U.S. Shipbuilding: Prospects Abound, but Where’s the Money?
While the U.S. commercial shipbuilding industry outperformed the U.S. economy between 1992 and 2001, this period witnessed the construction of barely a dozen large ocean going vessels for our U.S. domestic trades with an aggregate cost of not much more than $500 million. In contrast, U. S. national transportation needs for the current decade will require the construction of four to five dozen such commercial vessels which, taken together with the building of smaller vessels to meet our other domestic needs, will involve shipbuilding contracts in excess of $6 to $7 billion. The majority of this work is federally mandated by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, or involves the replacement of vessels in our U.S. non-contiguous trades that have reached the end of their useful lives.
Northrop Grumman Posts Lower 1Q Profit
According to the AP, Northrop Grumman Corp. posted a lower first-quarter profit as revenue declined and gains from a stock sale boosted last year's results. The company also maintained its forecast for double-digit profit growth in 2006. Income slid to $358 million, or $1.02 per share, for the January-March period, from $409 million, or $1.11 per share, the previous year when the company gained $56 million from selling its Teldix aircraft parts unit and the sale of stock in TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. Excluding last year's gains, earnings from continuing operations were $357 million, or $1.02 per share, versus $398 million, or $1.08 per share, last year. Northrop said its shipbuilding business hurt its overall revenue, which fell 4 percent to $7.18 billion from $7.45 billion a year ago.
