Northwest Florida News

Eastern Shipbuilding said the U.S. Coast Guard executed a modification to the contract to build the second Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) and Long Lead Time Materials for the third OPC. These accomplishments result from successful completion of a Production Readiness Review (PRR) in February 2020.Eastern’s President Joey D’Isernia said, "Today represents not only the continuation of production for the USCG’s future replacement of their 210-foot and 270-foot class Medium Endurance Cutters, but also an important step in the continuing recovery of Northwest Florida and ESG post Hurricane Michael.

On August 16th, 2019 Eastern Shipbuilding Group, a Panama City, Florida shipyard building both government and commercial vessels, successfully delivered the tug Capt. Jim McAllister. This is the fifth vessel to be delivered by the shipyard since Hurricane Michael, a category 5 storm – which devastated the region. This delivery marks another milestone in Eastern’s accelerated return to normal operations, as well as its commitment to long term sustained recovery and economic stability for the industrial base of the Florida Panhandle.

Gulfstream Shipbuilding’s Custom Aluminum Ferry: U.S. Department of Homeland Security awards Ferry Contract for vessel built specifically for Eastern Coastal Waters. In December, Gulfstream Shipbuilding was awarded a contract through the United States Department of Homeland Security for a passenger/vehicle ferry to service New York and Connecticut waters. This crew boat-style vessel will be capable of transporting passengers, freight and vehicles in and around the waters of the Eastern Long Island Sound and Gardiner’s Bay. The vessel has an expected delivery date of April 2017.

Gulfstream Shipbuilding welcomes James Murray, a second generation boat builder and operator/owner, to the Sales Management Team. James is the son of Jim Murray, who originally opened the shipyard 35 years ago as Freeport Shipbuilding. James built a variety of custom boats at the shipyard before venturing off to start his own successful passenger excursion company. Now, James returns to partner with the current owner Stuart Reeves on a new generation of custom shipbuilding. “James exhibits the same passions and values that his father instilled on this company 35 years ago…

Wind and rain from Hurricane Hermine toppled trees and power lines along Florida's northern Gulf Coast, inundating coastal areas with storm surges before it weakened to a tropical storm over land and plowed toward the Atlantic Coast on Friday. Hermine made landfall early on Friday near St. Marks, Florida, 20 miles south of the capital of Tallahassee, dumping heavy rains and packing winds of 80 mph (130 km/h), leaving tens of thousands of households without power along Florida's Gulf Coast. No injuries were immediately reported. It was the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Wilma more than a decade ago. A weakening Hermine moved across southern Georgia, blowing winds of 60 miles per hour (95 km) at 8 a.m. EDT, (noon GMT), according to the National Hurricane Center.

In February, the U.S. Coast Guard chose three finalists to design its new Offshore Patrol Cutters, with awards to Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, La., Eastern Shipbuilding Group in Panama City, Fla. and General Dynamics’ Bath Iron Works in Maine. Each company was awarded a Phase I design contract valued at between $21 million and $22 million. At the end of the 18-month Preliminary and Contract Design Phase I, the Coast Guard will choose one company’s team for a Phase II Detailed Design and Construction contract for the lead OPC.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. of Panama City, Fla. announced it has been selected as one of the three finalists to design the United States Coast Guard’s new Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPC). In accordance with the terms of the $22 million dollar Phase I finalist award cap, Eastern said it will spend the next 18 months finalizing the engineering and ship design in order to become the final shipyard selected to build the first OPC. The OPC fleet is expected to total 25 Cutters, while the initial contract is for up to 11 Cutters.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group said it partnered with OneBlood to host a four-day blood drive at the shipbuilder’s Allanton and Nelson locations from November 19-22. Over the four-day drive, Eastern employees donated 342 units of blood, besting the previous record of 292, with 203 from Allanton and 139 from Nelson. OneBlood, formally known as Northwest Florida Blood Bank, collects donations across the Gulf and Atlantic Florida and serves over 200 hospitals and healthcare centers across the same region with life-saving blood. Amanda Fitzhugh, Eastern’s HR Generalist and OneBlood’s Robert E.

The National Response Team (NRT), an organization of 16 federal departments and agencies responsible for coordinating emergency preparedness and response to oil and hazardous substance pollution incidents was quickly activated and a coordinated group of federal partners-including the United States Coast Guard, Departments of Homeland Security, Commerce, Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency-immediately began directing and overseeing BP's response. Coastal protection and booming operations under the direction of the Unified Command Mobile are ongoing, actively deploying as rapidly as possible as part of the strategic plan across Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle, Unified Command Mobile said.