Gulf Island News

If nothing else, building vessels in the U.S. is a complicated business.In a session on the domestic shipbuilding marketplace, at Marine Money’s late-November 2023 conference held in New Orleans, Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards (with more than a dozen facilities, in Mississippi and Louisiana), described his company’s architecture as a “three-legged stool approach: commercial newbuilds, government newbuilds and repair/conversion capabilities”.On the same panel…

On Friday, March 8, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) christened its new ferry in Galveston Bay.Named for the first female chair of the TxDOT and first Latina Secretary of State, Esperanza “Hope” Andrade, the vessel was designed by the The Shearer Group and built by Gulf Island Fabricators in Louisiana.Stretching 293 feet, the double-ended ferry showcases cutting-edge propulsion technology and pioneering battery energy storage systems.The ferry is outfitted with diesel-powered and electrical engines and Siemens Energy’s BlueDrive PLUSC power and propulsion system…

Gulf Island Fabrication, a steel fabricator and service provider to the industrial and energy sectors, announced on Tuesday it has completed the sale of excess property that was part of the company’s facilities located in Houma, La.Gulf Island said the sale to an undisclosed buyer generated net cash proceeds of approximately $8.5 million.“A key aspect of our strategic transformation has been to improve our resource and facility utilization and the sale of this property at our Houma facility is consistent with this objective,” said Richard Heo, Gulf Island’s president and CEO.

Panama City Fla. based Eastern Shipbuilding Group announced it has been awarded a contract to complete construction of two ultra high-spec 400 class multipurpose support vessels (MPSVs) for Hornbeck Offshore Services (HOS).The newbuilds were originally started by Gulf Island Shipyards in Houma, La. before Hornbeck terminated the contracts in 2018 over what it described as "performance issues". Gulf Island then sued Hornbeck, claiming the two shipyard construction contracts were wrongfully terminated.

Gulf Island Fabrication, Inc. has been awarded multiple subsea fabrication projects from a leading integrated subsea engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) company.The projects consist of procurement, fabrication, coating and testing of subsea structures for multiple developments located in the Gulf of Mexico. The fabricated components include pipeline end terminations (PLETs), jumper kits, jumpers and sleepers that will be fabricated at Gulf Island’s Houma fabrication facility.

Established in 1907 as the Industrial Revolution arrived to Seattle, Markey is the oldest privately-held winch manufacturer in the United States today. The company was formed in the Georgetown District of what later became known as King County, Wash. The Markey sign above its original manufacturing plant, on Horton Street, is still retained, although Markey has since moved to its current facility on 8th Avenue South.Markey was a major supplier to the U.S. Navy in both world wars…

U.S.-based offshore vessel operator Hornbeck Offshore Services confirmed Monday it had reached a final settlement agreement with the surety (the “Surety”) for two Multi-Purpose Support Vessels (MPSVs) that had been under construction at Gulf Island Shipyards.Gulf Island Shipyards (GIS) sued Hornbeck Offshore in 2018 over what it said was the wrongful termination of two shipyard construction contracts for the final two vessels in the company's fifth offshore support vessel (OSV)…

Gulf Island Fabrication said Thursday that its subsidiary, Gulf Island Shipyards, had resolved its lawsuit with the U.S. offshore vessel operator Hornbeck Offshore Services relating to the construction of two multi-purpose supply vessels (“MPSV”).Gulf Island Shipyards (GIS) sued Hornbeck Offshore in 2018over what it said was the wrongful termination of two shipyard construction contracts for the final two vessels in the company's fifth offshore support vessel (OSV) newbuild program.Hornbeck…

Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman in international waters on Thursday, the U.S. Navy said, the latest in a series of seizures or attacks on commercial vessels in sensitive Gulf waters since 2019.Iran's army said it had seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after it collided with an Iranian boat, injuring several crewmen, Iranian state media reported."Two members of the boat's crew are missing and several were injured due to the collision of the ship with the boat," an army statement said.The U.S.

Much has changed since Marine News’ 2022 shipbuilding report published in March last year, and business opportunities in certain market segments continue to grow. But the shipyards that are looking to cash in are still facing many of the same challenges.For example, many American shipyards and their partners throughout the shipbuilding supply chain are still finding it difficult to attract and retain the workers they need. If you’re a skilled craftsperson looking for a job in shipbuilding, you’re in luck, because there are plenty of openings at shipyards across the country.

With travel and tourism nearing pre-2020 levels, and transit systems benefiting from a return to work, passenger vessels have seen renewed activity. In its year-end review, John Groundwater, Executive Director of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA), which advocates for the sector in Washington, D.C. wrote: “As we are nearing the end of the calendar year, we are delighted to report that our industry, and our members, are reporting far and wide that they have experienced very…

It’s a common story in the U.S. shipbuilding industry today. A piece of equipment that used to be available for delivery on short notice—maybe in one or two weeks—now must be ordered months or more in advance, and it costs double. Add to this rising steel prices and the labor issues that have pervaded nearly all industrial sectors since the early days of the pandemic, and it’s clear that business is far from usual for American shipyards.Bollinger Shipyards president and CEO, Ben Bordelon…

Gulf Island Fabrication, Inc., a steel fabricator and service provider to the industrial and energy sectors, today announced that its Chairman of the Board of Directors, Michael A. Flick, will retire effective upon the expiration of his current director term in connection with the company’s 2022 annual meeting of shareholders. With Flick’s retirement, the Board will be reduced to six members.Flick has served as a director of the company for 15 years and as Chairman of the Board since 2020. He also has served, at various times, as a member of the Audit Committee, member and Chairman of the Compensation Committee, and member and Chairman of the Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee.The Board unanimously elected William E.

Forces from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Israel and the United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) began a multilateral maritime security operations exercise in the Red Sea on Wednesday, NAVCENT said on Thursday.This is the first publicly acknowledged naval exercise between the United States, Israel and the two Gulf countries.An Israeli naval officer, briefing reporters in Israel on the drill, said the start of such military cooperation under U.S. auspices could…

Austal USA said it has been awarded a $3.6 million functional design contract to prepare for construction of the new Navajo-class Towing, Salvage and Rescue Ship (T-ATS) for the U.S. Navy.The Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder will prepare a functional design for the T-ATS, an 80-meter steel monohull vessel with multimission capability to support a variety of towing, salvage, search and rescue, oil spill response, humanitarian assistance and surveillance activities. The T-ATS can also embark containerized systems including cyber…

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) on Monday awarded $19.6 million in grants aiming to help 31 shipyards modernize, increase productivity, and expand local employment opportunities while competing in the global marketplace.The grants were awarded to shipbuilding and repair yards in 15 states throughout the U.S. as part of MARAD's Small Shipyard Grant Program. Since 2008, the program has awarded $262.5 million to nearly 300 shipyards in 32 states and territories.

Lockport, La.-based Bollinger Shipyards has acquired Gulf Island Fabrication’s shipyard facilities in nearby Houma for approximately $28.6 million.The purchased site encompasses 437 acres on the west bank of the Houma Navigation Canal, of which 283 acres is unimproved land that is available for expansion. The facility includes 18,000 square feet of administrative and operations facilities, 160,000 square feet of covered fabrication facilities and 20,000 square feet of warehouse facilities. It also has 6,750 linear feet of water frontage, including 2,350 feet of steel bulkheads.

Bay-Houston Towing Co. in January took delivery of the final tug in a series of five ordered from Gulf Island Shipyards LLC in 2018.George M and its four sister vessels are Z-Tech 30-80 tugs designed by Robert Allan Ltd. The series' first tug Mark E. Kuebler was delivered in 2019.Robert Allan Ltd. said the Z-Tech 30-80 design incorporates its unique RAstar series sponsoned hull form in the existing Z-Tech design, which enhances the tug's escort capabilities by generating more than 100 mt of steering force at 10 knots.Bay-Houston Towing Co.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) announced it has taken delivery of its new 118-foot icebreaking tug, the Seaway Guardian, in Massena, N.Y. Built by Gulf Island Shipyards in Houma, La., the vessel is the first new tug to join SLSDC since the Seaway opened 61 years ago.The new $24 million tug will primarily be used for buoy maintenance and ice management on the St. Lawrence Seaway, replacing the long-serving 62-year-old Robinson Bay, which the SLSDC will maintain as backup.

On March 3, 2020 a keel laying ceremony was held at the Municipal Auditorium in Houma, LA for the 3rd Regional Class Research Vessel, R/V GILBERT R. MASON. The R/V MASON will be operated by the Gulf - Caribbean Oceanographic Consortium led by the University of Southern Mississippi and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON). Many of Dr. Gilbert Mason’s family members, as well as a number of dignitaries from both Mississippi and Louisiana, attended the event. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards attended and was one of the speakers. Dr.

Gulf Island Shipyard held a keel laying ceremony for the USNS Cherokee Nation (T-ATS 7) on Thursday afternoon (February 13) at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center.Cherokee Nation is the second ship of the Navy's Navajo class of Towing, Salvage, and Rescue vessels.According to a press note from the Navy, the keel laying ceremony formally marks the start of a ship's life and the joining of the ship's modular components. The keel serves as the symbolic backbone of the ship.In attendance to authenticate the keel was Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, The Honorable Chuck Hoskin, Jr. and the ship's sponsor and Deputy Speaker of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council…

The U.S. Navy has exercised its options to order the fourth and fifth towing, salvage and rescue ships (T-ATS) from Houma, La. shipbuilder Gulf Island Fabrication. The Navy has remaining options for three additional vessels.The Navajo-class vessels will provide oceangoing tug, salvage and rescue capabilities to support fleet operations, replacing three T-ATF 166 and two T-ARS 50 class ships, which reach the end of their expected service lives starting in 2020.A detail design and…

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, said it has secured an order to provide deck handling solutions to two towing, salvage and rescue ships (T-ATS) class vessels to be built at Gulf Island Shipyards, a subsidiary of Gulf Island Fabrication.MacGregor's scope of supply includes deck machinery, towing winch, traction winch, shark jaws, towing pins/pop-up pins, stern roller, offshore crane and other accessories. This order represents the fourth and fifth shipsets that will be supplied to the new Navajo-class T-ATS class…