Boilermakers Union News

The Naming Ceremony was held for the first product tanker in OSG's 10 ship series. Aker Philadelphia Shipyard achieved another significant milestone in the build program with keel laying for the third vessel in the series. The first section of the double- hulled product tanker scheduled for completion in late 2007 was lowered into the yard's building dock, the same dock where construction is underway on the second ship in the series. As part of the ceremony, coins were placed under the keel block recreating a long-standing tradition whereby shipbuilders hide special coins in the keel section of a ship as a permanent symbol of good fortune and safe travels.

After assessing the effects of the recent strike at Marinette Marine Corporation along with difficult domestic crane markets, The Manitowoc Company, Inc. announced that it now expects first-quarter earnings per share to be approximately break even. The 44-day strike at the company's Marinette Marine facility, which ended March 7, is expected to reduce first-quarter earnings per share by approximately $0.12 to $0.15. This is due primarily to lost absorption, inefficiencies, and delays in starting new shipbuilding projects. The strike involved approximately 700 shipyard workers who are represented by Boilermakers Union Local 696. The company…