became the first team composed entirely of U.S. military veterans who completed the 3,000-mile Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge rowboat race from the Canary Islands to Antigua & Barbuda – now serves as board president of the non-profit behind the team with the focus on its mission of helping veterans. As he adapted to civilian life after a 22-year military career, he became distressed by issues facing fellow veterans. Suicide was epidemic, and post-traumatic stress was a blight on the lives of thousands of men and women who’d served. Knight has family and friends at the Mobile, Buccaneer Yacht, which became home to the team last summer. Last year’s accomplishment helped raise money for programs that help veterans, it also was intended to directly inspire those struggling with readjustment to civilian life. “What we are trying to say is … every person has their own ocean to cross,” he said. For 2019, four new vets will man the oars.(Source: AL.com 08/28/19) https://www.al.com/life/2019/08/veterans-trans-atlantic-rowing-team-gets-big-send-off-from-mobile.html

Gaps in GoM radar addressed

The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS) joined with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), Fugro and the University of Mississippi to announce the installation of two new high-frequency radars situated at the mouth of the Mississippi River. These high-frequency radars (HFR) measure the speed and direction of ocean surface currents in near-real time — providing accurate and timely information as quickly as possible to people who depend on the data. The information is crucial for those conducting search and rescue operations and tracking contaminants and oil plumes/spills. It is also crucial for ship navigation, which depends on immediate information about oceans to move large vessels safely in and out of ports and channels. The Gulf of Mexico has the highest density of energy activities in the U.S. and its ports are some of the busiest in the world. The GoM had gaps in radar coverage in the Gulf. The radars were installed in Port Fourchon, La., on land owned by Chevron Pipeline, and in Southwest Pass at the Pilot Station; and will be operated by Fugro and the University of Southern Mississippi. (Source: GCOOS 08/28/19) Furgo is a leading geo-data specialist, collecting and analyzing comprehensive information about the Earth and the structures built upon it. Its U.S.-based offices are located in Houston. https://gcoos.org/high-frequency-radar/

Ala.-Miss. yards' ATB works

Crowley Fuels has signed construction contracts to build a 55,000-barrel, articulated tug-barge (ATB) specifically designed to serve the Western Alaska market with delivery of clean fuel products. The 410-foot ATB will have enhanced performance features. ATBs consist of a tugboat and barge that are connected from the bow to a notch of the stern of the barge by a hinged connection system, allowing the two vessels to work as one. The tug will be constructed by Master Boat Builders of Bayou La Batre, Ala. The 350-foot barge will be built by Gunderson Marine LLC of Portland, Ore. The ATB is expected to be delivered in January 2021. Crowley operates and manages the largest U.S.-flag petroleum and chemical tank vessel fleet in the U.S. Gulf Coast office locations are at Gulfport, Miss.; Lake Charles and New Orleans, La. This new ATB will follow the completion of Crowley’s 100,000-barrel ATB now finishing construction at Bollinger Shipyards of Lockport, La., for service under charter in Alaska to Petro Star Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC). (Source: Marine Link 08/28/19) https://www.marinelink.com/news/crowley-orders-new-atb-enhanced-ak-469998?utm_source=MT-ENews-2019-08-27&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MT-ENews

Milestone for Knightfish MCM

WASHINGTON - The Program Executive Officer for Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO USC) granted ‘Milestone C’ approval to the Knifefish Surface Mine Countermeasure Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Program. The decision clears the way for low-rate initial production (LRIP), according to an Aug. 23 PEO USC announcement. The Navy is expected to award an LRIP contract to Knifefish prime contractor General Dynamics Mission Systems in FY 2022 after additional LRIP testing. The Navy plans to procure 30 Knifefish systems in all, 24 in support of Littoral Combat Ships’ Mine Countermeasures (MCM) warfare program. The Knifefish system is designed for deployment from LCS, vessels of opportunity, or shore to detect/classify buried, bottom and volume mines in high-clutter environments. Knifefish is a critical element of the LCS Mine Countermeasure Mission Package. It was initially developed by General Dynamics in concert with Naval Surface Warfare Center at Panama City, Fla. The Knifefish system, which consists of two unmanned undersea vehicles along with support systems and equipment, uses cutting-edge low-frequency broadband sonar and automated target recognition software technology that acts as an off-board sensor while a host ship stays outside the mine field boundaries. Formal Developmental Testing and an Operational Assessment were conducted from January through May 2019 in multiple locations off the coasts of Massachusetts and Panama City, Fla. (Source: NAVSEA 08/26/19) https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Media/News/Article/1944024/us-navys-knifefish-uuv-program-achieves-milestone-c/

EPA: Amend diesel engine program

GARDEN CITY, Ga. - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to amend the national marine diesel engine program to provide relief to boat builders and manufacturers of lightweight and high-power marine diesel engines used in high-speed commercial vessels (like lobster fishing boats and pilot boats). “This proposal will provide boat builders the flexibility they need to meet EPA standards while they continue to manufacture products that are critical to marine industries,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. (EPA 08/26/19) https://www.epa.gov/regulations-emissions-vehicles-and-engines/amendments-related-marine-diesel-engine-emission

Austal's EPF 11 completes sea trials

MOBILE, Ala. - USNS Puerto Rico (EPF 11), successfully completed the first integrated sea trials for an Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) ship on Aug. 22. The ship returned to the Austal USA shipyard here following two days underway in the Gulf of Mexico. Integrated Trials combine Builder's and Acceptance Trials, allowing for the shipyard to demonstrate to the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey the operational capability and mission readiness of all the ship's systems during a single underway period. During trials, the shipbuilder conducted comprehensive tests to demonstrate the performance of all of the ship's major systems. EPF 11 is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy this coming fall. EPFs are non-combatants designed to operate in shallow-draft ports or for rapid transport of Marines and special operations personnel. The ships are capable of interfacing with roll-on/roll-off discharge facilities, as well as on/off-loading vehicles. In addition to Puerto Rico, Austal USA is currently in production of the future USNS Newport (EPF 12), and under contract to build the future USNS Apalachicola (EPF 13) and EPF 14. (Source: PEO Ships 08/26/19)

Services failing to track base access

The Army, Marines and Navy should be doing a better job of monitoring access to their bases as a way to prevent mass shootings like devastating attack that killed 13 at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009, according to a Government Accountability Office report. In 2013, a Navy contractor killed 12 in a shooting at the Washington (DC) Navy Yard. All branches of the military rely on physical access control systems (PACS) to screen people who onboard those bases - checking identities with FBI and other government databases. The GAO discovered that the Defense Department "didn't know the extent to which its installations were using these systems because the Army, Navy and Marine Corps have not monitored their use," the report states. "The Air Force and (Defense Logistics Agency) monitor their installations' use of PACS, and the Army, the Navy, and the Marine Corps do not." GAO conducted several base site visits to observe the use of the access systems and found that AF and DLA officials routinely collect data, and the number of credentials scanned at their bases, according to the report. The AF uses the data to brief base commanders on the risks associated with not using Defense Biometric Identification Systems (DBIDS), the report states. DBIDS is used by the AF, Navy, Marines and DLA to control access to respective bases. The system uses hardware and software to electronically connect databases using the DoD’s Identity Matching Engine for Security and Analysis to determine an individual's fitness for access, according to the GAO. Army, Navy and Marine Corps officials stated they do not monitor physical access control system use at their installations because the DoD does not require it, according to the report. DoD’s lack of a requirement means the Army, Navy and Marines "do not know the extent to which PACS are being used at more than 100 installations," according to the report. As a result of findings, GAO made five recommendations … (Source: Military.com 08/25/19) https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/08/25/services-failing-track-base-access-years-after-mass-shootings-gao-finds.html

NCBC Gulfport part of contract

Caterpillar Defense of Peoria, Ill., is awarded a $54,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with firm-fixed-price task order for the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) supporting the Navy's expeditionary force fleet of Caterpillar Heavy Construction Civil Engineering Support Equipment (CESE) at Naval Base Ventura County at Port Hueneme, Calif. The purpose of this contract is to provide a SLEP for the heavy construction CESE (motorized and non-motorized), special military construction and commercial support equipment, mineral products and plant facility equipment and power production equipment to support the Navy and other Department of Defense components worldwide. This contract contains an option which, if exercised, will bring the contract value to $65,000,000. Work will be performed in Port Hueneme and Gulfport, Miss., installations, and is expected to be completed August 2020. If the option is completed, work will continue through February 2025. Funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. Task orders will be funded by FY 2019 Navy procurement funds. Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center of Port Hueneme is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 08/23/19)

ESG delivers 5th vessel since Michael

On Aug. 16, Eastern Shipbuilding Group delivered the Escort Z-Drive Tug Capt. Jim McAllister (ESG #223) to McAllister Towing. It is the third ESG delivery from the same Jensen Maritime Consultants of Seattle, Wash., design to full ABS Class Maltese Cross standards. The vessel has been issued its USCG Sub-M Certificate of Inspection (COI). This is Eastern’s second construction of a new USCG Sub-M qualified tugboat, under COI regulations. Coast Guard Station Panama City conducted all inspections. It is the fifth vessel to be delivered by the shipyard since Hurricane Michael, a category 5 storm, which devastated the region last October. The delivery marks a milestone in Eastern’s return to normal operations, and its commitment to recovery and economic stability for the regional industrial base. Other shipbuilding projects include three Staten Island Ferries, CG Offshore Patrol Cutters, large commercial fishing trawler, two harbor tugs, and two river push-boats. ESG is actively bidding on other projects to support its skilled manufacturing jobs for NW Florida, and 25 other states where Eastern buys material, equipment, and specialized services. Since the hurricane, ESG has repaired or replaced all impacted equipment, buildings, and shipbuilding infrastructure. (Source: Eastern Shipbuilding Group 08/22/19)

GoM lease sale draws mixed reviews

Aug. 21’s Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 253 in New Orleans generated more than $159M in high bids for 151 tracts covering 835,000 acres in federal waters. Twenty-seven companies participated in the lease sale, submitting about $175M in bids. The total from the lease sale, and in March, is the “highest since 2015 for high bids,” Interior Department’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Andrea Travnicek, said in a statement. The lease-sale included 14,585 unleased blocks, located from three to 231 miles offshore, in the Gulf’s Western, Central and Eastern planning areas in water depths from nine to more than 11,115 feet. “The Gulf of Mexico is the crown jewel of our nation’s energy portfolio,” Mike Celata, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s New Orleans office, said in a statement. “As one of the most productive basins in the world, the development of its resources (is) essential to the nation’s energy security,” he stated. The somewhat modest results of the lease sale “reflect the cautiously optimistic attitude of an offshore industry still in recovery,” said National Ocean Industries Association VP Nicolette Nye. (Source: Work Boat 08/22/19)

Adm. Gilday is new CNO

WASHINGTON - Adm. Mike Gilday relieved Adm. John Richardson as the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) in a ceremony Aug. 22 at the Washington Navy Yard. Gilday is the 32nd CNO, the Navy's senior officer. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the CNO acts as an advisor to the President of the United States, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and the Secretary of Defense. Under direction of the Secretary of the Navy, the CNO is responsible for the command, utilization of resources, and operating efficiency of naval forces and shore activities assigned by the secretary. Adm. Gilday is the son of a sailor, surface warfare officer from Lowell, Mass., and a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. As a flag officer, he served as commander Carrier Strike Group 8 embarked aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), and as commander of both the U.S. Fleet Cyber Command and U.S 10th Fleet. (Source: Chief of Naval Operations 08/22/19)

Weeks Marine dredge pact: $8.3M

Weeks Marine of Covington, La., was awarded an $8,385,050 firm-fixed-price contract for furnishing one fully crewed and equipped hydraulic pipeline cutterhead dredge. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Lafourche Parish with an estimated completion date of Jan. 7, 2020. FY 2019 operations and maintenance, Recovery Act, civil funds in the amount of $8,385,050 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of New Orleans is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 08/22/19)

La. firms among base bidders

Butt Construction Co. of Dayton, Ohio; CORE Engineering & Construction of Winter Park, Fla.; Healtheon Inc. of New Orleans; OAC Action Construction of Miami; Optimum Construction of Lafayette, La.; and Signature Renovations of Loretto, Tenn. are each awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award design-bid-build contract for construction projects within the Naval Support Activity (NSA) Mid-South (Millington, Tenn.) area of responsibility. The maximum dollar value for the five-year ordering period for all six contracts combined is $45,000,000. The work to be performed provides for, but is not limited to, general building type projects (new construction, renovations, alterations, demolition, roofing, repair work), including industrial infrastructure, administrative, training, dormitory and community support facilities. Signature Renovations is awarded the initial task order at $234,859 for Building #789, chiller equipment upgrades, located at NSA Mid-South. Work for this task order is expected to be completed by February 2020. All work on this contract will be performed in Tennessee. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months, with an expected completion date of August 2024. FY 2019 Navy operation and maintenance contract funds in the amount of $239,859 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of September. Future task orders will be funded by Navy O&M. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 19 proposals received. These six contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast of Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 08/22/19)

C&C Marine blasts 100th barge

Nine months after opening its high-tech Robotic Paint and Blasting facility, C&C Marine and Repair of Belle Chasse, La., announced it has blasted its 100th barge. “We knew we had the capability to blast and paint barges quickly and efficiently, but what we’ve been able to accomplish in these first nine months has exceeded our expectations in both speed and quality of blast” says C&C Marine and Repair’s owner Tony Cibilich. C&C Marine utilizes a total of nine enclosed fabrication bays, totaling over 500,000 square feet of space under roof. The entire fabrication yard sits on more than 80 acres on Algiers Canal with 3,200 linear feet of continuous water-frontage along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Two of the covered bays are dedicated to the Robotic Blasting and Paint facility. The climate-controlled facility can accommodate barges up to 320 feet, and has the capability to blast and paint a standard 30,000 Barrel Tank Barge or two 10,000 BTBs in 7-to-10 days. Taking barges costs C&C’s customers money, so doing it “quickly is very important.” says Mike Wade, manager of blasting operations. The fully-automated robotic blasting system can blast two standard inland hopper barges in 36 hours. The robotic facility represents C&C’s commitment to adopting new technology and employing best practices, particularly as it relates to protecting the environment. Its air filtration system collects and encapsulates more than 99 percent of all airborne particulates associated with the blast and paint process. (Source: Marine Link 08/21/19)

Mobile harbor dredging contract

Manson Construction of Seattle, Wash., was awarded a $24,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for rental of a cutterhead pipeline dredge for dredging in Mobile (Ala.) Harbor. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 13, 2020. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of Mobile is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 08/20/19)

Dr. Georgiou to join Water Institute

BATON ROUGE, La. – Uprooted from his home in Cyprus during the civil war at age three, Ioannis Georgiou experienced first-hand the power of community, building and creating solutions. His creative vision for what is possible is rooted in those experiences. He completed a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at LSU, and a doctoral from UNO in hydrodynamics. On Aug. 26, Georgiou will join the Water Institute of the Gulf as director of Coastal and Deltaic Systems Modeling. Previously, Georgiou has been a professor of Earth Sciences at UNO since 2007, and served as director of the Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences since 2013. His arrival at the Institute will strengthen the already close partnership between the UNO and the Institute. In Louisiana, Georgiou’s work includes the Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring Program, which aims to understand regional sediment trends through intensive collection and analysis of hundreds of sediment samples along the coast. Another project involves working with LSU collaborators, through Department of Interior funding, to unravel the controls and triggering mechanisms of underwater slides in the modern delta, while another project works to understand the geomorphic and economic benefits of using offshore sands for barrier island restoration projects. (Source: Water Institute of the Gulf 08/19/19)

Diversions and dolphins colliding

Two major sediment diversions - called the Mid-Barataria and the Mid-Breton – are scheduled for construction along the Mississippi River over the next four years. They represent the most ambitious effort yet to feed Louisiana's marshes with material it needs to build back the state's diminishing coastline. But, with 2019’s record high-water events on the river, there are questions about introducing so much diverted freshwater – up to 150,000 cubic feet per second - into new areas, and what it may for future of bottlenose dolphins. The Bonnet Carre Spillway was open for much of the past year, sending tens of thousands of cubic feet of water per second into Lake Pontchartrain and eventually into the Gulf, leaving a dead zone, algal blooms and devastated fisheries. Roughly 300 dolphins have washed ashore along beaches in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Scientists are trying to decipher the relationship between this year’s freshwater deluge and those dolphin deaths - many of them covered in brown lesions caused by freshwater exposure. (Source: NOLA.com 08/18/19)

Calling shipbuilders: DRfP for LUSVs

The Navy is calling on the shipbuilding and design industry to come up with proposals for a Large Unmanned Surface Vehicle (LUSV) ship. The Navy wants 10 over a five-year period. The ships would function as scouts for a battle fleet, carry sophisticated radar and sonar, or floating weapons’ magazines with anti-air and cruise missiles. Above all, the ships will do what proponents call “3D work” - dull, dirty, and dangerous. The Navy’s Draft Request for Proposal (DRfP), posted on the FedBizOpps website, says: “The LUSV will be a high-endurance, reconfigurable ship able to accommodate various payloads for unmanned missions to augment the Navy’s manned surface force. With a large payload capacity, the LUSV will be designed to conduct a variety of warfare operations independently or in conjunction with manned surface combatants. The LUSV will be capable of semi-autonomous or fully autonomous operation, with operators in-the-loop (controlling remotely) or on-the-loop (enabled through autonomy).” The LUSVs will be up to 300 feet long with a displacement of about 2,000 tons and as a research and development program, officials told USNI News. The Navy plans to build two ships per year over five years. LUSV will be the largest unmanned ship to date, essentially a light frigate. The large unmanned ship will be generally unarmed, but with the ability to accept modular payloads of anti-ship missiles and land attack cruise missiles. LUSVs will also be capable of acting as scouts over the horizon ahead of manned ships to detect early threats. (Source: Popular Mechanics 08/16/19)

LCAC 66 retired; may be scrapped

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. – In 1994, the Navy’s Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) 66 docked in Saint Andrew’s Bay for the first time; and now after 25 years of service to Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, the vessel is retiring, and being dismantled. LCAC is designed delivery Marines and their equipment by land and water for amphibious assaults. There are 69 active LCACs throughout the U.S. and Japan. Each is operated by only five enlisted crewmen.​ LCAC 66 has been used for research and testing at the surface warfare center. ​But, the vessel is being disassembled due to a lack of funding and changing technology. “It’s a funding thing, we got new boats coming in, we got a lot of assets that are gonna be switching over from the legacy LCAC to the LCAC 100 series boats,” Mitch Martin, LCAC Craft Master, told WMBB. The Navy began disassembling LCAC 66 about eight months ago.​ It will either be scrapped or potentially become another fishing-diving reef for the Gulf of Mexico. Crews will continue to disassemble the LCAC through September.​ (Source: WMBB Panama City 08/16/19)

NOLA ferries don’t meet fed regs

NEW ORLEANS - Coast Guard Sector New Orleans and officials from Transdev and the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) met July 14 to discuss necessary measures needed to bring two RTA ferries into compliance with federal standards. After an inspection by the CG’s Prevention Department, it was determined that the ferry vessels did not yet meet the requirements for an initial Certificate of Inspection in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations. The CG also discussed ways to ensure the vessels will be ready for inspection and able to receive their certificates of inspection, which will certify their compliance with federal law and enable them to safely carry passengers and operate on the river. (Source: CG media release 08/16) Transdev is a private company that manages all daily operations of the New Orleans RTA on behalf of the publicly appointed RTA Board of Commissioners.

July’s temps at historic record

July 2019 was the hottest month in the 140-year history of temperature record-keeping, according to the latest climate report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The warmth also shrank Arctic and Antarctic sea ice to historic lows. The average global temperature in July was 1.71 degrees (F) above the 20th-century average of 60.4 degrees, say scientists at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. The previous hottest month on record was July 2016. Nine of the 10 hottest Julys have occurred since 2005 (the year of Hurricane Katrina) with the last five ranking as the five hottest. It was the hottest year to date for parts of North and South America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, southern half of Africa, portions of the western Pacific Ocean, western Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. There were some cool spots: Parts of Scandinavia and western and eastern Russia had temperatures at least 2.7 degrees (F) below average. (Source: Marine Link 08/16/19)

CG search for man in water at NOLA

NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard is searching for a mid-60s white male in the water near downtown New Orleans on the morning of Aug. 17. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report at 9:03 a.m. of a person entering the water from a walkway near the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. The person is described as a white male in his mid-60’s, wearing pajamas with a white top. Involved in the search are CG Station New Orleans' 29-foot Response Boat-Small boat crew, and CG Air Station New Orleans' MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew. The cause of the incident is under investigation. (Source: Coast Guard 08/17/19)

VTHM prez media interview

VT Halter in Pascagoula, Miss., has been on a strong run, capped by its winning the high-profile contract to build the Coast Guard’s next generation of icebreakers. ‘Maritime Reporter’ recently spoke with Ron Baczkowski, president/CEO of VT Halter Marine, for insights on the shipyard’s recent success and future prospects. (Source: Marine Reporter 08/15/19)

Miss., Fla. EPA cooperative awards

DALLAS – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the awarding of seven Gulf of Mexico Division cooperative agreements totaling more than $7.5M to fund projects that improve water quality, habitat, and environmental education in the Gulf of Mexico watershed. 2019 Water Quality Cooperative Agreement Recipients include B.F. Smith Foundation of Stoneville, Miss.: $1,149,813 for Farming Systems Research; Mississippi State University: $1,088,025 for Multi-State Collaboration to Improve Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico water quality through farmer-led initiatives and farmer-driven data; Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies if Flora, Miss.: $1M for targeted restoration of natural resources though innovative technology, public partnerships and farmer cooperation in the Chipola River Basin – the largest tributary of the Apalachicola River. The basin covers more than 19,000 square miles within Alabama, Georgia and Florida, stretching from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the coastal marshes of Apalachicola Bay, Fla., and the Gulf of Mexico; Winrock International of Little Rock, Ark., Practical Farmers of Iowa, University of Iowa, and the Iowa Dept. of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. “This investment represents another way EPA is improving coastal resilience and protecting the Gulf of Mexico,” said Regional Administrator Ken McQueen. “These Farmer to Farmer projects will help prioritize resources and restore the Gulf.” The Clean Water Act provides authority/resources to protect water quality in the Gulf of Mexico and the larger Mississippi River Basin. EPA’s regional offices and the Gulf of Mexico Division work with states to continue to maximize the efficiency and utility of water quality monitoring efforts in the Gulf region. The GoM division facilitates collaborative actions to protect, maintain, and restore the health and productivity of the Gulf of Mexico; and partners with state and federal agencies, federally recognized tribes, local governments and academia. (Source: EPA Region 6 08/14/19)

SE waterways dredging contract

Inland Dredging Co. of Dyersburg, Tenn., was awarded a $24,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the rental of 20-24 inch Cutterhead Pipeline Dredge and Attendant Plant for dredging waterways in Alabama, Florida and Mississippi. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 14, 2020. U.S. Army Corps of Engineer of, Mobile, Ala., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 08/14/19)

River commission public meetings

The Mississippi River Commission will conduct its annual low-water inspection trip on the Mississippi River from Aug. 19-23 and at four public meetings (from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) aboard the towboat Mississippi in Caruthersville, Mo.; Helena, Ark.; Vicksburg, Miss.; and Baton Rouge, La. Commission members will meet with local partners, stakeholders and residents to hear their concerns, ideas and issues. Interested parties are invited to present their views on matters affecting the water resources infrastructure needs in the valley, including flood control, the Mississippi River and Tributaries project, and other water resources challenges. (Source: Work Boat 08/13/19)

$587M in natural disaster grants

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced Aug. 13 that the department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) has published the FY 2019 Disaster Supplemental Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), and making $587M available to eligible grantees in communities impacted by presidentially-declared natural disasters in 2018, and floods and tornadoes of 2019. The administration and DoC “understand the challenges faced by American cities and towns devastated by recent natural disasters and are committed to helping them recover,” said Ross. “The funding … will help ensure that communities impacted by disaster can rebuild and fuel growth for the future.” EDA disaster grants are made by its Regional Offices under the agency’s Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) program, which enables EDA to make awards that support a wide range of construction and non-construction activities sudden and prolonged severe economic dislocation. The submission of applications should be based on long-term, regionally-oriented, and collaborative development strategies that foster economic growth and resilience. (Source: Economic Development Administration 08/13/19). The four Gulf Coast states fall under two separate regions. Louisiana falls under the auspices of the Austin (Texas) Region. Alabama, Florida and Mississippi are part of the Atlanta Region.

Armed Forces softball live at NASP

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Sailors, soldiers, airmen, Marines and coast guardsmen from around the world have converged on Naval Air Station to participate in the 2019 Armed Forces Softball Championships, which begins Aug. 13 and runs through Aug. 17. Two NASP-area sailors - Chief Aircrew Survival Equipmentman Brandon Sterns from the Naval Survival Training Institute (NSTI), a component of the Navy Medicine Operational Training Center (NMOTC), and Lt. j.g. Monica Shifflet, attached to Training Squadron (VT) 86 – were selected for the All-Navy Team and will be gunning for Armed Forces gold. The All-Navy men’s team has high hopes this round after a heartbreaking defeat in the gold-medal game in 2018. The women’s team is feeling pretty confident, too, but has only six veterans, says All-Navy Women’s Head Coach, Operations Specialist 2nd Class Olivia Arellano of USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) in San Diego. Each team will play nine games. The number of players from each team that get to go on to represent the military as a whole for the All-Armed Forces Team depends on where they finish in the tournament. Sterns said he saw thousands of people watching the 2018 games via Facebook Live. The games will again be on a Facebook Live stream at: https://www.facebook.com/mwrpensacola/. Pensacola Morale, Welfare and Recreation has hosted the All-Navy Men’s and Women’s Softball Team for tryouts and training camp for 25 years. After this year, the All-Armed Forces Championship will be headed to a different service base. The Navy will not host it again until 2026. The games are to be played on Barrancas Field aboard NASP. (Source: NAS Pensacola 08/12/19)

Returning home to lead NETSAFA

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Navy Capt. David W. Stallworth relieved Capt. Mark Truluck as commanding officer of Naval Education and Training Security Assistance Field Activity (NETSAFA) during a change of command ceremony Aug. 9 at Naval Air Station Pensacola. During Truluck’s tenure, he reshaped the constantly changing international education and training landscape. Under his leadership, NETSAFA supported the training of 25,000 international students from more than 160 countries. Following the ceremony, Truluck retired with more than 30 years of service, and holds a master's degree in public administration from Auburn University. Stallworth became the 15th commanding officer at NETSAFA. Stallworth is a native of Summerdale, Ala., located only 35 miles west of NAS Pensacola. He graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a master’s degree in education. Stallworth was commissioned through Officer Candidate School at NAS Pensacola and, after completing primary flight training, was designated a naval aviator in 1997. Among some of his follow-on tours was with Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, Fla.’s, Test and Evaluation Aviation Unit officer in charge and later as executive officer. He comes back to Pensacola from duty as operations officer of Carrier Strike Group 2. NETSAFA is the Navy's agent for international education and training, coordinating training support to international governments and international organizations. As a field activity of the Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) flag HQs in Pensacola, the command serves as a focal point for all security assistance training program issues, coordination and advice within the Navy. (Source: NETSAFA 08/09/19)

Acute neuro effects of Deepwater

Coast Guard personnel exposed to oil while responding to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico were twice as likely to experience headaches and dizziness as those who were not, according to a study by researchers with the Uniformed Services University, the defense department’s only health science university in Maryland. Those exposed to dispersants and oil were largely more likely to report acute neurological symptoms than those who were exposed only to the oil, said Jennifer Rusiecki, one of the study's authors and a professor of USU’s department of preventive medicine and biostatistics. Previous studies have examined lung and skin irritation in relationships, but the new study provides a look into the acute neurological effects stemming from exposure to the oil and dispersants. The study will be published in the journal Environment International in October, but is available online now. (Source: NOLA.com 08/11/19)

Rockwell refuge stabilization

For nearly 100 years, the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, which hugs 26 miles of Gulf of Mexico shoreline in Cameron and Vermillion parishes of southwest Louisiana, has been a haven for nature lovers and coastal researchers, but now is eroding away. State and local officials are teaming up to extend a 4-mile breakwater by three additional miles in Cameron Parish to better protect the wildlife sanctuary from the Gulf's destructive wave action. The shoreline retreats some 46 feet a year along the refuge that is eroding an extensive, productive marsh. Construction of the Rockefeller Refuge Shoreline Stabilization Project involves placing large limestone rocks atop giant "pillows" of light, crushed rock to create a stable platform. The $18M project will come from the federal RESTORE Act, which distributes restitution fines aid by BP and its drilling partners stemming from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. Most of the money ($11.7M) will be put up by the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. The Cameron Parish Police Jury will kick in $6.3M. Established in 1920, the refuge, which totals 71,000 acres, is a sanctuary for wildlife and fish, and an outdoor laboratory where many wetland studies are conducted. The new section of breakwater will protect more than 250 acres of coastal marsh. (Source: NOLA.com 08/10/19)

Austal’s $23M LCS 16 PSA pact

Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., is awarded $23,099,311 for cost-plus fixed-fee task order (N6931619F4002) against a previously awarded basic ordering agreement (N00024-15-G-2304) to accomplish advance planning, material procurement and accomplishment of work in support of the post shakedown availability (PSA) of littoral combat ship USS Tulsa (LCS 16). This effort encompasses all of the manpower, support services, material, non-standard equipment and associated technical data and documentation required to prepare for and accomplish the PSA. The work to be performed will include correction of government responsible trial card deficiencies, new work identified between custody transfer and the time of PSA and incorporation of approved engineering changes that were not incorporated during the construction period which are not otherwise the building yard's responsibility under the ship construction contract. 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. Work will be performed in Seattle, Wash., and is expected to be complete by April 2020. FY 2019 and FY-13 Navy shipbuilding and conversion; and FY-19 other Navy procurement funding in the amount of $12,199,311 will be obligated at time of award, and 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 08/12/19)

Coast Guard medevacs

HOUSTON/NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard medically-evacuated a 54-year-old male passenger from the fishing vessel Sea Horse about eight miles off-shore from Cameron, La., on the morning of Aug. 12. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston received the request and consulted with the duty flight surgeon who recommended the medevac. CG Station Lake Charles (La.) response boat and crew was launched to the scene and transported the mariner to awaiting emergency medical services personnel at the Calcasieu River ferry dock. On Saturday, Aug. 10, a CG MH-65 Dolphin helicopter hoisted a male from a disabled recreational vessel in Otter Bayou, about 20 miles southeast of Hopedale, La. The rescued man recorded his own video before being transported to CG Air Station New Orleans in stable condition. (Source: Coast Guard 08/10-12/19)

Experimental LCS rescues boaters

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The experimental littoral combat ship Sea Fighter (FSF-1) and crew from Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, Fla., was involved with the rescue of three boaters whose craft was taking on water last month about 10 miles west of the Clearwater Pass. The Sea Fighter team recovered the trio from the water and transferred them to a Coast Guard 29-foot Response Boat-Small (RB-S) vessel. No injuries were reported. Sea Fighter is an experimental LCS under development by the Navy as part of the Littoral Surface Craft-Experimental (LCS-(X)) program. It’s also referred to as the X-Craft. The FSF-1 crew remains prepared for any scenarios that may arise, said Jeff Spence, master of the Sea Fighter, but it’s “not typically the nature of the Sea Fighter’s mission. Sea Fighter is a test platform of NSWCPC and the Office of Naval Research. (Source: NSWC Panama City 08/11/19) In February 2018, the Navy selected five shipbuilders to compete for 20 next-generation guided-missile frigates (FFG(X)) that will follow the Littoral Combat Ship. The shipbuilders were awarded contracts for conceptual design of the frigates, which the Navy will evaluate ahead of a final request for proposal in 2019 and a contract award in 2020. The five include Austal USA of Mobile, Ala.; Lockheed Martin; General Dynamics Bath (Maine) Iron Works, Fincantieri Marine and Huntington Ingalls Industries of Pascagoula, Miss. Each was awarded $15M contracts for the work.

CG medevacs male off PC coast

NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard medically-evacuated a 48-year-old male from a charter fishing boat about 20 miles offshore of Panama City, Fla., in the afternoon of Aug. 10. Coast Guard Sector Mobile, Ala., received a report at 12:05 p.m. of the man experiencing symptoms of heat stroke aboard the fishing boat. The CG launched a 45-Foot Response Boat-Medium and crew from CG Station Panama City, Fla., to medevac the man. The boat crew arrived at 1:05 p.m. and transported the male to emergency medical services at Panama City Marina where he was transported to Bay Medical Sacred Heart in Panama City. (Source: Coast Guard 08/10/19)

DISL’s ‘Forks and Corks’ gala

The Dauphin Island (Ala.) Sea Lab (DISL) will present its 2nd annual “Forks and Corks Seafood and Science Gala” on Sept. 27 to create, showcase and explore marine science through the culinary arts. The unique seafood culinary art competition features area high school hospitality and culinary arts programs’ students transforming marine science education into delicious seafood dishes to enjoy throughout the evening. The event will be at DISL’s Estuarium on Sept. 27 from 6-9 p.m. Keep this link bookmarked to find out when tickets go on sale. (Source: DISL 08/09/19)

CG medevac’s man to Mobile hospital

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard medically-evacuated a man from a fishing vessel about 45 miles south of Mobile Bay, Ala., to Providence Hospital in the Port City around 8:35 p.m. on Aug. 9. Coast Guard Sector Mobile received the report before 8 p.m. regarding the man going in and out of consciousness. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile medevac’d the man to the hospital in stable condition. (Source: Coast Guard 08/10/19)

Howard Trough named for researcher

An undersea feature in the Flower Garden Banks’ National Marine Sanctuary has been named in memory of Dr. Matthew K. Howard, founding staff member and Data Manager for the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS) and a research scientist in Oceanography at Texas A&M University. Howard, 65, died unexpectedly while attending a scientific conference in 2018. “Much of Matt’s research was conducted in the Flower Garden Banks Sanctuary and we’re pleased that his name will be used by oceanographers in the future when planning research cruises,” said Dr. Barbara Kirkpatrick, Executive Director of GCOOS. The undersea feature - named Howard Trough - is about 2.2 km north of the main West Flower Garden Bank Plateau in the Flower Garden Banks’ National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS). The sanctuary is 70 to 115 miles off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana and is the only national marine sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico. The name was recently approved by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, federal body created in 1890 and established in its present form by Public Law in 1947 to maintain uniform geographic name usage throughout the Federal Government. (Source: GCOOS 08/08/19)

Miss. Gulf grain inspections up 21%

For the week ending Aug. 1, total inspections of grain (corn, wheat, and soybeans) for export from all major American export regions was 2.12M metric tons, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s weekly 'Grain Transportation Report'. That number is down four (4) percent from the previous week; and 18 percent from 2018. Despite the downturn, Mississippi Gulf grain inspections increased 21 percent from the previous week. The increase was due to increased inspections of soybeans and wheat. Total grain inspections in the Mississippi Gulf were also the highest since late April. Pacific Northwest grain inspections were down 22 percent from week to week, USDA reported. For the week ending Aug. 3, barge grain movements totaled 677,434 tons, a 14 percent drop from the previous week and 16 percent less than the same period in 2018, the GTR stated. For the week ending Aug. 3, 442 grain barges moved down river, 54 fewer barges than the previous week. There was 660 grain barges unloaded in New Orleans, 12 percent above the previous week. (Source: Work Boat 08/08/19)

HII named DAV large employer of year

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has been named the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) organization’s ‘Large Employer of the Year’ for veteran hiring. The award was presented during the 98th DAV and Auxiliary National Convention on Aug. 4 in Orlando, Fla. HII has some 41,000 workers across its three divisions – Newport News, Va.; Pascagoula, Miss.; and Technical Solutions. Eighteen (18) percent are veterans and disabled veterans. HII’s three divisions have at least one recruiter dedicated to hiring veterans. “We are steadily focused on hiring, training and retaining U.S. veterans,” said Bill Ermatinger, executive VP and chief human resource officer. “Veterans are a highly skilled and capable group of candidates who have proven through their service they have the discipline and drive to succeed at HII. We are honored to be recognized by DAV for our efforts to serve those who have served us.” HII is America’s largest military shipbuilding company. HII’s Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. HII’s Technical Solutions division provides a wide range of professional services through its Fleet Support, Mission Driven Innovative Solutions, Nuclear & Environmental, and Oil & Gas groups. The TS division has a Gulf Coast facility at Panama City, Fla. (Source: HII 08/08/19)

HII-built DDG enters Black Sea

The guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG-78) entered the Black Sea on Aug. 8. It is the sixth American ship to operate in the region in 2019. Porter, one of four destroyers based at Naval Station Rota, Spain, moved across the Bosphorus – a narrow, natural waterway located in northwest Turkey - and into the Black Sea, according to Turkish ship spotters. The DDG began its north-bound transit to the Black Sea on Aug. 8, to enhance regional maritime stability and a show of support for our NATO allies and partners in the region, according to Vice Adm. Lisa M. Franchetti, commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet. It is the first U.S. ship to operate in the Black Sea since the Spearhead-class USNS Yuma (T-EPF-8) left the region in late July after a joint exercise (Sea Breeze 2019) with Ukraine. The four Rota-based destroyers are part of the U.S. phased European adaptive approach to ballistic missile defense that pairs the capabilities of the destroyers with Aegis Ashore BMD stations in Poland and Romania. The U.S. Navy has stepped up its presence in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea(s) since the 2014 invasion of Crimea by Russia. The Navy routinely operates in the Black Sea consistent with international law, as well as with the Montreux Convention. (Source: USNI News 08/08/19) Gulf Coast Note: USS Porter was built at HII-Pascagoula, Miss.; and USNS Yuma was built at Austal USA shipyards in Mobile, Ala. Porter was the 28th destroyer of her class, and 12th ship of its class to be built at Ingalls.

'Equal treatment' bill for GC states

U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced a Senate bill (S. 2418) - Conservation of America’s Shoreline Terrain and Aquatic Life (COASTAL) Act  - last week to amend the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (GOMESA) that would modify the current offshore energy revenue-sharing program in the Gulf and create a new revenue sharing program for future offshore energy production in Alaska. Louisiana constitutionally dedicates revenues from offshore energy production to pay for conservation, restoration, and environmental projects to preserve and restore its eroding coastline. Under current law, GoM states only receive a 37.5 percent share of revenues from energy produced in federal waters – some other U.S. coastal states receive 50 percent. The proposed legislation “creates equal treatment” - for coastal offshore revenue sharing and secures funds needed to strengthen Louisiana’s coastal restoration efforts, Cassidy said in a media release. The duo were joined in introducing the legislation by Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and Doug Jones (D-Ala.). In 2018, the Department of Interior distributed more than $8.9B in revenues from natural resource extraction. Onshore state and local governments received more than $1.5B (17.7 percent). GoM coastal states shared about $188M (2.1 percent). One hundred percent of revenue collected on Native American lands ($1.2B in 2018) sent back to tribes, nations, and individuals. The COASTAL Act would also increase the revenue available for the Land & Water Conservation Fund’s financial assistance to states. Under current law, the Fund receives 12.5 percent of GoM-generated revenues. Cumulative dollars available to GOMESA states and the Fund are capped at $500M. The COASTAL Act would eliminate the cap. (Source: Work Boat 08/06/19)

GC ships & 1st international exercise

The Alabama-built Littoral Combat Ship USS Montgomery (LCS-8) was operating in the Pacific Ocean and participating in its first international exercise since the LCS program reorganized and rebooted its deployments to Singapore. LCS-8 is at sea for the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Indonesia 2019, which kicked off Aug. 1 off Surabaya in the Java Sea. CARAT pairs the Independence-variant LCS with the Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport USNS Fall River (T-EPF 4) – both built at Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. – and the Mississippi-built USCGC Stratton (WMSL 752) - as well as Indonesian Corvette Class Frigate KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda, Fatahillah Class Frigate KRI Nalaand Fast Attack Craft KRI Sampari. Lt. Cmdr. Sean Riordan, a spokesman for the Navy’s Logistics Group Western Pacific and Task Force 73, told USNI News that USS Montgomery, which deployed with the LCS surface warfare mission package, would be fully integrated into the operation and contributing to maintaining maritime domain awareness. USS Montgomery, USNS Fall River, and CG Cutter Stratton, are training “hull-to-hull” with the Indonesian Navy during the sea phase, including ship-handling, replenishments-at-sea, gunnery exercises” and search and seizure, he said. This year marks 70 years of U.S.-Indonesian diplomatic relations and the silver anniversary (25th) of CARAT between the two navies to address our shared maritime concerns. (Source: USNI News 08/05/19)

159 apprenticeship grads at HII

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) hosted a graduation ceremony Aug. 3 for its apprenticeship program here at Ingalls Shipbuilding. Nine different crafts were represented among the 159 graduates of the 2019 class. Mississippi Speaker of the House Philip Gunn delivered the keynote address. “The prosperity of Mississippi begins with people like you,” he said. “The careers for which you are now prepared are the backbone of America. Over 60 percent of the jobs in America are held by people like you who make up a skilled and educated workforce. So, when I say the work you do is the backbone of America, I am not exaggerating. It is the truth.” Since 1952, Ingalls’ Apprentice School has produced more than 4,000 graduates trained to fulfill the shipyard’s operational needs. Housed at the Haley Reeves Barbour Maritime Training Academy, the program offers a comprehensive two-, three- and four-year curricula, in partnership with the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, for students interested in shipbuilding careers. (Source: HII-Pascagoula 08/06/19)

Seacor Holdings acquires total venture

SEACOR Holdings Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Morgan City, La., has announced it has acquired total ownership of its consolidated SEA-Vista joint venture partnership by acquiring 49 percent interest of a previously owned affiliate of Avista Capital Partners. The buyout consisted of $106M in cash and 1.5M shares of the company’s common stock. Also, SEACOR and Avista entered into a ‘Registration Rights Agreement’ granting shareholders of the common stocks certain demand and piggyback registration rights and a ‘Lock-Up Agreement’ containing restrictions on the ability of SEACOR to dispose of those stocks for certain periods of time and imposing certain standstill obligations on Avista. Additional information will be filed on or before Aug. 8. SEA-Vista operates a fleet of U.S.-flag product tankers servicing the U.S. coastwise trade of crude oil, petroleum and chemical products. SEACOR and its subsidiaries are in the business of owning, operating, investing in and marketing equipment, primarily in the offshore oil and gas, shipping and logistics industries. Avista is a private equity firm specializing in investments primarily in growth oriented energy, healthcare, communications and media, industrial and consumer companies. (Source: Marine Link 08/05/19)

Bollinger delivers 35th FRC

LOCKPORT, La. - Bollinger Shipyards has delivered its 35th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) - USCGC Angela McShan - to the Coast Guard on Aug. 1 in Key West, Fla. It will be the third FRC to be homeported at CG Base Cape May, N.J. Commissioning will be in October in Cape May. The FRC marks the 175th patrol boat built by Bollinger Shipyards. “The FRC program is a model program for government acquisition and has surpassed all historical quality benchmarks for vessels of this type and complexity,” said Bollinger President/CEO Ben Bordelon. FRCs are named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished him or herself in the line of duty. This vessel is named for Master Chief Petty Officer Angela McShan, a pioneer for women. She was the first African-American woman to be promoted to Master Chief. Bollinger Shipyards is a leading designer and builder of fast military patrol boats, ocean-going double hull barges, offshore oil field support vessels, tug boats, rigs, liftboats, inland waterways push boats, barges, and other steel and aluminum products from its new construction shipyards. The company has 10 shipyards strategically located throughout Louisiana with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi River and the Intracoastal Waterway. Bollinger is the largest vessel repair company in the Gulf of Mexico region. (Source: Bollinger Shipyards 08/02/19)

3 SeaGrant grads fellowship finalists

Three graduate students from Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium member universities have been named finalists for the competitive 2020 Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. Leanne Poussard of the University of Southern Mississippi, Christine Bassett of the University of Alabama, and Aaron Macy of University of South Alabama will interview in the fall in Washington, D.C., with potential host agencies and offices in the legislative and executive branches of government. The interviews will determine where they will be placed during their fellowship year, which begins in February. As Sea Grant Knauss Fellows, they will actively transfer science to policy and management through their appointments with federal government offices. Poussard is a graduate student and research assistant studying coastal sciences at USM’s Gulf Coast Research Lab. She is using mathematical modeling to measure efficiency of National Marine Fisheries Service shellfish survey gear. Bassett is a Ph.D. candidate studying geological sciences at UA. Her research uses geochemistry to examine geologically-recent ocean conditions and climate changes in the Pacific to better understand the current ocean and climate conditions and events. Macy, a Ph.D. candidate in marine science at USA and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, is also an extension program associate at Mississippi State University. His dissertation investigates impacts on ecosystem services as marshes transition to black mangroves in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, and engaging high schools in wetlands stewardship. (Source: Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium 07/26/19)

HII pushes back delivery of LHA-7

The Navy will not commission its second America-class amphibious assault ship Tripoli (LHA-7) in the fall as planned, according to shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) CEO Mike Petters. HII has pushed delivery to the end of 2019 or into 2020 while they work through technical design issues with the ship’s systems. Petters made the announcement following an Aug. 1 conference call to discuss second-quarter financial results. “The systems are working today. It’s just a question of whether they will work for the life of the ship,” Petters said. HII is “working and discussing” the issues with the Navy, but Petters declined to provide USNI News more details about those issues. Tripoli completed builder’s trials July 19 after spending four days underway in the Gulf of Mexico. Following those trials, the Navy suggested work on the big-deck amphibious warship was progressing without significant issues. Tripoli is to be the first large-deck “amphib” to reach the fleet fully ready to integrate a Marine Corps air combat element that includes F-35B Joint Strike Fighters. Tripoli, like USS America (LHA-6), is built without a well deck. Instead, the two ships have enlarged hangars, expanded aviation maintenance facilities, increased spare parts and equipment storage, and increased aviation fuel storage, according to the Navy. Petters anticipates HII completing work on Tripoli and conducting acceptance trials by the end of 2019. He was not ready to set a delivery date. (Source: USNI News 08/01/19)

MS gets 2% of MK38 repair pact

BAE Systems Land & Armaments of Minneapolis, Minn., is awarded an $8,411,293 cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order for MK38 Gun Weapon System Repair Program support. This contract action is for labor, material and services required to support the Gun Weapon System Repair Program in pre/post testing, removal/installation, refurbishment, fleet technical assistance, maintenance, training and fleet modernization of MK 38 machine gun system. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va. (29%); San Diego (27%); Yokosuka, Japan (16%) and Pascagoula, Miss. (2%). It is expected to be complete by September 2021. FY 2019 Navy operations and maintenance; and FY-19 Navy/Coast Guard weapons procurement in the amount of $1,050,000 will be obligated at the time of award, and $750,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This delivery order was solicited as a sole source under basic ordering agreement N00174-18-G-0001 in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). Naval Surface Warfare Center's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division of Indian Head, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 08/01/19)

DOE okays LNG export at MS site

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy issued an order to Gulf LNG Liquefaction Company LLC (GLLC) approving exports of domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) from its Gulf LNG Liquefaction Project. The project, located near Pascagoula, Miss., is owned 50 percent by Kinder Morgan’s Southern Gulf LNG Company LLC, will add liquefaction and export capabilities to Gulf LNG Terminal - an existing import terminal owned by Gulf LNG Energy LLC. GLLC will have authority to export up to 1.53B cubic feet/per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas as LNG from the proposed project. GLLC is authorized to export this LNG by vessel to any country with which the U.S. does not have a free trade agreement (FTA) requiring national treatment for trade in natural gas, and with which trade is not prohibited by U.S. law or policy. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authorized GLLC to site, construct, and operate the Project on July 16, 2019. DOE’s announcement also approved 34.52 Bcf/d of exports in the form of LNG and compressed natural gas to non-FTA countries. U.S. LNG export capacity, currently at about 6 Bcf/d is set to grow to over 10 Bcf/d by the end of 2020. “This announcement advances the Trump administration’s commitment to energy security here at home and for our friends abroad,” DOE Secretary Rick Perry said in a statement. In its review of the project, DOE indicated that it had “reviewed the evidence in the record … and have not found an adequate basis to conclude that GLLC’s proposed exports will be inconsistent with the public interest … (and) further find that Sierra Club has failed to overcome the statutory presumption that the proposed export authorization is not consistent with the public interest.” (Source: DOE 07/31/19)

MS solons to offer bill to reverse EPA

JACKSON, Miss. - U.S. Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) are introducing a bill that would overturn the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 2008 veto of a pumping station that could relieve flooding in the Mississippi Delta. On Aug. 31, the duo said the measure would amend the Clean Water Act to prohibit the EPA from vetoing a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood project that Congress authorized. The bill would also overturn the veto. Decades ago, Congress authorized pumps to remove water from a Delta region that can fill when floodgates close, protecting from Mississippi River flooding. The region north of Vicksburg has seen months of flooding. The now-draining flood covered hundreds of thousands of acres at its peak. (Source: The AP 08/01/19)

Fall La. inshore shrimp season set

The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission set Aug. 5 as the opening date for the fall inshore shrimp season based on information provided by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologists. The portion of state inside waters from the Mississippi/Louisiana state line westward to the Atchafalaya River Ship Channel at Eugene Island as delineated by the red Channel Buoy Line to open at 6 p.m. Aug. 5; state inside waters from the Atchafalaya River Ship Channel at Eugene Island as delineated by the red Channel Buoy Line westward to the western shore of Freshwater Bayou to open at 6 a.m. Aug. 5; and the portion of state inside waters from the western shore of Freshwater Bayou westward to the Louisiana/Texas state line to open at 6 Aug. 5 (Source: Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries 08/01/19)

NSWCPC among NAVSEA awardees

NEWPORT, R.I. - Forty-seven Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport employees have won the prestigious Warfare Center Award for 2018. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Warfare Centers’ board of directors recognized excellence in six areas: Talent management, collaboration, innovation, knowledge sharing, technical support services and a new category, information security. The board reviewed about 80 nomination packages from nearly members from all 10 divisions of the Naval Surface (NSWC) and Undersea Warfare Centers, including Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWCPC) Panama City, Fla. Team members from NSWC Panama City, NUWC Keyport, Wash., and NUWC Newport divisions rapidly developed and successfully demonstrated undersea encapsulated payload delivery technology in response to a Joint Emergent Operational Need Statement. The team designed and fabricated an in-house underwater capsule, and conducted a successful payload release technical demonstration from the ground up in 27 months. NSWC Panama City led the capsule development; Newport modified an existing payload to be housed and released from the submerged capsule; and Keyport facilitated components for capsule fabrication, developed procedures for safe system handling, launch, and recovery, and hosted the demonstration event. The winners will receive awards at a ceremony later this year. NSWC Panama City is a shore command within the Naval Sea Systems Command, which engineers, builds and supports America’s fleet of ships and combat systems. (Source: Naval Undersea Warfare Center 08/01/19)