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Cascade General News

22 Jun 2023

Shipbuilders Council of America Announces Safety Award Winners

(File photo: Metal Shark Boats)

The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), the national association representing the U.S. shipbuilding, maintenance and repair industry, announced its yearly member safety awards for 2023.“Workforce health and safety is embedded into the fabric of our industry because the teams that work in our shipyards and throughout the industrial base are the most important asset we have in building and repairing the U.S. commercial and military fleets,” said Matthew Paxton, president of the Shipbuilders Council of America.

16 Apr 2014

Shipbuilding: Vigor Industrial Grows Stronger

 Frank Foti, Vigor Industrial CEO

Vigor Industrial has ballooned from a modest shipyard in Portland, Oregon, to the largest shipbuilder in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Vigor increasingly thinks big and builds big. The company’s new floating dry dock will be the largest in the United States. And Vigor wants to get even bigger. CEO and owner Frank Foti expresses an ambition to grow to twice the current size in the “next few years.” Foti, who is also chairman of the Shipbuilder’s Council of America, says he is, “striving for critical mass.

25 Jul 2012

Vigor Industrial: A Rising Star in Shipbuilding in the Pacific Northwest & Alaska Arctic

Vigor Industrial’s CEO, Frank Foti (Photo courtesy Vigor Industrial)

“There is a resurgence of the marine industry in the Pacific Northwest we haven’t seen for 20 to 30 years now,” said Vince Piscitello, Vice President of Business Development for Vigor Industrial LLC. “The oil and gas industry is really new to our area,” he said, although he expects to see it grow significantly with Shell’s exploration of the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas off Alaska’s northern coast. State run ferry operations in Washington and Alaska are at a point where they must renew fleets built in the 50s and 60s.

18 May 2009

Cat Marine Engines Re-Power US Army Dredge

The US Army Corps of Engineers operates two hopper dredges on the west coast of the U.S. to keep shipping channels open. The largest and most modern of them is the Essayons, built by Bath Iron works in Bath, Maine in 1982. Its aging power plant has been replaced by eight state-of-the-art Cat marine engines totaling more than 15,000 kW. The 350 ft long Essayons is based in Portland, Oregon. Its annual schedule includes work in harbours between Alaska and California, as well as Hawaii.

20 Dec 2007

Cascade General Wins $9m Contract

Cascade General Portland Shipyard, Portland, Ore., is being awarded a $9,052,654 firm-fixed-price contract for a 70-day post shipyard availability (PSA) of Military Sealift Fleet Support Command's dry cargo/ammunition ship USNS Alan Shepard to undergo a number of modifications that could not be economically accomplished under the ship construction contract. Naval Sea Systems PMS 325 provided funding for the alterations to be completed during the PSA. The ship’s primary mission is to operate as part of a carrier strike group, providing fuel, ammunition, and dry and refrigerated stores to support U.S. Navy ships at sea. The contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $10,792,644.

23 Apr 2001

Bush Administration Deems Jones Act ‘Essential’

In its first public statement on the Jones Act, the Bush Administration has declared the law must be maintained as “an essential element of U.S. maritime policy that provides important economic and national security benefits to the nation, such as support of the U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta made the statement in response to a written question following his confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee. The Jones Act requires that cargo moving between U.S. ports be carried in vessels that are U.S.-owned, -built and -crewed. Similar U.S. cabotage laws reserve the movement of passengers and the performance of marine services such as dredging, towing and salvage to U.S.-owned, -built and -crewed vessels.

03 Sep 2003

Cascade General Granted Post-Turnover of USNS Rainier

Cascade General Inc., Portland, Ore., is to be Awarded a $6,192,763 firm-fixed-price contract for the post-turnover shipyard availability of the USNS Rainier. Work will be performed in Portland, Ore., and is expected to be completed in December 2003. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with five proposals solicited and two offers received. The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, headquartered in Washington, D.C. is the contracting activity (N62383-03-C2271).

02 Oct 2003

Portland-based Yard Completes NOAA Refurb Job

In just the past year, Cascade General Inc., a Portland, Ore., shipyard, has completed refurbishing one research ship for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and begun work on a second ship. "Refurbishing these ships is a win-win situation," said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "NOAA gains two modernized ships to help carry out its survey and science missions, while helping to create jobs and stimulate the economy in Portland." Lautenbacher will visit the shipyard today to see how work is progressing on the NOAA ship Fairweather. Fairweather is a hydrographic survey ship first commissioned in 1968, but has been inactive for more than 12 years.

12 Nov 2003

News: Cascade Completes NOAA Refurb Job

In the past year, Cascade General Inc. of Portland, Ore., has completed refurbishing one research ship for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and begun work on a second ship. "Refurbishing these ships is a win-win situation," said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "NOAA gains two modernized ships to help carry out its survey and science missions, while helping to create jobs and stimulate the economy in Portland." Lautenbacher recently visited the shipyard to see how work was progressing on the NOAA ship Fairweather. Fairweather is a hydrographic survey ship first commissioned in 1968, but has been inactive for more than 12 years.

05 Mar 2004

Bollinger Added to NSRP

The Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice issued a Notice stating that the membership of the National Shipbuilding Research Program has changed. Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. of Lockport, Louisiana has been added. Cascade General, Inc. of Portland, Oregon has been deleted. 69 Fed. Reg. 10263 (March 4, 2004).

08 May 2002

Victoria Shipyard Racks Up Cruise Ship Jobs

First making headlines this past summer, when the Vancouver-based yard performed the emergency pod repair on Celebrity's Infinity, Victoria Shipyards has booked an additional five cruise vessels that are scheduled for routine repairs and drydockings from May 9 through the middle of October. With the departure of Cascade General's Number Four drydock last year to Grand Bahama Island, Victoria has gained a foothold in the realm of West Coast ship repair for cruise vessels that frequent the Alaska and Vancouver areas. According to Malcolm Barker, Victoria's manager of Ship Repair, the yard has scheduled five cruise vessels for the remainder of 2002, beginning with Princess Cruises' Dawn Princess, which will arrive on May 9 for 10 days.

08 May 2002

Government Ships Spend Time At Cascade

This past winter, Portland, Ore.-based Cascade General saw the arrival of several government-owned vessels from homeports such as Southern California and Alaska. The 418-ft. (127.4-m) M.V. Columbia, owned by Alaska Marine Highways was at Cascade for most of the winter for modernization of its public areas in the restaurant and café, refurbishment of the car-deck doors, installation of a laundry elevator from the car to cabin deck, and replacement of all windows in the vessel's solarium. The 30-year-old vessel will undergo an upgrade consisting of new furnishings and food-serving facilities, as well as replacement of galley equipment. Columbia, which carries 941 passengers and 174 cars on the Inland Passage from Bellingham, Wash. to Skagway, Alaska, operates during the summer months.

14 Jul 2000

Ship Repair & Conversion Report

Subsequent to the departure of Holland America's Statendam in April, Cascade General took in Crystal Cruises' Crystal Harmony for a 10-day stopover in May. The 10-year-old ship underwent maintenance and overhaul work below its waterline, extensive interior remodeling and steel replacement for pool areas on Deck 11. With maximization of work in mind, Cascade normally sends advanced crews to join cruise ships on their way to the yard's Portland, Ore. locale. This time though, the first mobile crew met the ship in Los Angeles, where work commenced immediately on an overhaul of one of Harmony's auxiliary boilers. A second team was then summoned to San Francisco to clean ballast tanks before undertaking structural repairs and preservation work. easuring 790 ft.

03 Aug 2000

Repair Market Gains Muscle

Shipyards around the world are facing increasingly stringent environmental rules and regulations, adding additional expense to a business sector with an already reputed thin bottom line. Nonetheless, to stay in business shipyards must continuously enhance their capabilities and compliance, in order to successfully woo and complete lucrative jobs. U.S. shipyards have aggressively been augmenting traditional repair expertise with the tools and systems needed to prosper in 2000 and far beyond. The ensuing editorial updates significant activities and enhancements at U.S. ship repair yards. Detyens Shipyards based in North Charleston, S.C., is continuing its upbeat course of developing trusted relationships with customers along the U.S. East Coast — specifically with Hvide Marine, Inc.

07 Sep 2000

Cammell Laird Extends Repair Reach West

Following quickly on the heels of an overseas investment deal in Marseilles, Cammell Laird (Holdings) has increased its involvement in the overseas repair and conversion industries by taking a $7.7 million (49%) equity stake in a new holding company along with United States' West Coast shiprepairer Cascade General. This deal has an option for Cammell Laird to take a controlling interest within the next two years. The deal will allow the new company to purchase the repair facility (freehold and docks) at Portland, Oregon, the largest single repair facility on the U.S. West Coast. The facility is currently owned by Portland Port Authority and operated by Cascade General.

05 Oct 2000

Cammell Laird Expected To Set Bond Price

British shipbuilder Cammell Laird Holdings Plc is expected to price its high-yield bond issue at around 11.5 percent, sources familiar with the deal said on Thursday. The bond issue of 125 million euros ($109 million) of 10-year senior notes, non-callable for five years, will be launched early next week. Cammell Laird will use the proceeds to repay existing debt and part-fund acquisitions. The company has recently been expanding into the U.S. and Europe, signing a long-term deal with the French port of Marseilles and an initial agreement with U.S. firm Cascade General Inc. The bond issue, lead-managed by Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette comes after Cammell Laird raised about $20 million through a share placing in August.

20 Feb 2001

U.S. Lines' MS Patriot Challenges Cascade General

Since 1999, when American Classic Voyages (AMCV) first announced its intention to construct two U.S.-flagged cruise ships that would be staffed by American officers and crew, the U.S. shipbuilding industry received a boost back into an area that it had not participated for almost 30 years — the cruise shipping market. Prior to the construction of the two vessels by Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding, AMCV wanted to start making money right away — it purchased the 17-year-old ms Nieuw Amsterdam for $114.5 million from Holland America. AMCV then received an official notice from Congress that provided exemption from the Jones Act, thus allowing the U.S. Coast Guard to re-flag the foreign registered vessel.

06 Dec 2000

Generator Replacement Proves Cascade General Capabilities

Cascade General had its knowledge and expertise put to the test with the emergency replacement of a faulty generator on P&O's Sea Princess. Measuring 857 ft. (261.2 m), the vessel, which was built by Fincantieri in 1998, was in drydock at the Portland shipyard for approximately nine days in September. The project began on the vessel's exterior with the rigging crew building a 20-ft. loading platform on the drydock floor. Concurrently, work was completed inside the engine room to clear an exit path for the 47-ton GEC Alstom generator. Two of Sea Princess' four propulsion transformers at 20-tons each, were disconnected and moved aside, catwalks lifted and all wiring and piping blocking the exit route labeled and cut.

28 Nov 2000

AMCV Outlines Expansion Plans

American Classic Voyages Co., which is currently engaged in a high-profile effort to build cruise ships in the U.S., recently provided financial information on its expansion plans and its outlook for 2001. The 1,212-passenger ms Patriot, the first ship in American Classic Voyages' United States Lines fleet, just completed a $21 million refurbishment at Cascade General Shipyard in Portland, Oregon. The ship is in Los Angeles for the beginning of a series of inaugural activities that will introduce 6,000 travel agents to United States Lines. The ms Patriot will begin its permanent seven-night Hawaiian Island itinerary with its inaugural cruise on December 9.

28 Nov 2000

AMCV Outlines Expansion Plans

American Classic Voyages Co., which is currently engaged in a high-profile effort to build cruise ships in the U.S., recently provided financial information on its expansion plans and its outlook for 2001. The 1,212-passenger ms Patriot, the first ship in American Classic Voyages' United States Lines fleet, just completed a $21 million refurbishment at Cascade General Shipyard in Portland, Oregon. The ship is in Los Angeles for the beginning of a series of inaugural activities that will introduce 6,000 travel agents to United States Lines. The ms Patriot will begin its permanent seven-night Hawaiian Island itinerary with its inaugural cruise on December 9.

14 Jun 2002

Cascade General Completes Upgrades to M.V. Columbia

The 418 ft. ferry M.V. Columbia, owned by the State of Alaska, has returned to service on the Bellingham-Skagway run after a winter layover at Cascade General. The thirty-year old ship emerged from the Portland Shipyard with a re-designed restaurant and cafeteria, re-furbished car-deck doors, renovated solarium, and with a laundry conveyor/elevator installed above the car deck. Both food-service areas were re-built from the deck up, with new floors, carpets, booths, Gage ceilings, and designer lighting. The restaurant dining room features an 11 ft.-diameter dome light over a buffet counter, stainless steel case work, and an improved layout for the serving staff. The restaurant galley's cooking equipment was all upgraded, and now vents into a full-length Gaylord stainless steel hood.

11 Jul 2002

M/V Columbia Returns to Service

M/V Columbia, reported to be the largest ship in the Alaska Marine Highway’s fleet, returned to revenue service on June 5 with its scheduled sailing southbound from Ketchikan. The Columbia begins weekly round trip service between Bellingham, Wash. and Skagway, Alaska, with intermediate stops in Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersberg, Juneau, Haines and Skagway with additional southbound stops in Sitka. Columbia left Cascade General Inc., (CGI) shipyard in Portland, Ore., on May 30 on schedule and within budget, after a major improvement project. In recognition of CGI’s efforts, the AMHS Vessel operations manager, Captain Jack Meyers, presented Bruce Dummer, senior V.P. of Finance, with an oversized replica of a $14,000 incentive check in a ceremony at the yard just prior to the ship’s departure.

10 May 2005

Engine Problem Shelves Alaskan Ferry

not make its northbound schedule. pick up the Columbia’s northbound passengers and car deck load. depart Wrangell at 10:30 a.m. arrive in Juneau on Tuesday at 10 p.m. cross-Gulf voyage to Yakutat, Valdez, and Seward on Wednesday at 1:30 a.m. rebuild of both of the Columbia’s massive Enterprise engines. starboard engine,” Falvey said. Ketchikan. not available. be activated in late September. service and depart Ketchikan for Juneau Tuesday night at 6 p.m. said. car deck space for 134 average-sized vehicles. passengers, with 44 staterooms, and a car deck for 69 vehicles. service in 1974. The camshaft repair is covered under warranty. for exact departure times for the Kennicott.

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