Gulf Coast Shipyard News

Austal USA hosted a keel laying ceremony for the future USS Pierre (LCS 38) Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship at the company’s Gulf Coast shipyard. Ship sponsor Larissa Thune Hargens, with the assistance of Hon Tran – a 13-year Austal USA veteran A-class welder, authenticated the keel by welding her initials into a keel plate that will be welded to the hull of the ship.The future USS Pierre is the final Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship being built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. LCS 38 is the second U.S. Navy ship named for the South Dakota capital city.

Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA celebrated the christening of the future USS Kingsville (LCS 36) Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship in a ceremony at the company’s Gulf Coast shipyard.The 18th LCS designed and constructed by Austal USA, Kingsville is planned for delivery in early 2024 and will be homeported in San Diego, Calif. LCS 36 is the first U.S. Navy ship named for Kingsville.Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ships are fast, optimally-manned, mission-tailored surface combatants that operate in near-shore and open-ocean environments…

Austal USA christened Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF-13) USNS Apalachicola at its shipyard in Mobile over the weekend.Austal has delivered 12 EPFs since December 2012, and USNS Apalachicola is slated for delivery in the summer of 2022.The Honorable Kelly Loeffler, ship sponsor of USNS Apalachicola, performed the ceremonial bottle break over the bow of the ship, the 13th EPF designed and constructed by Austal USA and the second U.S. Navy ship to be named after the Florida coast city.

Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA, part of Australia's Austal Group, hosted a christening ceremony for the future USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship at the company’s Gulf Coast shipyard today. Ship sponsor Lolita Zinke performed the ceremonial bottle break over the bow of the Santa Barbara, the 16th LCS designed and constructed by Austal USA and the third U.S. Navy ship to be named after the California coast city.Zinke, wife of former U.S. Congressman and former U.S.

The U.S. is going to need a fleet of Jones Act-compliant vessels to support its budding offshore wind industry. The good news is that several of these vessels are currently operating or on order. Even better, there are plenty more in the pipeline.In 2016, Rhode Island-based Atlantic Wind Transfers (AWT) put into service the U.S.’ first-ever vessel purpose-built for offshore wind services. The 21-meter crew transfer vessel (CTV) Atlantic Pioneer was constructed by Blount Boats to serve America’s first commercial offshore wind project…

U.S.-based Great Lakes Dredge & Dock is developing a first-of-its-kind vessel to support America's burgeoning offshore wind industry.The nation's largest dredging services provider announced Thursday it is working with Ulstein Design and Solutions B.V. to design and develop the first U.S.-flagged Jones Act compliant, inclined fallpipe vessel for subsea rock installation. The specialized vessel would be built at a U.S. Gulf Coast shipyard and could be operational as early as the first quarter of 2024, GLDD said.

Ridership on the new NYC Ferry system has far exceeded expectations, serving 5 million passengers since the service was launched in May 2017. Now, in response to the record-breaking demand, new larger-capacity ferries are being built for New York waters, the first of which, Ocean Queen Rockstar, has arrived in New York this week.Ocean Queen Rockstar, the first in a series of six new 350-passenger capacity vessels being built for the NYC Ferry fleet, completed sea trials and journeyed 2,200 nautical miles from builder Metal Shark’s Gulf Coast shipyard to New York Harbor earlier this week.

Commercial workboat philanthropy on display on PT-305: WWII Museum’s PT-305 sails again after a far reaching donor-funded restoration. In March, the National WWII Museum in New Orleans launched its reconstructed PT-305, built locally by Higgins Industries in 1943. The museum acquired the boat known as the USS Sudden Jerk in 2007, restoration began in 2009, and it now sails Lake Pontchartrain as an interactive exhibit. PT-305, with a fifteen-man crew, belonged to a 12-ship squadron operating in the Mediterranean from 1944 until the war ended in 1945.

Gulf of Mexico vessel builders – and their customers – adapt to a lean offshore market. After oil prices plunged in late 2014 – pressured by shale output – demand for offshore vessels in the Gulf of Mexico shrank, day rates for boats fell and non-working units were idled. This year, several GoM boat builders filed for Chapter 11, or voluntary bankruptcy, while others consolidated. The most diversified companies kept their heads above water. Today, the outlook's a bit brighter. Crude oil prices hit bottom early last year. Tidewater Inc.

Harvey Gulf International Marine said it has accepted delivery of its fourth liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered offshore supply vessel (OSV). The M/V Harvey Freedom, built at Gulf Coast Shipyard Group in Gulfport, Miss. is 310’ x 64’ x 24.5’, U.S. Flagged Subchapter I and L, SOLAS compliant and capable of carrying 253,000 USG of fuel oil, 18,000 bbls of liquid mud, 1,600 bbls of methanol, 10,250ft3 of dry cement and 78,000 USG of LNG fuel. In addition to being powered by cleaner burning natural gas…

Low energy prices, depressed day rates and slow growth of bunkering infrastructure has dampened progress for the marine industry’s ‘white knight’ of environmentally friendly fuels. LNG, nevertheless, is here to stay. Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) is a clean fuel in abundant supply. The green advantages of LNG are well known: Class Society DNV-GL, a pioneer in the commercialization of LNG fueling for maritime applications, offers that use of LNG fuel provides “the complete removal of SOX and particle PM emissions and a reduction of NOX emission of up to 85 percent ...

Gulf Coast Shipyard Group (GCSG) has delivered the Motor Yacht Imagine. The M.Y. Imagine, a Trinity built yacht, is a 193’x 32’x 14’6” custom designed semi-displacement aluminum hull and superstructure vessel that was constructed in GCSG’s yard located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The vessel meets the highest quality yacht standards in the world. It was designed by GCSG and is ABS classed for commercial yachting service. M.Y. Imagine is designed to accommodate 12 guests and a crew of 14 including a captain.

A special Offshore Supply Vessel (OSV) has been delivered to Shell for its deepwater operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The vessel, Harvey Energy, is chartered from Harvey Gulf International Marine and is the first of its kind in the region to run on both liquefied natural gas (LNG) and diesel. Built by the Gulf Coast Shipyard in Mississippi to meet requirements of the ABS “ENVIRO+, Green Passport” notation, the vessel is 302 feet long and operates on three dual-fuel Wärtsilä engines. It will run on 99% LNG fuel and will be able to operate for around seven days before refueling.

Gulf Coast Shipyard Group (GCSG) informed that Harvey Energy, the first LNG vessel operating in the United States—for Shell Upstream America’s deep water operations in the Gulf of Mexico—is fully in service. The first of six LNG OSVs being built for Harvey Gulf International Marine, Harvey Energy is the break-out vessel capable of operating on LNG or diesel and is the result of a forward-thinking operator, complex engineering and sophisticated building. Along with being able to operate on LNG, she also meets the strident criteria of the ABS Enviro+, Green Passport notation. When operating on only LNG, this vessel meets the new Tier IV sulphur and nitrogen oxide emissions regulations—part of the North American Emission Control Area (ECA).

Our annual shipyard report comes at an appropriate, yet uncertain time for the industry. The future direction of the oil and gas markets will, to a large extent, also determine the course for domestic boat builders. That’s because the sustained rally seen in this sector over the course of the last 3 to 5 years came to be thanks to the so-called domestic energy boom. Nevertheless, there are reasons for optimism despite the lowest rig count since March of 2011. Thankfully, there are other reasons for shipyards to stay busy in the coming months. For example, the looming so-called subchapter M towboat rules will likely unleash a flurry of inland repair and newbuild activity.

U.S. firms leverage Netherlands-based Damen Shipyard’s vessel designs and technical support. For nearly 40 years, Damen Shipyards Group in the Netherlands has licensed its vessel designs and technical support to yards owned by other companies. The business practice showcases not only the depth, variety and strength of the Damen portfolio, but also the reputation and reliability of its designs. Since 1969, Damen Shipyards has delivered more than 5,000 vessels, typically averaging 160 vessel deliveries annually.

On 17 January 1955, Commander Eugene P. Underway on LNG has an opportunity to signal an equally significant change in the merchant marine. On February 6, 2015, the newly built Harvey Gulf International Marine offshore supply vessel (OSV) Harvey Energy was bunkered for the first time by liquefied natural gas (LNG) delivered by tank truck in Pascagoula, Miss. After receiving classification from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and a Certificate of Inspection from the US Coast Guard, Harvey Energy got underway for its homeport of Port Fourchon, Louisiana.

Though the market for Offshore Support Vessels (OSVs) is soft, advances in technology, fit and finish in  the sector is unrivaled in any other maritime niche over the past five years. Here’s a look at some of the more notable designs and deliveries. Few vessels have inspired as much attention or coverage as the Harvey Energy, the first OSV of its kind in North America, able to run on both Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and diesel. Harvey Energy, chartered to Shell for its deepwater operations in the Gulf of Mexico and owned by Harvey Gulf International marine…

Harvey Gulf International Marine (HGIM) is launching a new affiliate, Harvey Shipyard Group, to manage its shipbuilding assets, the company announced today. Harvey Shipyard Group is acquiring Gulf Coast Shipyard (Gulfport, Miss.) and Trinity Yachts (New Orleans, La.). HGIM Chairman and CEO Shane J. HGIM said it intends to work with its affiliates to catapult the Gulf Coast Shipyard, which constructed the nation’s first LNG OSVs for the offshore market, in addition to tank and hot oil barges. HGIM alone is investing $350 million to construct its dual-fuel fleet.

Vard Marine says it has been awarded a US Patent for their design and engineering of a Dual Fuel Vessel. Later this year; the first of six 5100 dwt vessels to be built under this patent, designed by Vard Marine and built by Gulf Coast Shipyard Group for Harvey Gulf International Marine will be delivered. These vessels represent the first US flag vessels capable of operating exclusively on natural gas or diesel fuel oil. As per US Patent No. US 8,690,622 B2, filed September 13, 2011, the patent is applicable to: a small size, self-propelled floating vessel having a dual fuel system, monohull or catamaran hull shape with an overall length ranging from sixty meters to one hundred and seventy meters, azimuthing thrusters, and with LNG tank capacities between 100cbm and 1200cbm.

William S. Smith III (Billy) has been named Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Trinity Yachts effective immediately. The announcement was made today by Shane Guidry, president and CEO of Harvey Gulf International Marine. Smith previously served as vice president of sales and marketing at Trinity Yachts and Gulf Coast Shipyard Group (GCSG), a position which was eliminated upon the purchase of the companies by Harvey Gulf on June 25, 2015. Smith is a founding member and current board member of the Superyacht Builders Association (SYBAss)…

Gulf Coast Shipyard Group (GCSG) has delivered Harvey Power, the second LNG vessel operating in the United States—for Shell Upstream America’s deep water operations in the Gulf of Mexico—is fully in service. She is the second of six LNG OSVs being built for Harvey Gulf International Marine, and like her sistership Harvey Energy, Harvey Power is capable of operating on LNG or diesel fuel. Along with being able to operate on LNG, she also meets the strident criteria of the ABS Enviro+, Green Passport notation. When operating on LNG, these vessels exceeds the new Tier IV emissions regulations requiring lower sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxides emissions as part of the North American Emission Control Area (ECA).

In 2011 Harvey Gulf International Marine became the first U.S. vessel operator to contract for construction of vessels by LNG. The first of these vessels to be delivered is the Harvey Energy. In addition to being able to operate on cleaner burning natural gas, the Harvey Energy  has “ENVIRO+, Green Passport” Certification by the ABS. The requirements for this certification include that the vessel be continuously manned with a certified Environmental Officer, be completely constructed…