PATTI SHIPYARDS

Construction of Marine Science Vessels Up

By Larry Pearson Marine science is making great strides forward due in large measure to several new vessels that have delivered recently and others under construction Headlining this news is the Oscar Dyson, the first of four vessels loaded with scientific gear that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is having built at VT Halter Marine, Pascagoula, Miss. The first vessel was completed in September of 2004 and as the Oscar Dyson was being completed, the contract for the second vessel, Henry B. Bigelow was announced. These 208-ft. by 49-ft. vessels have cutting edge capabilities to gather scientific information on fish populations and the water quality of their habitat. "Among the capabilities of these ship is their ability to conduct bottom and mid-water trawls while running physical and biological-oceanographic sampling during a single; deployment-a combined capability not available in the private sector," said Dr. Doug DeMaster, director of the Alaskan Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, Wash. In order for the vessel to perform sensitive hydro-acoustic surveys, the boat is built around a diesel electric propulsion platform. Two Caterpillar 3512 engines and two Caterpillar 3508 engines are each connected to generators providing a total of 4,460 kW electrical power to run all systems on the boat including a pair of electric motors connected in line to a single screw.

Planned Renovations Key to North Carolina

By Larry Pearson The State of North Carolina has the nation's second largest ferry system. Only the State of Washington's system is larger. Its 23 vessels annually carry 2.5 million passengers and one million vehicles. The ferry system is operated by the Ferry Division of the North Carolina Department of Transportation, which employs approximately 380 permanent employees. This number increase to approximately 450 during the summer season

U.S. Ferry Systems Investment Act Introduced

On April 29, 2009, members of Congress introduced the United States Ferry Systems Investment Act of 2009, proposing a significant expansion of federal attention to ferry transportation.  S. 930 is sponsored by Senator Patti Murray of Washington and cosponsored by Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.  In the House of Representatives, H.R. 2172 is sponsored by Representative Rick Larsen of Washington. The legislation features a big increase in funding for the existing Federal Ferry

ABG Shipyard Largest Private Shipyard in India

The enthusiasm, dedication and passion for ship building have helped ABG Shipyard Ltd remain in the forefront. Speaking to Maritime Reporter & Engineering News, Major Arun Phatak (right) points out that it is more important to be a responsible shipbuilder demonstrating with solid results rather than empty talk. Unruffled by the slump in shipping freight rates, ABG Shipyard Ltd., the largest private shipbuilder in the country, has persisted on a high-growth trajectory

McNeill, Marketing & Sales, WMG Shipyards

Spiro Risvas, Senior Vice President, WMG Shipyards announced the appointment of John McNeill to the position of Manager, Marketing and Sales, WMG Shipyards. McNeill’s former role of Vancouver Shipyard’s Manager, Commercial Accounts has been restructured into this new position, to allow him to identify opportunities and apply his talents across all three WMG shipyard operations. John will now provide sales and marketing expertise to all three WMG Shipyards (Vancouver Drydock

Pearl Harbor Shipyard Wins Navy Safety Award

By Kerry Gershaneck, Naval Shipyard Public Affairs Secretary of the Navy, Donald C. Winter announced Aug. 19 that Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard won the Department of the Navy's Fiscal Year 2008 Safety Excellence Award. This is the second consecutive year the shipyard earned the DON Safety Excellence Award. In 2007, the shipyard was recognized for achieving elite "Star" status under the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Voluntary Protection Programs

USS Greeneville Undocks

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine, successfully undocked USS Greeneville (SSN 772) one week early on Nov. 14 by returning to "back-to-basics" work practices. "Back to basics", one of the key focus areas of Naval Sea Systems Commander, Vice Adm. Kevin McCoy, is about eliminating bottlenecks and optimizing the workday to improve shipyard processes with the goal of completing quality availabilities on time and on cost.

Damen Seeks Remaining Shares In Romanian Shipyard

Dutch firm Damen Shipyards Group has announced plans to buy the remaining shares it does not already own in Romanian shipyard Santierul Naval Galati and to delist it from the RASDAQ over-the-counter market. Damen reportedly offered $612,400 for 5.107 percent in the shipyard. Last March, Damen Shipyards Group bought a 51 percent stake in the shipyard from the country's main privatization agency, the FPS. Last November, it acquired a further 43.89 percent at a public tender offer.

GL Contracts 60th Ship with Chinese Yard

A 19,800 dwt stainless steel chemical tanker vessel is the 60th ship being built with Germanischer Lloyd class at Qingshan Shipyard. The 10th anniversary of close cooperation between Qingshan Shipyard and Germanischer Lloyd is being celebrated on August 3 with a ceremony attended by more than 100 guests. Participants include the President of Chang Jiang Shipping Group Liu Xihan, the Vice Governor of Hubei Province Li Chunming

Bharati, Apeejay Form Shipbuilding JV

Bharati Shipyard Ltd. and unlisted Apeejay Shipping Ltd. said they would invest Rs 2,000 crore in an equal joint venture to set up a modern shipbuilding yard along India’s eastern coast, according to a Reuters report. While Indian shipbuilders are expanding their capacities with buyouts of other yards and assets, Indian shipping and engineering firms are planning to set up shipbuilding yards to exploit the sector’s surging potential.