Pinto Island News

Austal’s U.S. operation consists of more than 4,000 employees supporting the design, construction and sustainment of two U.S. Navy programs, the 127-meter, trimaran Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and the 103-meter, catamaran high-speed troop and equipment transport known as the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV). Austal has block-buy contracts in place for both programs totaling over $5 billion. In the past year, it has  delivered the Jackson (LCS 6), USNS Fall River (JHSV 4) and USNS Trenton (JHSV 5).

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), a trade group representing port authorities throughout the Western Hemisphere, has selected 22 seaports to be recognized for exemplary projects, programs and initiatives at its annual awards event later this summer. The awards, for achievements in facilities engineering, environmental improvement, information technology and communications, will be presented to winning ports at a Sept. 14 luncheon in conjunction with AAPA's 100th Annual Convention in Seattle (https://www.aapa2011.org/main.aspx), which runs Sept. 11-15. * the Port of Long Beach, winner of the 2011 Dan Maynard Communications Award for Overall Excellence, which is bestowed on the port earning the most award points in AAPA's Communications Awards Program competition.

Atlantic Marine, Inc. has acquired a heavy lift barge, and it is located at its new home on Pinto Island here at the Port of Mobile on the Gulf of Mexico. The barge, named the Mobile Heavy Lifter, will expand Atlantic Marine's capabilities allowing it to accommodate offshore rigs, jackups and semisubmersibles that due to size restrictions are currently unable to fit on Atlantic Marine's largest dry dock; the 50,000 ton drydock, Alabama. The heavy lift barge has a length of 393-ft., breadth of 131-ft. with a lifting capacity of 19,000 tons. Ron J. McAlear, President of Atlantic Marine, Inc.

Alabama Shipyard has contracted with Manson Construction Co. to build a hopper dredge at its facility in Mobile, Alabama. The 12,000 cubic yard hopper dredge, designed by Hal Hockema & Associates of Seattle, Washington, has a length of 390-ft, breadth 76-ft and depth of 30-ft. Engineering and Planning for the hopper dredge has already begun at the facility on Pinto Island. Steel cutting will begin in November 2004 with delivery slated for October 2005. Ron J. McAlear, President of Atlantic Marine, Inc. Manson Construction Co.

Six Gulf Coast shipyards damaged by Hurricane Katrina will split 140 (m) million dollars in repair funds from the Navy, reported the AP. Congress appropriated the funds to shipyards that have existing Navy shipbuilding contracts. The August 2005 hurricane caused about one (b) billion dollars in damages to Northrop Grumman shipyards in Gulfport, New Orleans and Pascagoula. The three shipyards currently employ about 17-thousand people, including more than two thousand who commute from southwest Alabama. Others approved for funding include Austal U-S-A and Atlantic Marine, which both operate major shipyards in Mobile. Atlantic, which employs about 650 workers at its two Pinto Island shipyards in Mobile…

According to the Mobile Register, a former secretary of the U.S. Navy, John Lehman, is negotiating to buy one of Mobile's two largest shipyards, Atlantic Marine officials confirmed Wednesday. Lehman's New York-based firm, J.F. Lehman & Co., is expected to complete the purchase of Atlantic Marine Holding Co. within a few weeks, according to a spokesman for Atlantic Marine. Since its 1992 founding, J.F. Lehman has acquired 13 maritime, defense and aerospace companies through $1.2 billion in transactions, according to the company. Lehman said in a statement that he expected to keep all of Atlantic Marine's 600 employees in Mobile and 650 employees in Jacksonville, Fla.