Pearl Harbor News

Orion Joins Dredging Contractors of America

Houston based dredging and marine construction contractor Orion Group Holdings – Marine Group has become a member of trade group the Dredging Contractors of America (DCA).Orion has a near 100-year legacy and today ranks among market leaders in the provision of dredging services to keep waterways serviceable and to expand ports and other marine infrastructure throughout the United States, territories and Caribbean. The company works to create beneficial marsh habitats, dredging…

AUKUS Defense Ministers Agree to Bolster Security

AUKUS defense ministers have reaffirmed their resolve to bolster security and stability and ensure that the Indo-Pacific remains a region free from coercion and aggression.A statement was released after Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III hosted Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Australia, and Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Defence, United Kingdom, at the Defense Innovation Unit Headquarters in California on December 1.AUKUS is a trilateral security partnership for the Indo-Pacific region between Australia…

Wicker Urges Navy Nominee to Focus on Shipbuilding

Roger Wicker, a U.S. Senator from Mississippi, urged Acting Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa M. Franchetti to focus on shipbuilding and the expansion of the nation's naval forces.Wicker, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on Thursday led a full committee hearing examining the nomination of Franchetti to become the next Chief of Naval Operations.In his remarks, Wicker observed that China’s naval buildup and the United States’ shrinking Navy leave our…

Newport News Authenticates Keel of Virginia-class Attack Submarine Oklahoma

HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division authenticated the keel today for Virginia-class attack submarine Oklahoma (SSN 802).“We enjoy participating in Navy traditions like this one because they remind us of the important role we play in our nation’s defense,” NNS President Jennifer Boykin said. “The nuclear submarines we build help ensure our peace and freedoms, and we take great pride in being a nuclear shipyard.”The ship’s sponsor is Mary “Molly” Slavonic, an Oklahoma native. Slavonic has long supported both the state of Oklahoma and the Navy.

Pasha's New LNG-fueled Containership Makes Maiden Call in Honolulu

Pasha Hawai‘i’s second liquefied natural gas-powered containership made its inaugural arrival at Honolulu Harbor’s Pier 51, completing the construction and delivery of the company’s ‘Ohana Class vessels.The vessel, Janet Marie, will serve the Hawai‘i/Mainland trade lane, joining the company’s first ‘Ohana Class ship, George III, which began service in August 2022. The new $225-plus million ship—built at Keppel AmFELS in Brownsville, Texas—began its maiden voyage from the Port of Long Beach…

Military Sealift Command Awards Time Charter to Overseas Mykonos

Florida-based Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. (OSG) has announced that the Military Sealift Command has awarded the Overseas Mykonos a time charter contract to provide ongoing fuel transportation services.The Overseas Mykonos will be delivered to the Military Sealift Command at Pearl Harbor in August. The time charter awarded is for a one-year base period with the option to extend the contract out to a maximum period of five and a half years.The vessel, built in 2010, is a medium range product tanker with 12 cargo tanks and a cargo capacity of 333,000 barrels. The ship has the ability to perform consolidated cargo replenishment at sea operations, providing flexibility and options for refueling the U.S. military fleet while underway.

Malaysia Detains Chinese Ship Linked to Suspected Illegal Salvage of British WW2 Wrecks

Malaysia's maritime authorities on Monday said cannon shells believed to be from World War Two have been found on a China-registered bulk carrier ship detained at the weekend for anchoring in its waters without permission.The discovery comes amid reports this month that scavengers have targeted two British World War Two wrecks off the coast of Malaysia - the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse - which were sunk by Japanese torpedoes in 1941, just three days after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

Vigor Completes USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) Repairs

Vigor announced it completed a nine-month docking selected restricted availability (DSRA) on USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112), returning it to service on-schedule.Work performed includes overhauling machinery, repairing the underwater hull and implementing significant renovations to the ship's superstructure.The contract, which was awarded to Vigor after a successful challenge last year, marks the third DSRA Vigor has completed at Pearl Harbor since 2021. Vigor previously competed DSRAs for USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) and USS William P.

$2.8 Billion Contract Awarded for New Concrete Dry Dock at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard

The U.S. Navy's engineering systems command has awarded a $2.8 billion contract for the construction of a new concrete dry dock at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF).The $2,839,880,250 firm-fixed-price task order, which falls under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract, was awarded by Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Pacific to a joint venture between Dragados, Hawaiian Dredging and Orion. Four…

Hawaii Regional Maintenance Center Completes Emergent Repair on USS Makin Island (LHD 8)

The Hawaii Regional Maintenance Center (HRMC) team at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility is the Navy’s first responders when it comes to an emergent repair availability (ERAV) on surface ships in the Indo-Pacific Region.Pearl Harbor sits in a strategic location and is a hub for many emergent repairs for ships transiting through the Pacific Ocean. One successful ERAV took place last fall when the USS Makin Island (LHD 8) departed San Diego on its…

Heger Dry Dock Gets to Work on AFDM for U.S. Navy

Born in 1998 and celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2023, Heger Dry Dock holds a unique position as one of the few engineering firms in the world dedicated to the design and lifecycle engineering of drydocks, primarily floating dry docks. Premal Shah, P.E., President and Principal Engineer, discussed some of the company’s recent contract wins with Maritime Reporter & Engineering News.Specializing in the design and lifecycle maintenance of floating dry docks, Heger Dry Docks was founded 25 years ago, and still run today by one of its co-founders, Bob Heger.

Ex-USS Denver Served Until Sunk

Explosive charges aboard the ship enabled battle damage assessment (BDA) teams to respond to actual damageThe former Austin-class amphibious transport dock USS Denver (LPD 9) was sunk in a blaze of glory as a target ship during the recent Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise 2022. The 9,600-ton, 561-foot Denver, which was commissioned in 1968 and served until being retired in 2014, had been stored with other inactive ships at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, before being sunk about 50 miles north of Kauai in about 15…

Vigor Begins Work on USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53)

Vigor, a Titan company, has been awarded a $131 million U.S. Navy contract to complete a docking selected restricted availability (DSRA) on USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53) at Harbor Island in Seattle. The ship arrived at Harbor Island on November 4, becoming the fourth U.S. Navy vessel currently undergoing maintenance at the Seattle shipyard.The DSRA will consist of underwater hull preservation, propulsion overhaul, structural work, valve overhaul, sonar work, deck preservation and significant modifications and alterations.

WSP USA Hires Harris as Navy Program Director

WSP USA, an engineering, environment and professional services consultancy, has hired Charles "Chuck" Harris as Navy program director for the firm’s Federal Programs national business line.In his new role, Harris directs the growth of the Federal team’s Navy program, which includes a recent joint venture win to directly support the $500 million U.S. Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) for improvements to dry docks at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate…

Hentschel Joins The Shearer Group, Inc.

The Shearer Group, Inc. (TSGI) announced a new addition to its naval architecture, marine engineering & marine surveying firm. Ryan Hentschel has joined TSGI as a naval architect.Hentschel holds a Naval Engineers degree and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His studies focused on naval construction and marine engineering with an emphasis in naval ship design, systems engineering, and DoD acquisition. He is also a certified Engineer-In-Training in the state of Texas.Prior to TSGI…

USCG Commissions Sentinel-class Cutter Clarence Sutphin Jr.

The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned its 47th Sentinel-class cutter, USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr. (WPC 1147), into service on ThursdayBuilt by Bollinger Shipyards and officially delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard on January 6 in Key West, Fla., Clarence Sutphin Jr. is Patrol Forces Southwest Asia's (PATFORSWA) sixth 154-foot Sentinel-class cutter.Vice Adm. Steven Poulin, U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area commander, presided over the commissioning ceremony at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City.

US Navy Destroyer Frank E. Petersen Jr. Sails Away From Ingalls

U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) departed from HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Miss. on Friday. The new warship will be commissioned next month in Charleston, S.C., before sailing to its homeport at Hawaii’s Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.Frank E. Petersen Jr. is the 33rd destroyer Ingalls has built for the U.S. Navy, with five more currently under construction at Ingalls, including Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123), Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), Ted Stevens (DDG 128), Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129) and George M.

US Navy Awards Shipyard Modernization Contract

The U.S. Navy has awarded a $500-million design contract for the modernization of two of its shipyards in Hawaii and Washington.The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architecture-engineering contract awarded to Honolulu, Hawaii-based WSM Pacific SIOP by Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) on September 7 is for structural and waterfront-related projects at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF) in Hawaii and Puget…

Video: First Steel Cut for Aircraft Carrier Doris Miller

A steel cutting ceremony was held on Wednesday for the U.S. Navy’s newest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Doris Miller (CVN 81).Slated to be the fourth Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier, CVN 81 is currently under construction at Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding shipyard in Newport News, Va. Doris Miller’s keel is scheduled to be laid in 2026 and delivered to the Navy in 2032.Doris Miller is the second ship of the two-carrier contract award HII received in January 2019 for the detail design and construction of the Gerald R.

Workforce Development: Apprenticeship Programs Help Build the Fleet

Naval shipyards and industry partners see business growing, but finding enough trained and qualified workers is a challenge.General Dynamics Electric Boat will invest $1.7 billion to modernize and upgrade its Quonset, R.I. and Groton, Conn., facilities over the next ten years,” said Sean Davies , vice president for EB’s Quonset Point Operations. “Here at Quonset, we are investing $700 million that will increase our outfitting space by 13 acres, to support work on the Virginia and Columbia class of submarines.

Repair Work Begins on USS William P. Lawrence

USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, docked at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF) for the ship’s docking selected restricted availability (DSRA).Vigor, a Titan Company, and Hawaii Regional Maintenance Center (HRMC), responsible for surface ship maintenance at PHNSY & IMF, will partner to complete the DSRA. The work is expected to continue into early January 2022.William P. Lawrence’s availability will include routine maintenance…

Fit for Fight: Navies challenged by COVID at sea, ashore

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, navies adjusted how they operate at home and while deployed, to keep their forces ready for any missions as they keep their Sailors, families, communities, as well as allies and partners safe from the coronavirus.Navies have taken a number of prudent preventative measures to limit outbreaks, mitigate cases of infection and reduce the community spread of the virus.Speaking during his May 29 “On The Horizon: Navigating the European and African Theaters” podcast, Admiral James G. Foggo III, Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa, said The U.S.

Shipbuilders Council Announces Shipyard Safety Awards

The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), the national association representing the U.S. shipyard industry, today announced the 2020 annual shipyard safety awards. SCA honors shipbuilding and repair organizations with the “Excellence in Safety” Award and “Improvement in Safety” Award each year for enhancement of operations and promotion of safety and accident prevention.Over the past several years, the industry has seen the total recordable incident rate steadily decline, with the most significant decline seen in 2019.