'Best of the Best' Welds Help Metal Shark Succeed, Expand
Louisiana-based shipbuilder eliminates preheat and saves time with Dynasty 400 TIG welders.As a well-known shipbuilder specializing in the design and production of vessels, Metal Shark Boats doesn’t shy away from tackling tough and diverse jobs. It’s a philosophy that has fueled the company’s growth from small shop to major industry player.Launched more than three decades ago as a small family-owned operation crafting custom fishing boats, the transition to Metal Shark Boats began…
Mercury Diesel Engines for 16 New USCG Boats
Mercury Marine has entered an agreement with Metal Shark Aluminum Boats to power 16 U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) boats with Mercury diesel engines. “Mercury Marine’s 2.0 diesel engines are ideal for smaller vessels such as the Coast Guard Cutter Boat ATON Medium,” said Greg Lambrecht, Metal Shark vice president. “The U.S. diesel market is evolving and adapting and our marine customers are taking notice of the diesel advantage when it comes to performance and fuel economy,” said Reinhard Burk, Mercury Marine Senior director of diesel & propulsion strategies.
Metal Shark Boats Gets Louisiana Governor's Award
Louisiana Economic Development (LED) inform that Gov. Bobby Jindal has presented Metal Shark Boats, (headquartered in Jeanerette in Iberia Parish) with the Governor’s Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence. The Governor’s Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence is periodically awarded by the governor to businesses that grow and provide more opportunity, more jobs and more commerce for the state of Louisiana. Metal Shark Boats has grown from an employment of 75 in 2012 to 200 employees today. LED explains that Metal Shark Boats continues to expand production of boats up to 40 feet in length at its original shipyard, filling customer orders for the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy, law enforcement and conservation agencies, and commercial companies.
Budget Battles Bumping Backlogs?
Patrol And Combat Builders Fret About Budget Cuts But See Bright Spots. So far; so good. U.S. companies building patrol and combat craft aren’t happy about federal, state and city budget cuts but say they do see positive, demand-side factors. Much of their overseas business depends on the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program. The FMS, which transfers defense equipment and services to other nations, is retrenching now, however. Here at home, states and municipalities have fewer funds, grants and matching grants to pay for patrol vessels, builders say.
U.S. Shipyards Competing – and Succeeding – Overseas
Foreign Demand For U.S. Military And Commercial Vessels Is Brisk; For Now. In the heavy shadow of possible sequestration-induced federal budget cuts, some U.S. companies are busy supplying vessels to overseas customers under the Navy’s Foreign Military Sales program and through private contracts to foreign government and firms. Demand for offshore oil vessels is strong. A big chunk of overseas business now is under the U.S. FMS, transferring defense equipment, services and training to other nations. Countries approved for the FMS pay for vessels themselves and/or with U.S. government help.
Guarded Optimism for 2013 from U.S. Gulf Boatbuilders
Caveats and some doubts remain. Marine companies along the Gulf of Mexico will be busy in 2013 producing offshore vessels to meet expected growth in the region’s deepwater drilling sector over the next several years. Vessel repairs will be active too. Worker training will be stepped up to address a skilled labor shortage. And nearly three years after BP’s spill off coastal Louisiana, safety will remain a priority. But with the nation teetering on a fiscal cliff – which may spur tax increases and government spending cuts – demand for official and military vessels could be affected…
Retooling the U.S. Coast Guard
Under the Radar and also the higher profile Fast Response (FRC) and National Security Cutter (NSC) acquisitions is the U.S. Coast Guard’s effort to replace and upgrade its fleet of smaller response workboats. The building programs involve big money and substantial innovation. But, for all the progress being made, the failure of the federal government to come to a budget deal for the coming fiscal year could also put the brakes on some of the most innovative programs that the Coast Guard has ever embarked upon. In the meantime, it is full speed ahead with a three-pronged small boat program that could eventually involve as many as 650 vessels. The effort to recapitalize the Coast Guard never ends.
