BORDELON MARINE

Bordelon Marine Debuts Stingray Class OSV

The story of Bordelon Marine is not far afield from many others in the Gulf of Mexico, that of a small, family owned business carving a niche for itself. But when Wes Bordelon joined his namesake company in 1999, he knew that change was essential for survival. More than a dozen years later, MarineNews sat in Bordelon Marine’s brand new shipyard in Houma, La., a month before the debut of its Stingray class of offshore service vessel, to discuss the renewed trajectory of the company in step with the changing demands in the market. As Bordelon Marine sets to debut it luxury class of OSV – the 260-ft. Stingray class – the man who ultimately envisioned and drove the company to this historic mark could not have imagined the course of his life, his company, more than a decade ago. Bordelon Marine, which has been a familiar name in the Gulf of Mexico since Wes’ father started the company in 1980, had become a shell of itself by the late 1990s. At the time, Wes Bordelon was carving a career for himself in the music industry in Chicago, and the notion of owning and operating boats was the furthest thing from his mind. But in deciding to move back to Louisiana in the late 1990s, Wes found that where he had roots is where he wanted to stay, and that rebuilding the business which bore his family name was indeed his future.

Bordelon Boosts Fleet

The ground swell is well underway. For the past few months the undeniable signs of another boom period in the offshore oil and gas business are all around the Louisiana bayous. Personally, I follow the rig count, day rates and how fast drill pipe moves from certain outdoor staging areas onto trucks heading for Port Fourchon, Intercoastal City and other "jumping off" points to the Gulf of Mexico. Another way to keep abreast of what is happening in the offshore market is to talk to major

Bollinger To Construct Supply Boat Trio

Bollinger Shipyards has commenced construction of three 145 ft. (44.1 m) supply/utility boats for Bordelon Marine - doubling the number of OSV's for the Lockport-based operator. The new vessels, all of which will hold the namesake of a Bordelon family member, will be known as Wes Bordelon, Terry Bordelon and Bunny Bordelon. Scott Theriot, executive vice president New Construction of Bollinger said, "These new 145's are truly all-purpose and continue to meet and exceed industry

The New Normal for GOM Offshore Vessels?

Offshore vessels in the Gulf of Mexico have become more energy efficient in recent years and are polluting less because of changes in engines, bunker fuels and building materials. At the same time, Gulf of Mexico builders have responded to meet new regulations, customer needs. At Harvey Gulf International Marine in New Orleans, Environmental Compliance Coordinator Nicole Eddlemon said “adoption of energy-saving vessels in the U.S

Rigdon Marine Christens First 4000 Class PSV

Rigdon Marine Corporation (RMC) announced two recent milestones in its Rigdon 4000 Class platform support vessel (PVS) construction program. On June 22, 2007, Bobbie Bennett, wife of RMC’s first Captain and offshore employee, Roland Bennett, christened the First and Ten at Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, La. In attendance were Chris Bollinger and Ben Bordelon, senior executives in charge of Bollinger’s New Construction and Repair divisions respectively, Larry and Jan Rigdon

Neuville Mixes Large and Small Crewboats

Kerry Neuville recently built an 18-ft. aluminum skiff with his son and now parks it in the same shed where he and his brother started their boatbuilding careers. Across the yard from the little shed Neuville Boatworks huge building sheds bustle with their usual activity. With a 154 x 30 x 12.5-ft. crew boat (160-foot overall) nearing completion for Steve Miguez’s Iberia Crewboats and scheduled for a March delivery. A sister-ship is being framed up on an inverted jig in one of the other

ATB New Construction and Retrofits Highlight Order Books for Southern Shipyards

By Larry Pearson Late last year was a high water mark of sorts in the Articulated Tug-Barge (ATB) business. In December, Crowley Maritime of Seattle, Wash. took delivery of their fourth ATB, featuring a 9,280 HP tug and a 155,000 barrel barge. Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay, Wisc. built the barge. and the tug by sister company Marinette Marine, Manitowoc, Mich. At about the same time on the east coast K-Sea Transportation was taking delivery of their fourth ATB unit from Bollinger

Bollinger Long-serve V-P Larry Vauclin to Retire

Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. announce the upcoming retirement of its Vice President Central Division, Larry Vauclin. Vauclin’s retirement was announced by Bollinger Executive Vice President, Ben Bordelon, who said, "Larry has been a critical part of the growth of Bollinger over the past 16 years, and a mentor to many in the shipyard industry over his 52 year career. His attention to detail, hard work and focus on client satisfaction have helped create a solid foundation for us going

Yearbook 2010: Boatyards

Story by Raina Clark, from the October 2010 edition of MarineNews In the vessel construction market, small boat builder All American Marine of Bellingham, Wash., and RIB builder Wing Inflatables of Arcata, Calif. both reported a satisfactory 2010 in their niche markets, with good reasons to be optimistic about 2011. Bollinger Shipyards, a major builder in the offshore market also had a good 2010, but is bracing for the impact of the drilling moratorium going into 2011

Bollinger Delivers for Bouchard

Pictured is Bouchard’s B. No. 295 and Bouchard Girls, converted and retrofitted by Bollinger Gulf Repair and Bollinger Algiers, as an OPA’90 compliant ATB unit. Bollinger Gulf Repair, L.L.C. and Bollinger Algiers, L.L.C, two Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., shipyards, have completed the retrofit and conversion of a Bouchard Coastwise Management Co., barge and tug, respectfully, to an articulated tug and barge (ATB) unit utilizing the Intercon Coupler System.