Avondale Shipyard for Sale
Local media quote Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) as announcing this week the Avondale Shipyard, just upriver from New Orleans, is being sold. The historic, 206-acre facility is on the market after a tumultuous last five years that have included layoffs and threats to close the shipyard. But members of the community hope the new owners will bring business back to the area. Only a skeleton staff remains at the sprawling West Bank facility that once employed more than 5,000 skilled workers. The company that shuttered the shipyard after 76 years may now be looking for a buyer. Jerry Bologna, executive director of the Jefferson Economic Development Commission (JEDCO), said HII is expected to have the property listed for sale in the next 30 to 60 days.
FGH Advances Construction Operations
Friede Goldman Halter, Inc., announces that its offshore subsidiary has reached an agreement with Petrodrill IV Ltd. and Petrodrill V Ltd. to advance construction of two Amethyst-class deepwater semisubmersible drilling rigs. Friede Goldman will work at the customer?s direction, and operate on a cost-reimbursable basis with contractually established rates for equipment, personnel, and labor. The agreement is expected to generate greater security and additional employment opportunities for the local workforce. Preliminary estimates place work for this phase of completion at four months for the Company?s Pascagoula, Miss., offshore projects at the east facility on Greenwood Island. The West Bank facility will undergo a restoration and upgrade during the temporary closure.
