Site on hiatus

The Gulf Coast Shipbuilding/Maritime news feed is suspended indefinitely beginning July 20, 2020. We have reassessed our product mix and are redirecting efforts to profitable products supported by sponsors. We thank readers who have followed us since we launched this site in 2008, and look forward to our eventual return. - Editor  

GoM federal lease sale in November

The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced July 17 that it proposes to offer in November about 78.8M acres for a regionwide lease sale from the Gulf of Mexico. Lease Sale 256, scheduled to be livestreamed from New Orleans, will be the seventh offshore sale under the 2017-22 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. Lease Sale 256 will include about 14,755 unleased blocks available in federal waters. The Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), covering about 160M acres, is estimated to contain about 48B bbls. of undiscovered technically recoverable oil and 141T cubic feet of undiscovered technically recoverable gas. Revenues from the lease sales are directed to the U.S. Treasury, Gulf Coast states (Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas), the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and Historic Preservation Fund. (Source: Work Boat 07/17/20) https://www.workboat.com/news/offshore/gulf-of-mexico-lease-sale-set-for-november/

CG searching Lake Pontchartrain

NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard is searching for a person in the water in Lake Pontchartrain, north of New Orleans on July 17. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report of a 63-year-old male got underway on Lake Pontchartrain on a 28-foot shrimping boat in the afternoon of July 16. He did not return. His brother then discovered the vessel early on Friday washed ashore. The boat operator is described as blonde with blue eyes, short and stocky. Involved in the search: CG Station New Orleans Rescue Boat/Crew; CG Air Station New Orleans MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew; Saint Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office; and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. (Source: Coast Guard 07/17/20)

Miss. aquarium opens Aug. 29

GULFPORT, Miss. - August 29th is a somber anniversary for many Mississippi Gulf Coasters. On that day in 2005, Hurricane Katrina roared ashore and changed the region. But the upcoming August 29 will mark the opening of the $98M Mississippi Aquarium in Gulfport. The long- awaited opening was announced live on July 16 on WLOX TV by Mississippi Aquarium CEO Kurt Allen, who said they purposely wanted to highlight the revitalization of the coast. He said there are so many great stories of recovery and rebuilding, and now the Mississippi Aquarium will be another one of those. (Source: WLOX 07/16/20) https://www.wlox.com/2020/07/16/mississippi-aquarium-will-open-august-th/

LHA-7 administratively commissioned

The Navy administratively commissioned USS Tripoli (LHA 7) July 15. Although the Navy canceled the traditional public commissioning ceremony, and the ship transitioned to normal operations. Meanwhile, the Navy is looking at a future opportunity to commemorate the special event with the USS Tripoli’s sponsor, crew and commissioning committee. (Source: DoD 07/15/20) Gulf Coast News: USS Tripoli (LHA-7) is the second America-class amphibious assault ship built for the United States Navy by the HII-Pascagoula, Miss., shipyards. https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2274677/us-navy-amphibious-assault-ship-uss-tripoli-joins-the-fleet/

Carnival ship on way to scrap yard?

Carnival  Cruise Lines' "Fantasy" cruise ship, which served travelers from Mobile, Ala., prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, may be on the way to a scrapyard in Turkey. A representative of Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson told AL.com that the administration was hopeful that “an outstanding working relationship” with Carnival Cruise Line leaders would keep Mobile in the game, once voyaging resumes. A cruise industry site reported recently that heavy equipment was being offloaded from Fantasy at a port in Curacao. It also reported its next destination was an area of Turkey known for scrapping operations. The first was based on a Facebook post by the Curacao Ports Authority; the second on information from a ship tracking site that has since reported the ship’s departure for Izmir, Turkey, with an expected arrival date of July 28. The cruise lines oldest ship in service had previously been for sale, and since the coronavirus shutdown, Carnival accelerated plans to retire some ships. Industry observers interpreted the unloading in Curacao as a move to preserve fixtures that might be used on other ships. (Source: AL.com 07/14/20) https://www.al.com/news/mobile/2020/07/carnival-fantasy-reportedly-on-way-to-scrapyard.html 

Louisiana 'smart port' initiative

BATON ROUGE, La. - Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards announced a smart port initiative to streamline operations and improve safety through real-time data shared by port administrators, tenants, shippers, and warehouse, cargo and ground transportation providers. Louisiana Economic Development (LED) is coordinating the initiative with The Water Institute of the Gulf and the Port of New Orleans. The Water Institute will guide technical solutions for the project. Port NOLA is to provide seed funding and serving as the pilot port for the project. LED is pursuing federal infrastructure funding to complete the project. The initiative will be in three phases. The pilot program with Port NOLA will pave the way for technologically enhanced protection of Louisiana’s commerce, rivers and coastal habitats. The initiative provides a foundation for future Water Campus expansion, including a planned Hurricane and Flood Risk Center. The center, in a third phase of the smart port initiative, would model data to enhance preparation for, and response to, coastal and inland flooding events. (Source: Port NOLA 07/13/20) https://www.portnola.com/info/news-media/press-releases/port-nola-water-institute-of-the-gulf-led-announce-smart-port-initiative

L3/La. sites' MUSV design: $35M

L3 Technologies Inc. of Camden, N.J., is awarded a $34,999,948 fixed-price-incentive-firm-target contract for the detail design and fabrication of a prototype Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MUSV). This contract includes options for up to eight additional MUSVs, logistics packages, engineering support, technical data, and other direct costs, which, if exercised, will bring the cumulative value of this contract to $281,435,446. Work will be performed in Morgan City, La. (72.7%); Arlington, Va. (9.8%); Jeanerette, La. (8.1%); New Orleans (6.6%); Worthington, Ohio (1.7%); Lafayette, La. (0.9 %); and Gautier, Miss. (0.2%), and is expected to be completed by December 2022. If all options are exercised, work will continue through June 2027. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funding in the amount of $34,999,948 will be obligated at the time of award, and $29,779,038 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via Federal Business Opportunities (now beta.SAM.gov), and five offers were received. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 07/13/20)

CG search: East Pensacola beach

NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard is searching for a possible person in the water near East Pensacola Beach , Fla., early on July 13. CG Sector Mobile was notified at 7:58 a.m. of a kite used for kite-surfing on the beach in the Gulf of Mexico near East Pensacola Beach. It was reported that the kite appeared as though it was being used and was detached. Sector Mobile issued an urgent marine information broadcast. Involved in the search are a CG Station Pensacola 45-foot Response Boat/Crew; CG Aviation Training Center Mobile HC-144 Ocean Sentry helicopter/aircrew; and Escambia County. Anyone with information regarding this case please contact Sector Mobile Command Center at (251) 441-6211. (Source: Coast Guard 07/13/30)

La. crew boats 851.9-lb blue marlin

Ginger Myers and crew aboard the Fleur-de-lis, a 72-foot Viking out of Grand Isle, La., and owned by Keith and Ginger Myers, boated an 851.9-pound blue marlin on July 5 out of Orange Beach, Ala. It is a pending state record and positioned her to claim the record for the largest blue caught by a woman in the Gulf of Mexico. The Fleur-de-lis crew, Captain Scooter Porto, mates Zachary Taylor and Jake Glass, weighed the fish at Orange Beach Marina. Marlin fishing is at a summer peak in the Gulf now. The giant fish is the blue marlin category leader in the 2020 MONGO Offshore Challenge. The tournament continues through Oct. 15. See details here: www.mongooffshore.com (Source: AL.com 07/12/20)

61 injuries in LHD-6 fire

SAN DIEGO - A three-alarm fire broke out around 7 a.m. (CT) today (July 12) aboard the USS Bonhomee Richard (LHD-6) at Naval Base San Diego, military officials said. At least one person was treated for smoke inhalation. The Associated Press said the vessel was undergoing routine maintenance at the time of the fire. (Source: CBS News 07/12/20) UPDATE: Eleven people suffered minor “non-life threatening” injuries in and after an explosion and fire aboard the ship, according to Krishna Jackson, base public affairs officer. The flames sent up a huge plume of dark smoke visible around San Diego. (Source: The AP) UPDATE2: Later Sunday, the injury list was updated to 21 - 17 Sailors and 4 civilians. UPDATE3: Firefighters continued to fight the fire into the morning hours of July 14. Updated minor injuries include a total of 61 crew members - 38 sailors and 23 civilian firefighters - mostly heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation, according to Navy officials. GULF COAST NOTE: USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) is a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, that was built in Pascagoula, Miss. Bonhomme Richard departed the Ingalls' shipbuilding division of Litton Industries on Aug. 8, 1998, sailing into Pensacola (Fla.) Harbor at Naval Air Station Pensacola for commissioning activities and culminating with the main ceremony on Aug. 15, 1998. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/navy-boat-fire-san-diego-uss-bonhomee-richard-2020-07-12/

Sediment diversion online meeting

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be conducting three online meetings (one a day from July 14-16) where the public can weigh in on the $800M river sediment diversion proposal in Plaquemines Parish. The meetings are at 9 a.m. Tuesday; 2 p.m. Wednesday; and 6 p.m. Thursday. Those meetings will provide information about the permitting process for the  proposed Mid-Breton Sediment Diversion that is to be located near Wills Point on the east bank of Plaquemines Parish. The input will help the Corps, state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, and contractor conducting an environmental assessment of the project understand what environmental and economic issues are most important to the public. Comments can be mailed to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District; Attn: CEMVN-ODR-E #MVN-2018-1120-E00; 7400 Leake Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118. Comments can be emailed to CEMVN-Midbreton@usace.army.mil. Phone comments can be made by dialing toll free: 1-855-Mid-Bret (1.855.643.2738) Phone comments are limited to four minutes and can be done in languages other than English. To participate in any of the three scoping meetings, go to the Corps website: https://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Permits/Mid-Breton-Sediment-Diversion-EIS/. On that page, under “how to participate,” are links for web access, numbers for phone access, and passwords for both. (Source: NOLA.com 07/12/20) https://www.nola.com/news/article_a273d976-c2e0-11ea-be3c-a33453911299.html

GC restoration fund applications

The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) is taking project applications for the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund. Applications can be found online at mississippi.org/gcrf. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28. Representatives from MDA, as well as members of the GCRF advisory board, will review the projects and make recommendations to the Legislature. Legislators will fund selected projects during the 2021 session. The monies will be used to stimulate growth and economic development in Harrison, Hancock, Jackson, George, Stone and Pearl River counties. Those eligible to apply are local governments, non-governmental organizations, colleges and universities, community colleges, ports, airports, public-private partnerships, private entities, non-profit groups and local economic development groups. Mississippi reached a settlement with BP in 2016 for $750M from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in April 2010. (Source: WXXV 07/10/20)

BIW starts layoffs amid strike

Bath (Maine) Iron Works' President Dirk Lesko announced layoffs were imminent in an employee message July 7 noting production was below typical operations due to the strike by Local S6 of the Machinists Union. In the message, Lesko said since the strike began, BIW has taken steps to continue critical production tasks - such as redeploying hundreds of salaried employees - into the shipyard while working with contractors to procure additional workers. “... (A)ll of these efforts still leave our production levels well below typical operations, and even further below where we need to be." As a result, some functions that directly support production is starting to run out of work to do. BIW is starting temporary layoffs this week for Surveyors and Trades Inspectors, with members in the separate Local S7 union. Layoffs will proceed in accordance with Local S7’s collective bargaining agreement. If voluntary layoffs are not sufficient, BIW will begin involuntary layoffs based on seniority. BIW is starting to work with contractors to get more temporary workers to supplement the yard since the strike. Lesko argued that negotiations with the union has sought more efficient access to subcontractors “because the focused and timely introduction of skilled people on a temporary basis can help break bottlenecks to the flow of production through the yard.” (Source: Defense Daily 07/09/20) https://www.defensedaily.com/bath-iron-works-starts-layoffs-amid-strike-admits-production-well-typical/navy-usmc/

Cuadros new lead at NAVFAC SE

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Capt. Jorge R. Cuadros relieved Capt. Mike Monreal as Commanding Officer of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast, and Navy Region Southeast Regional Engineer, in a virtual change of command here July 9. Monreal and his NAVFAC Southeast team achieved some high profile projects that included next generation facilities support for the Dry Dock recapitalization at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Ga.; Lttoral Combat Ships, and the P-8 Poseidon aircraft. Cuadros was prior enlisted; and commissioned in July 1996. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from the University of New Haven, Conn., and a Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University. Cuadros has served in various positions of responsibility, including NMCB 11’s Commanding Officer at Gulfport, Miss. He has seven deployments spread over 50 countries. (Source: NAVFAC Southeast 07/11/20)

Westlake pact for pipeline dredge

Mike Hooks LLC of Westlake, La., was awarded a $10,207,400 firm-fixed-price contract for pipeline dredging of the Matagorda Ship Channel in Texas. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Bay City, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 civil construction funds in the amount of $10,207,400 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of Galveston, Texas, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 07/1020)

Phylway protection pact: $51.7M

Phylway Construction of Thibodaux, La., was awarded a $51,702,210 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of hurricane protection features in Plaquemines Parrish, La. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work will be performed in New Orleans with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2026. Fiscal 2020 civil construction funds in the amount of $51,702,210 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of Vicksburg, Miss., is the contracting activity. Additional contract: Pine Bluff Sand and Gravel Co., Pine Bluff, Ariz., was awarded a $48,002,240 firm-fixed-price contract for flood control on the Mississippi River and tributaries. 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 July 10, 2022. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of New Orleans is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 07/10/20)

HII's 2Q financials webcast

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) will release its second quarter 2020 financial results on Aug. 6, and host an earnings conference call at 8 a.m. Central time. The call will be webcast live on HII’s website: https://www.huntingtoningalls.com.

2021 AF contracting Summit

The 2021 Air Force Contracting Summit will be held Next February at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa in Destin-Miramar Beach, Fla., close to Eglin and Tyndall Air Force Bases, and Hurlburt Field,. The event will be Feb. 8-9, 2021. View the Previous Year’s 2020 Summit Agenda here: AFCS 2020 – Event Agenda. For more information email us at marketing@defenseleadershipforum.org or visit www.defenseleadershipforum.org/airforcecontractingsummit. The Summit will bring together congressmen, defense officials, military base commanders, contracting officers and experts, and business leaders nationwide. More than 600 prime contractors, subcontractors, military officials, contracting officials, financing experts, and defense agencies from throughout the country registered for the 2020 summit. (Source: Emerald Coast Magazine 07/2020) https://www.emeraldcoastmagazine.com/calendar/air-force-contracting-summit/