Vt Systems News

VT Halter in Pascagoula, MS has been on a strong run, capped by its winning the high-profile contract to build the U.S. Coast Guard’s next generation of icebreakers. Maritime Reporter recently spoke with Ron Baczkowski, President and CEO, VT Halter Marine, for insights on the shipyard’s recent success and future prospects. Globally, the shipbuilding industry has gone through some ‘interesting’ times of late. How has it looked from your perspective?The shipbuilding market and activity at VT Halter during the past 12 months has been dynamic.

Singapore Technologies Engineering (ST Engineering) announced that its U.S. company Vision Technologies Systems (VT Systems) has set up a subsidiary ST Engineering Halter Marine and Offshore, based in Pascagoula, Miss., with share capital of US$10 (approximately S$13.62).  This new entity is responsible for the upgrade and repair of drilling rigs, military, para-military and commercial ships; and marine and industrial engineering work in the U.S. (formerly undertaken by VT Marine).

The ocean-going petroleum barge company Bouchard Transportation said that ATB tug M/V Evening Breeze was launched at US-based medium-sized ships builder VT Halter Marine's Pascagoula shipyard.The launch of the M/V Evening Breeze marks a milestone achievement in Bouchard’s most recent expansion efforts; with the launch of sister ATB tug M/V Evening Stroll not far behind.Bouchard’s Safety First philosophy remains at the forefront of their operation, and is powerfully supported through VT Halter Marine, Inc.’s ability to help advance their fleet with the most innovative technologies.Bouchard is dedicated to offering a safe work environment for their crew and a reliable service to their customers…

ST Engineering announced the appointment of Tom Vecchiolla as President & CEO (Designate) of its US Headquarters, VT Systems. He will take over as President & CEO from General (Ret.) John Coburn on 1 December 2018, who will relinquish his CEO position but remain as non-executive Chairman of VT Systems.Gen. Coburn has been at the helm VT Systems for 17 years since it was set up in 2001 to support the Group’s overseas expansion. Today, the US is the Group’s single largest market outside of Singapore…

Pascagoula, Miss. shipbuilder VT Halter Marine, Inc. announced it has appointed Ronald Baczkowski as president and CEO with immediate effect.Baczkowski joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1980 and retired with the rank of Brigadier General in 2012. He had held various command and staff appointments directing high-level strategic initiatives with impact on tens of thousands of troops. He joined VT Systems in 2016 and was mostly recently Vice President of Business Development. Before that from 2013-2015, he was Chief Operating Officer of Angarai International Inc, a professional management consulting firm; and Senior Program Manager at Engility Corporation…

VT Halter Marine and Q-LNG Transport team members during start of construction of ATB Tug Q-Ocean Service and Barge Q-LNG 4000. VT Halter Marine, Inc. (VT Halter Marine), a company of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), today held a ceremony to commence construction on America’s first Liquefied Natural Gas Articulated Tug and Barge (LNG ATB) unit. “We are honored to be able to celebrate the official start of construction on the first LNG Bunkering ATB unit ever built. We believe that this is a significant step towards the USA becoming the premier supplier of LNG as the environmentally friendly maritime fuel source of choice,” said Rob Mullins, Chief Executive Officer of VT Halter Marine.

VT Systems’ shipbuilding arm VT Halter Marine said it has begun construction of a new state of the art integrated blast and paint facility, effective April 17, 2017. The new facility at VT Halter’s Pascagoula, Miss. shipyard will allow the complete indoor and environmentally controlled surface preparation and final painting of ship sections prior to final erection. Its “flow-thru” configuration will allow ship sections to be prepared, blasted and painted complete without having to be taken outside and ensuring particles from the facility are not released into the environment.

U.S. shipbuilder VT Halter Marine, Inc., a subsidiary of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), has appointed Robert A. Socha as Senior Vice President of Business Development and Estimating, effective January 30, 2017. In his role, Socha is responsible for overall management and leadership of the company’s business development and estimating departments. He will work closely with other corporate functions, including departments of engineering, production control, production…

Paul J. Albert has been appointed as the President and CEO for VT Halter Marine, effective immediately. “Paul's proven leadership and operational skills in managing complex shipbuilding projects makes him the right choice to lead VT Halter Marine. We are confident in his ability to grow the company while maintaining its reputation as one of the most innovative shipbuilding companies in the United States,” said Admiral Bill Landay, Chairman of the VT Halter Marine Board. “We are excited to appoint Mr.

Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd (ST Engineering) today announced that it has injected US$66m (approximately S$89m) into the capital of its US Headquarters, Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), for the repayment of bank loans. This brings ST Engineering’s total investment in VT Systems to US$343.96m (approximately S$464m). Following the capital injection above, VT Systems has capitalised its outstanding loan balance of US$35.28m (approximately S$47m) and US$33.08m (approximately S$44m) in its subsidiaries, Vision Technologies Kinetics, Inc. and Vision Technologies Land Systems Inc respectively. Vision Technologies Land Systems has, in turn, capitalised its outstanding loan balance of US$33.08m (approximately S$44m) in its subsidiary, VT Hackney Inc.

VT Halter Marine, Inc. (VT Halter Marine), a company of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), announces the launch of the M/V Frederick E. Bouchard, at its Moss Point Marine Shipyard Facility in Escatawpa, Mississippi on Thursday, March 31, 2016. M/V Frederick E. Bouchard is the second of two 6,000hp Twin Screw Articulated (ATB) tugs constructed for Bouchard Transportation Co. Inc. (Bouchard Transportation) under a two-vessel contract awarded to VT Halter Marine in August 2014. Both M/V Frederick E. Bouchard and the M/V Morton S. Bouchard Jr. measures, 130 feet by 38 feet by 22 feet, are classed by ABS as A1 Ocean Towing, Dual Mode ATB, USCG Subchapter C, and is equipped with an Intercon Coupler System.

The main engine has been set onto Crowley Maritime Corporation’s new vessel, El Coquí, the first of two new Commitment Class ConRo (combination container and Roll/On-Roll/Off) ships that will be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) for use in the ocean cargo trade between Jacksonville and Puerto Rico. “This state-of-the-art engine technology will add efficiency while continuing to reduce impacts on the environment, one of Crowley’s top priorities,” said John Hourihan, senior vice president and general manager, Puerto Rico services.

VT Halter Marine, Inc. (VT Halter Marine), a company of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems) and Bouchard Transportation Co. announced that Barge B. No. 272 was launched on November 20, 2015. This is the second barge of two Articulated Tug Barge (ATB) units constructed for Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc. Measuring 628 feet by 91 feet by 47 feet, the barge B. No. 272 has a 250,000-barrel capacity, and is ABS and USCG certified for Jones Act service. When completed, the barge will be paired with the tug, M/V Donna J.

Construction of the first of two liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered, combination container – Roll-On/Roll-Off (ConRo) ships for Crowley Maritime Corporation’s liner services group reached another milestone, with the installation of three LNG fuel tanks. The double-walled, stainless steel tanks – which are 110 feet in length and 20.6 feet in diameter – weigh 225 metric tons and will hold more than enough LNG fuel for two round-trip voyages between the vessel’s future ports of call, Jacksonville, Fla., and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Construction of the first of two liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered, combination container – Roll-On/Roll-Off (ConRo) ships for Crowley Maritime Corporation’s liner services group is now 25 percent complete, the company announced. The two ships, which will be named El Coquí and Taíno, are currently under construction at VT Halter Marine, Inc., a subsidiary of VT Systems, Inc., a project that began in November 2013. The ceremonial first steel plate cutting was celebrated with a ceremony held at VT Halter the following year, in October 2014. “Week by week, we have watched the pair of Commitment Class ships begin to take shape,” said John Hourihan, senior vice president and general manager, Puerto Rico/Caribbean liner services. “It’s been incredible to watch.

VT Halter Marine, Inc. (VTHM), a company of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), announced a change of senior leadership. After more than 46 years in the shipbuilding business, including nearly two decades at VT Halter Marine, President and CEO Bill Skinner has announced his retirement. Skinner previously served as President, CEO and Director of ADDSCO Industries (1985-1989), the parent company of Alabama Maritime Corporation, where he also served as President (1982-1984) and as President of Alabama Shipyard, Inc. (1989-1997) following its acquisition by Atlantic Marine.

VT Halter Marine, Inc., a company of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), announced it has delivered a combination container and roll-on/roll-off car truck carrier (ConRo), MV Marjorie C, to Pasha Hawaii. The MV Marjorie C is the second U.S. Flag, Jones Act-qualified vessel built for Honolulu-based Pasha Hawaii and will join her sister ship, the MV Jean Anne, providing additional service to Hawaii via the Hawaii/Mainland trade lane. The 692 feet long MV Marjorie C features vehicle shipping capacity of 1…

If you drive just south of I-10 in Pascagoula, Miss., within 10 minutes you find yourself on the doorstep of VT Halter Marine, arguably one of the more diverse and active shipyards in the U.S. The company, which is a subsidiary of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VTS), operates three facilities in Jackson County, Miss., and today supports about 1,600 full time employees as well as about 1,600 vendors and subcontractors. •    A pair of 250,000 barrel ATBs and a pair of 6,000 hp ATB tugs for Bouchard Transportation, a long-tenured and important client for VT Halter.

VT iDirect, Inc. (iDirect), a company of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), today announced that UK-based independent teleport operator Cobbett Hill Earth Station is upgrading the network of its maritime services unit, ION (International Ocean Services) to the iDirect Evolution 3.2 Platform. The acquisition of maritime satellite communications provider ION in 2013 marked Cobbett Hill Earth Station’s expansion into the commercial maritime market, which according to NSR will hold close to 1 million in-service units by 2023. This will be the first in a series of technology investments that Cobbett Hill Earth Station has planned for ION. iDirect is a world leader in satellite-based IP communications technology.

Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd (ST Engineering) today announced that Visiontech Investment Pte Ltd (Visiontech Investment), a wholly owned subsidiary of ST Engineering’s aerospace arm, Singapore Technologies Aerospace Ltd, has applied to the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority in Singapore to strike off its name from the Register of Companies pursuant to Section 344 of the Companies Act, Chapter 50. Visiontech Investment was incorporated in 1990 and has been a dormant company since 2008. Meanwhile, Vision Technologies Aerospace Incorporated (VT Aerospace), a wholly owned subsidiary of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), the US headquarters of ST Engineering, has converted ST Aerospace San Antonio, L.P.

VT Halter Marine, Inc., a subsidiary of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), today announced new contracts to build two 130-foot Articulated Tug Barge (ATB) tugs for Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc. (Bouchard). Measuring 130 feet by 38 feet by 22 feet, these 6,000hp Twin Screw ATB tugs will be classed by ABS as A1 Ocean Towing, Dual Mode ATB, USCG Subchapter C, both will be equipped with an Intercon Coupler System. Construction of the vessels will begin in 3Q2014 at VT Halter Marine’s Moss Point Marine facility in Escatawpa, Miss., with delivery expected in January 2016 and May 2016. These vessels will enter into Bouchard’s fleet service in New York, N.Y. “I am happy to share the news of Bouchard Transportation’s fleet expansion,” said Morton S.

VT Halter Marine, Inc., a subsidiary of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), launched MV Marjorie C, a container and roll-on/roll-off car truck carrier (ConRo) at its Pascagoula facilities on August 8. MV Marjorie C is the second vessel built for Honolulu-based Pasha Hawaii. MV Marjorie C has the ability to carry 1,500 TEUs, above and under deck, as well as vehicles and over-high and over-wide cargoes on 10 workable decks. The 692-foot long vessel, with a vehicle shipping capacity of 2,750 units, is the largest vessel ever built by VT Halter Marine.

VT Halter Marine, Inc., a subsidiary of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), has commenced construction on the first of two liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered, combination Container Roll-On/Roll-Off (ConRo) vessels for Crowley following the signing of the contract, which took place in November 2013. “We have waited with great anticipation for the Commitment Class build program to start,” said John Hourihan, senior vice president and general manager, Puerto Rico/Caribbean liner services.