Lonnie Thibodeaux News

Ongoing infrastructure and newbuild activity not expected to let up. Modern, sophisticated and quality tonnage arrives at just the right time. Vessel builders are ramped up for strong demand from the Gulf of Mexico, where oil drilling is very soon expected to return to pre-Macondo levels. Utilization rates for offshore vessels are rising in the GoM, along with associated dayrates. Three Louisiana leaders--Edison Chouest Offshore in Cut Off, Hornbeck Offshore Services Inc. in Covington and Harvey Gulf International Marine in New Orleans--are engaged in aggressive newbuild programs.

The M/V Aiviq icebreaker, contracted by Shell Oil to support drilling in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea, was ordered in July 2009 and completed by Edison Chouest Offshore in early 2012. The $200m Aiviq is the largest vessel ever built by Chouest, and will be among the most advanced and powerful, non-military icebreakers on the waters. In order for a ship to be “ice class,” the hull must be thick, and extra girders, beams and bulkheads are needed for structural integrity. The Aiviq is designed to American Bureau of Shipping A3 capabilities to operate in frigid…

Local equipment suppliers reap dividends, but there’s room for foreign businesses – if they know how to play. After huge oil finds in recent years, Brazil's need for offshore vessels continues to expand and could double between now and the end of the decade. Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras wants to extract billions of barrels of oil while also developing its shipbuilding and service industries to create jobs. Meanwhile, Brazil is trying to use locally made vessels and equipment, but foreign companies are benefiting from the nation's oil bonanza too.

The M/V Aiviq icebreaker, contracted by Shell Oil to support drilling in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea, is scheduled to be completed by Louisiana-based Edison Chouest Offshore in early 2012. The vessel, ordered in July 2009, is on track for April 1, 2012, delivery in Galliano, La., and will then head north, according to Shell Oil spokesman Curtis Smith. The $200m Aiviq is the largest vessel ever built by Chouest, and will be among the most advanced and powerful, non-military icebreakers on the waters.

Galliano-based Edison Chouest Offshore will build a storage and preservation facility for BP in Houma next year, according to Edison Chouest corporate communications director Lonnie Thibodeaux. The 122,000 square-foot facility, located at on the northeast quadrant of the intersection of La. 311 and U.S. 90, will consolidate BP’s deepwater equipment assets into one facility from more than 100 storage locations, said Thibodeaux. Additionally, the U.S. 90-La. 311 intersection is a link-up with Morgan City and Thibodaux. Chouest will probably subcontract parts of the BP building and in-house personnel will work on other aspects, officials said. Construction, which will probably consume a year, is slated to begin in January.