Ingalls lands LHA-7 support pact

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Miss., was awarded a $7,016,664 cost-plus-fixed fee contract for post-delivery planning yard services in support of the LHA-7 amphibious assault ship. Services are to include post-delivery planning, material procurement and support services; and post shakedown availability and emergent work. The contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $90M. Work will be performed in Pascagoula; and is expected to be completed by August 2020. Naval Sea Systems Command of Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 04/14/17)

 

CG medevacs man near Ship Island

NEW ORLEANS – Coast Guard Station Gulfport, Miss., medically evacuated a man from a pleasure craft near Ship Island, Miss., on April 14. CGSG launched a Response Boat crew with three Biloxi Fire paramedics to the scene and was assisted by a Good Samaritan boater who transferred the man to the boat crew in shallow water. The man was transferred to CGSG, and later taken by ambulance to Keesler (AFB) Medical Center in Biloxi. He was reported in stable condition. (Source: Coast Guard 04/14/17)

Panama City gets 20% ship work

Prism Maritime LLC of Chesapeake, Va., was awarded a $49,551,799 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of shipboard installation and associated services, including installation of electro-optic systems for Navy and Coast Guard ships. Ships include the Military Sealift Command T-AO, T-AOE, and T-AKE class ships, Navy aircraft carriers, and Coast Guard cutters. Electro-optic systems to be installed include the Situational Awareness System and Maritime Forward Looking Infrared II. Work will be performed in Norfolk (20%); Panama City, Fla. (20); San Diego (20); Charleston, S.C. (20); Crane, Ind. (10), and outside the continental U.S. (10). The work is expected to be complete by April 2022. FY 2017 Coast Guard funding in the amount of $20,000 will be obligated at time of award. Naval Surface Warfare Center of Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 04/13/17)

Frigate may not just include Austal, LM

The Navy is considering evaluating more than the two Littoral Combat Ship designs for its future, up-gunned frigates. The two LCS builders include Austal USA of Mobile, Ala.'s Independence and Lockheed Martin's Freedom hulls. A study is set to be completed within the spring. (Source: U.S. Naval Institute News 04/12/17)

Prez lifts federal hiring freeze

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump lifted his two-month-old hiring freeze on federal employees April 12, but will take several months before billets at the Defense Department and Veterans Affairs are filled. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said he expects many government positions left open during the hiring freeze will never be filled in efforts to streamline federal operations and cut waste. In January, President Trump ordered a halt to all civilian hiring across the executive branch “regardless of the sources of their operational and programmatic funding.” The freeze didn't include military and exempted some key Pentagon intelligence and VA medical jobs. Federal agencies will have two months to examine their workforce and suggest ways to reduce staffing without compromising services. The Associated Press reported that despite the hiring freeze, the federal government added some 2,000 workers in February. (Source: Military Times 04/12/17)

ESO’s new alliance with BP

The Louisiana-based Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) and its family of companies have announced a 30-month alliance agreement with BP, the largest energy investor in deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico over the past decade. Chouest and BP have had an alliance fore more than eight years. The new venture will continue to include Chouest affiliates’ vessel services, multi-service terminal facilities at Port Fourchon, La., and logistics coordination for expediting and tracking cargo movement. The agreement includes a three-year extension for utilization of BP’s GoM Preservation and Maintenance facility, designed and built by Chouest, and located northwest of Houma, La. Additionally, the vessel alliance includes a new generation, 312-foot supply vessel designed for delivery of supplies to BP’s GoM platforms. The vessel is currently under construction at Chouest’s LaShip shipyard in Houma, and is scheduled for delivery in the next few months. (Source: Edison Chouset Offshore 04/10/17)

MS port exec among Portland finalists

Gulfport, Miss., port director and CEO of the Mississippi State Port Authority Jonathan Daniels is among three finalists for executive director for the Port of Portland, Ore. Current exec Bill Wyatt retires June 30. A Portland advisory panel selected the final list, which also includes Stephanie Dawson, acting COO of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey; and Curtis Robinhold, deputy executive of the Port of Portland. Daniels oversees the Port of Gulfport, which is the third-busiest container port on the Gulf Coast. He previously worked at the Port of Oswego, N.Y., and the Port of Baton Rouge, La. (Source: Maritime Executive 04/12/17)

CNO surveys new oceanographic ship

MOSS POINT, Miss. – Adm. John Richardson, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), came to South Mississippi on April 8 to tour the Navy's newest oceanographic survey ship USNS Maury (T-AGS 66) to get an understanding about the information the ship could provides to the Pentagon and the newly-established Task Force Ocean task force. TFO was established in March is part of an effort to further assess the state of ocean science in the Navy, which encompasses its oceanographic infrastructure, technologies, technical workforce and how they are applied to naval operations. "Naval forces require information about the physical environment to operate safely and effectively," said Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet, oceanographer of the Navy and commander of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. The Oceanographer of the Navy is CNO's resource, requirements and policy adviser for the Navy's oceanography program, and senior adviser on issues related to national ocean policy, governance and interagency ocean activities. (Source: Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command 04/12/17)

Scouts, Tyndall environ team

TYNDALL AFB, Fla. - The Tyndall Air Force-based 325th Civil Engineer Squadron Natural Resources teamed with local Boy Scout Troop 302 of St. John’s Catholic Church to install a base-wide monofilament fishing line collection system to help maintain wildlife areas. Most fishing line is not biodegradable. Improperly discarded fishing line could kill marine mammals and birds that often can become entangled in or ingest the line. Base visitors can now dispose of unwanted and used fishing line in one of 15 recycling bins around Tyndall that are dedicated to that cause. (Source: Tyndall AFB 04/11/17)

No charges in Navy trainees death

The Navy will not file criminal charges in the drowning of Seaman James Derek Lovelace during SEAL training in Coronado, Calif., nearly one year ago. The San Diego County medical examiner ruled the 21-year-old Crestview, Fla., sailor’s death on May 6, 2016, in a swim tank, as a homicide, saying in an autopsy report that the “actions, or inactions, of the instructors and other individuals involved were excessive and directly contributed to the death.” But Navy Cmdr. Liam Hulin, director of Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command, reviewed the findings of an NCIS probe and determined Lovelace’s drowning “was not the result of a crime and will not pursue criminal charges against any personnel in connection with the death.” The autopsy revealed that a SEAL instructor repeatedly dunked Lovelace and that his drowning was exacerbated by an anomalous coronary artery that may have contributed to sudden cardiac death. A safety review on the training will now begin. Navy officials said they briefed Lovelace’s father in Florida on April 8 about Hulin’s conclusions. (Source: San Diego Times Union 04/10/17)

TSHD launched from NW Fla.

The Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD) Magdalen was launched March 31 from Eastern Shipbuilding Group's (ESG) facility in Panama City, Fla. The dredger is being constructed for the U.S.' second largest dredging contractor, Weeks Marine Inc. that has offices in Covington and Bourg, La. Magdalen has been earmarked for a project at the end of 2017. The THSD has been specifically designed for beach nourishment and capital dredging works. Magdalen was christened by Helen McLaughlin, niece of Magdalen Weeks, the mother of Rich Weeks, founder and CEO of Weeks Marine. (Source: Maritime Global News 04/10/17)

CG towing boat to Orange Beach

NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard was towing a vessel taking on water with three people aboard some 30 miles south of Gulf Shores, Ala., on April 10. Coast Guard Sector Mobile, Ala., received a report about the vessel at 8:34 p.m. on April 9, and directed the launch of 45-foot Response Boat from CG stations Dauphin Island, Ala., and Pensacola, Fla., and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter CG Air Station New Orleans. The response boat crew from Pensacola arrived on scene at 10:20 p.m., and began towing the vessel to Sportsman Marina in Orange Beach, Ala. (Source: Coast Guard 04/10/17)

Navy considers badder FFG design

WASHINGTON – The Navy is considering adding anti-aviation threat features to the future design and development plans of its new frigates via existing Littoral Combat Ship variants. The future frigate plans had already called for anti-submarine and anti-surface threat features. A draft report of the Requirement Evaluation Team (RET), a study group formed to examine how to add a air defense capabilities to the frigates to protect supply and support ships, is to double the load of Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (to 16) or incorporate a Mark 41 vertical launch system with eight Standard SM-2 missiles. The SM-2 is carried by Aegis destroyers and cruises. The enhanced anti-aviation capabilities would change the Navy designation for the ships from frigate (FF) to guided missile frigate (FFG). The two LCS builders, Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., and Lockheed Martin of Wisconsin, have developed frigate variants from their designs in anticipation of the Navy issuing a formal Request For Proposal (RFP), which was expected in this fall. The switch to an FFG design would likely involve a redesign of each builder’s frigate proposal, which could push back the RFP. (Source: Defense News 04/10/17)

Ingalls christens DDG 117

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding christened its 31st Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) on April 8. DDG 117 is named in honor of Paul Ignatius, who served as the 59th Secretary of the Navy from 1967-69. His wife, Nancy W. Ignatius, the ship’s sponsor, officially christened the ship with a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow. The couple, who have been married almost 70 years, escorted to the platform by Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. Ingalls has delivered 29 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the Navy. “(W)hen the United States fired missiles on Syria, the two ships that fired those missiles were made right here at Ingalls in Pascagoula,” said Philip Gunn, speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives. Since WWII, the Ingalls shipyard has been an “integral part of providing freedom.” (Source: Ingalls Shipbuilding 04/08/17)

Eastern lands NYC ferries pact

Panama City, Fla.’s Eastern Shipbuilding has a nearly $300 million contract with the New York City Department of Transportation for three new ferries for the city’s Staten Island route. The Ollis Class ferries will be double-ended, 320 feet long and 70 feet wide. Elliott Bay Design Group, which has an office in New Orleans, designed the ferry. The contract comes to about $100 million per ferry. The first is to be delivered in 2019. The ferries will be built at Eastern’s shipyard alongside the firm’s new Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Cutters. (Source: Maritime Executive 04/04/17)

NW Fla. fish hatchery moving forward

An estimated $19 million fish hatchery may be ready for public consumption by late 2018 in downtown Pensacola, Fla. The Florida Gulf Coast Marine Fisheries Hatchery Enhancement Center is being designed for a research and education center, which is also expected to produce an estimated five million saltwater sport fish each year for release along the Gulf Coast. (Source: Pensacola News Journal 04/06/17)

Gulf Coast to up LNG supply

Some skeptics have written off LNG bunkering, but it’s likely going to be a key solution to comply with the International Maritime Organization’s upcoming 2020 global sulfur cap. There likely won’t be enough gas-oil and scrubbers to meet demand for 0.5 percent sulfur-compliant marine fuels, according to industry sources at the 10th International Fujairah Bunkering and Fuel Oil Forum. A growing number of organizations are joining industry coalitions to accelerate LNG bunkering in the shipping industry. “2020 creates a new reality, creating potential threats, but also an opportunity that can help reposition shipping,” Lauran Wetemans, general manager of the LNG fuel division at Shell. “We believe that 10-to-20 percent of all bunker fuel oil could switch to LNG by 2030,” Wetemans said. Spot LNG prices are expected to come down as supply grows, says Fereidun Fesharaki, charmain of Facts Global Energy. By 2020, LNG supply additions in Australia and the U.S. Gulf Coast will increase the current global supply by more than 40 percent. This could spell good news for ship-operators promoting them to switch to its use, sources said. Commoditizing LNG and expelling myths around its safety aspect would also spur it use, they said. (Source: Hellenic Shipping News 04/03/17)

Ingalls-built Munro commissioned

SEATTLE, Wash. - The Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WMSL 755), the military service’s newest National Security Cutter (NSC), was commissioned into service here on April 1. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft presided over the ceremony, and accepting the sixth NSC into the fleet. The Munro was named in honor the CG’s only Medal of Honor recipient, Signalman First Class Douglas A. Munro (1919-42). NCCs are “state of the art platforms” that can “push our maritime borders thousands of miles beyond the homeland in order to ensure our national security and prosperity,” said Zukunft. Known as the Legend class, NSCs are designed to be the flagships of the CG fleet, and capable of executing the most challenging national security missions, including support to U.S. combatant commanders. Munro will routinely conduct operations from South America to the Bering Sea. (Source: Coast Guard 04/02/17) Gulf Coast Note: Huntington Ingalls Industries’ subsidiary Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., was awarded the $487.1 million construction contract for Munro on April 30, 2013. Construction officially began on Oct. 7, 2013, with a ceremony marking the cutting of the first 100 tons of steel. Munro was launched Sept. 12, 2015.

APM Terminals to boost WalMart hub

The sixth WalMart international distribution center, to be located in Irvington, Ala., will handle the firm’s import cargoes destined for its Regional Distribution Centers in the South. The recently completed Panama Canal widening project will permit vessels of up to 13,000 TEU capacity to bring new ventures to APM Terminals Mobile’s deep-water terminal strategically located on the Gulf Coast. The APM Terminals Mobile opened in 2008, but it’s adding two new super-Post Panamax STS cranes that are expected for delivery in June. It is also expanding the container yard by 20 acres as part of a $40 million infrastructure investment, which will increase the terminal’s annual throughput capacity to 500,000 TEUs. WalMart has 4,488 retail locations in the U.S.; and selected the Port City of Mobile, Ala., location with these new cargo handling and intermodal capabilities in mind. Mobile is also the point of entry for Airbus passenger plane components that represent another major business making site selections close to the port. The $135 million Irvington distribution center is scheduled to open in mid-2018, representing new annual container traffic of an estimated 50,000 TEUs per year via the Port of Mobile. (Source: Maritime Professional 04/01/17)

FL manatees no longer ‘endangered’

Manatees, whose gentle, lumbering ways have made them susceptible to boating threats that nearly killed off a species, are no longer on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s endangered list. USF&WS announced March 30 that it was going to downgrade the West Indian manatee from “endangered” to “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. The reclassification marked a major rebound for the mammals, which hovered on the brink of extinction since 1973 - only a few hundred remained. Today, there are an estimated 6,620 Florida manatees, a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, according to USF&WS. “(M)anatee numbers are increasing and we are actively working with partners to address threats,” said Jim Kurth, the agency’s acting director. However, some animal groups and activists are protested the federal agency’s decision, saying the manatee’s down-grade from the endangered list could lead to greater threats to the species. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) called it “Hugely disappointing” and promised to contact Interior Secretary Ruam Zinke. Buchanan said the move would be detrimental for Florida, where the manatee is beloved, protected, and even has its own specialty vehicular license plate. (Source: Washington Post 03/31/17)