Joe Corvelli News

Portland, Ore. shipbuilder Gunderson Marine announced plans to open a new training center aimed at addressing a demand for skilled trades workers. For many shipyards across the U.S., hiring and retaining a skilled workforce has become a major challenge.Gunderson's new training center, scheduled to open this spring, will serve as a central hub for trades skills development, offering paid training programs in areas such as in basic metals fitting, industrial safety practices and various welding techniques, the company said.

Harvest, an ABS-classed articulated tug barge (ATB) purpose-built to transport liquefied anhydrous ammonia, has been delivered to a subsidiary of Savage Companies by U.S. shipbuilder Vigor. Harvest is the first complex liquefied ammonia transport barge built in the U.S. since 1982. “The delivery of this ATB represents a landmark achievement for all of the project stakeholders as well as the U.S. shipbuilding industry,” said ABS Americas Division President Jamie Smith. “The first-of-its-kind in over three decades, the Harvest will help reshape the U.S. fleet and support safer trading in U.S.

Ferries for Alaska’s harsh conditions, built in Alaska by Alaskans. Vigor and Elliott Bay Design Group team up for a winning combination as the new Alaska Class Ferry Project takes shape. With its network of islands and fjords, rugged mountains and spectacular tidewater glaciers, Alaska’s Inside Passage may make a perfect summer cruise destination, but locals can’t choose when they travel. So when Alaskans need transport, the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) must find a way to move them.

Seattle-based naval architecture consultancy Glosten has joined the list of North American companies utilizing Nupas-Cadmatic, a CAD/CAM engineering software system for the marine and offshore industry. Glosten will utilize the software to complete the detail design of Vigor’s Alaska Class Ferry, a two-vessel project at their Ketchikan Alaska shipyard. Glosten said a few features of Nupas-Cadmatic made it the best choice for the naval architecture firm. Firstly, the tool was developed in conjunction with world-class shipyards and incorporates the collective experience of a large international user base. Secondly, the tool’s parametric modeling capabilities and embedded shipbuilding resources are a powerful way to reduce design hours.

Vigor Fab delivered the Tokitae, the state’s newest ferry, to Washington State Ferry officials this week. The Olympic class Tokitae is the first of three 144-car ferries currently planned. It will enter service this summer on the Clinton-Mukilteo route. The second vessel, the Samish, is currently under construction at Vigor with delivery planned for early next year. State lawmakers have provided funding for a third ferry and construction is expected to start toward the end of this year.

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.

State elected, transportation and manufacturing leaders were on hand today to celebrate the christening of the state’s first 144-car Olympic Class ferry, the M/V Tokitae, at Vigor Industrial’s shipyard in Seattle. Lynn Peterson, Washington’s Secretary of Transportation, served as the ship’s sponsor and broke a bottle to christen the new ferry before a crowd of more than 200 people. Speakers at the ceremony explained that the vessels will ensure safe, reliable ferry service, save taxpayers money and provide jobs for the state’s maritime workforce.

As part of a three day Royal tour of Gibraltar in June, HRH The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex set time aside to inspect work under way at Gibdock, the territory’s strategically located repair and conversion yard. Accompanied by Gibraltar Governor, Sir Adrian Johns and Gibraltar Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, the Earl was welcomed by the Minister for the Port, Neil Costa, Gibdock Chief Executive, Joe Corvelli, Commercial Director, Richard Beards, Finance Director, Paul Singleton, and Production Director, John Taylor.

Gibdock’s strategy to carve a niche in the growing regional market for jack-up and semi-submersible drilling rig repairs, maintenance and modification work, is closer to fruition. Following the arrival in October of the 22,604gt Etesco Millennium, a modified semi-submersible built in 1976 by Marathon Le Tourneau and upgraded in 2006,  steel repair work has been carried out afloat and tasks in the pipeline include tank cleaning and repair, and work to enable safe mooring. A survey of the rig structure is being carried out to ascertain its condition. The contract is an important landmark for Gibdock, which has not handled a drilling rig since 1998. “We believe that the successful completion of this project will lead to more work of this type,” says Beards.

Gibraltar’s Gibdock shipyard has completed a challenging maintenance and upgrade program on the 6430bhp DP2 class ROV/Subsea Service and Platform Support vessel, Toisa Vigilant. The 2005-built, 3426dwt vessel spent over three weeks at the yard in July and August this year for a diverse package of works. For Sealion, Gibdock undertook a series of conventional docking works, including the extensive overhaul of the MAK 8L26 main engines, the two bow thrusters and two stern thrusters.