Signal International Llc News

In a business where time is money, Signal Ship Repair’s niche ‘high blocking’ repair methods have significantly reduced repair times and increased shipyard efficiencies. If Signal Ship Repair’s (SSR) primary business can generically be described simply as ship repair and conversion, then it can also be said that its practice of ‘high blocking’ to facilitate faster, and more efficient in-house Z drive repairs is its signature service. Utilizing a simple but highly effective shipyard technique, SSR has taken a routine practice originally used to facilitate naval ship drydockings, and turned it into a signature service that helps offshore clients with drop down thrusters, z-drives, pods and keel coolers get repairs done rapidly.

On July 29, 2013, The American Equity Underwriters, Inc. (AEU) presented the 2012 Safety Awards at the annual American Longshore Mutual Association (ALMA) Conference in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, where Coach Gene Stallings was the keynote speaker. The awards are given each year to the best performing ALMA members nationwide and are based on the number of accidents and the severity of accidents for the calendar year. The award is an acknowledgement that these companies are leaders in the most important aspect of business operations - protecting employees from injury or death.

The American Equity Underwriters, Inc. (AEU) 2011 Safety Awards were presented at the annual American Longshore Mutual Association (ALMA) Conference in Grand Cayman on July 30, 2012. The awards are given each year to the best performing ALMA members nationwide and are based on the number of accidents and the severity of accidents for each calendar year. The award is an acknowledgement that these companies are leaders in the most important aspect of business operation – protecting employees from injury or death. This is the one effort that should lead all others as businesses strive for improved results and better performance. Marine Cargo Handling: International Transportation Service, Inc. Marine Cargo Handling: Levin Enterprises, Inc. Marine Cargo Handling: Schaefer Stevedoring, Inc.

Federal Judge Sides with Signal - Denies Class Certification of all former H2B worker claims. Signal International L.L.C., a leading Gulf of Mexico provider of marine and fabrication services headquartered in Mobile, Alabama received news of a complete victory in the case pending in the Eastern District of Louisiana with regard to class certification of claims against it alleging human trafficking, slave labor and fraud, among other claims. In denying class certification, United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey, observed with regard to the allegations made against Signal, “[t]o the contrary, this case involves paid workers who in fact could leave their jobs at any time, albeit under penalty of returning to their home countries but that restriction was dictated by U.S. immigration law.

Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC) a Fincantieri company, welcomes Gene Caldwell as the new Vice President and General Manager of Bay Shipbuilding Company, a member of the Fincantieri Marine Group. Caldwell’s resume includes shipbuilding experience in multiple facets of the Ship Building Industry including vessel and rig repair, new commercial and government vessel construction, project management, contract negotiation, sales & marketing, safety, QA/QC and financial reporting. Prior to joining FMG, he held a senior management position with Signal International, LLC.

A subsidiary of Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. has awarded dockside shipyard work on the Ocean Baroness semisubmersible-drilling rig to Signal International, LLC. The rig is currently docked at Signal’s Pascagoula Mississippi East Yard undergoing mooring chain inspection and chain locker repairs, general steel renewals, piping upgrades and ABS survey work. Ongoing enhancements at the East Yard have enabled Signal to accommodate large semisubmersibles, such as the Baroness, that draw over thirty feet of water depth. A 60-ft water depth by 300 x 500 ft hole was dredged near the dock. Additional dredging, from 35-ft to 42-ft depth, was also completed along a 1,005 ft stretch at the East Yard’s dockside.

The Department of Transportation has announced 70 grants totaling $98m in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds that will be used to improve small shipyards throughout the United States. The funds, awarded through the Maritime Administration’s Assistance to Small Shipyards program, will help create and preserve jobs, provide valuable employment training and make much needed improvements to shipyards across the country. The Small Shipyards Grant program provides up to 75 percent in ARRA funds for a project and requires the remainder be matched by the shipyard. A detailed list of the grantees is as follows. •    Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Inc.,  Philadelphia, PA: $2,312,614, for the first year of training program.

Signal International, LLC announced that the company will build a 300 ft by 100 ft ocean deck barge for Signet Maritime Corporation. The barge will be built at Signal’s Orange, Texas shipyard, with delivery scheduled for the first quarter 2010. In line with Signal’s marketing plan, large deck barges will be a continued product line for Orange, with multiple designs currently being offered. Signal’s yard in Orange has undergone a major transformation to elevate its marine and heavy manufacturing capability to world-class standards.

Signal International has been awarded a contract for Diamond Offshore’s Ocean America to perform modifications and inspections to ensure compliance with ABS Special Survey requirements. The semisubmersible will be drydocked at the company’s Port Arthur Texas yard in early 2009. The vessel will undergo inspections to the anchor chain and propeller shaft, piping modifications, sacrificial anode replacements as well as new paint for the hull and derrick. Dick Marler, President and CEO of Signal commented: “Special Survey work to help our customer keep his vessel in class is an essential segment of Signal’s core business. Signal International…

Signal International announced that SBM-Atlantia’s Thunder Hawk is currently drydocked at the company’s Port Arthur Texas facility for hull repairs. The huge structure arrived at Port Arthur after being transported from Singapore on a heavy lift dry-tow vessel. Drydocking of the newbuild semi will enable Signal to repair damage that was done to Thunder Hawk’s pontoons before leaving Southeast Asia. Repairs consist of: grit-blasting to bare metal the perimeter of the damaged outer hull…

Signal International, LLC has announced that its Pascagoula Mississippi east shipyard will upgrade The Zagreb I, a semi submersible drilling rig, for Crosco; the offshore drilling contractor headquartered in Croatia. The work is scheduled to commence in mid-February upon completion of a wet tow of the rig to the Gulf of Mexico from the Ivory Coast of Africa. The work will include replacement of deck cranes, living quarters upgrade, mud system modifications and regulatory authority special survey. It is estimated that the work will take two months to complete. Regarding this project, Dick Marler, Signal’s Chairman, comments: “This work affords Signal International another opportunity to build upon its track record of excellence in the business of offshore rig upgrades.

Pride International awarded Signal International LLC a contract to outfit and integrate the drilling equipment for BP's Mad Dog truss spar production facility in Green Canyon Block 782. The drilling support module (DSM) for Mad Dog arrived at Signal's Port Arthur, Texas, facility on Feb. 1. The derrick equipment set will be mated to the DSM following its scheduled mid-March arrival at the facility. The unit will then be integrated and commissioned with final load-out and redelivery anticipated in mid-May. Pride is operator of the drilling rig. J. Ray McDermott is constructing the 16-slot truss spar, which will include the rig, production equipment and permanent quarters for drilling and production personnel.

Signal International, LLC has completed a major refurbishment and upgrade of Noble Drilling’s Homer Ferrington semi-submersible drilling rig. The work was completed at Signal International’s East Facility in Pascagoula, Miss. Prefabrication started in February 2004 in anticipation of the rig’s arrival in July. The drill-ready rig departed on schedule and within budget after 109 working days. · Complete zero discharge piping system and misc. Planning, organizing and controlling of the project were executed through a fully integrated (customer/contractor/subcontractor) process. This resulted in the on-time and on-budget delivery of a world-class high-performance mobile offshore drilling unit.

Signal International, L.L.C. signed a contract with LeTourneau, Inc. to build a TARZAN CLASS jackup drill rig. LeTourneau is procuring the rig, the fourth TARZAN CLASS rig built for Rowan Companies, Inc., its parent corporation. Under the terms of the contract, LeTourneau will provide a license to Signal International and furnish the engineering and component kit for the elevating system, including, 445’ leg length. LeTourneau Ellis Williams Company, Inc., also a subsidiary of Rowan Companies Inc., will provide the drilling equipment package. Dick Marler, President and CEO of Signal, said the TARZAN CLASS rig will be built at Signal’s Texas facility in Orange, Texas. Delivery will be third quarter 2007. Signal International, LLC.

Friede Goldman Halter, Inc. (FGH) has completed the previous announced sale of substantially all of the assets of its offshore division to ACON Offshore Partners LP and its affiliates (ACON), a Delaware limited partnership. The sale was finalized for a purchase price of approximately $61 million (USD), consisting of cash and the assumption of secured debt. "We are pleased with the outcome in closing this transaction and we commend the Restructuring Committee of the Board of Directors and the Unsecured Creditors Committee for their efforts," said T. Jay Collins, FGH Chairman and CEO. Now that the sale of the offshore assets is complete, Friede Goldman Halter intends to concentrate on promulgation of its plan of reorganization.