Montco News

Set to Soar, Taking Offshore Support Industry With it.Offshore energy development is opening a new front in the United States -- the Atlantic seaboard, with strong winds, a shallow continental shelf and a proximity to dense population centers is driving strong interest in offshore wind development. The offshore oil and gas supply chain stands to benefit in a big way from billions in coming investment. In fact, it is already playing a role. Companies in the Gulf of Mexico, which traditionally support the offshore oil and gas sector…

For the past few years, depressed commodity prices, stricter regulatory requirements and competition from onshore development at home and from other countries offering attractive offshore lease and royalty terms have had severe impacts on new exploration in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Thankfully, the tide appears to finally be turning.In August, Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 251 drew increased competition for offerings and $178 million in high bids, $53 million more than previous sale held in March.

Marine News contributor Robert Kunkel asks: Are we ready to support the farms? On August 19, 2016, we watched as the fifth tower and associated nacelle was raised on the Deepwater Offshore Wind Farm approximately 3 miles offshore of Block Island, Rhode Island. This is the first Offshore Wind farm erected in the United States and, without a doubt, a huge step forward for this controversial project and alternative energy supply. The Block Island Wind Farm has a total generating capacity of 30 megawatts and is projected to produce approximately 125,000 megawatt hours annually.

Employers are hiring in coastal Louisiana, especially as offshore drilling picks up in the Gulf of Mexico. Companies are concerned about finding enough skilled workers in a locally tight labor market. For mariners, a variety of training programs at different levels and costs are offered in south Louisiana. For those businesses without the significant wherewithal and training resources of a Kirby Corporation, for example, there are other viable options for training. Fletcher Technical Community College: The college’s Louisiana Marine and Petroleum Institute or LaMPI was founded in the late 1970s to provide local maritime training. The institute provides Coast Guard-approved courses to about 2,200 mariners a year now. Fletcher and LaMPI are located in Houma on the Louisiana Gulf.

Gulf Island Marine Fabricators to construct a 335-Class semi-submersible for Montco Offshore. Gulf Island Fabrication, Inc.subsidiary, Gulf Island Marine Fabricators, L.L.C. is to fabricate the 185 feet long by 135 feet wide by 15 feet deep, C-class offshore liftboat. When completed, this will be the second 335 Class liftboat the Company has built for LA-based Montco Offshore, Inc. Revenue and man-hour backlog related to this project will be included in the Company’s consolidated backlog when the Company announces its earnings results for the quarter ended September 30, 2012. Gulf Island Fabrication, Inc., based in Houma, Louisiana, is a leading fabricator of offshore drilling and production platforms…

The evolution of liftboats took a giant leap forward when Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., delivered the L/B MYRTLE, a 137.5-ft. liftboat to Montco Offshore, Inc., Golden Meadow, La. Equipped with 245-ft., legs, the self-propelled floating platform has the ability to work in water depths to 180 ft. with a 15-ft. air gap while lifting a total of 850 KIPS of variable load. What makes the L/B MYRTLE different from other liftboats is that it is equipped with a bow thruster and controllable pitch (CP) propellers for greater maneuverability and pinpoint positioning of the huge legs with oversized pads on the ocean bottom. Lee Orgeron, Montco’s president states, “We always strive to give our customers the best possible service with the highest level of safety built-in.

Following the 245-ft. class liftboat L/B MYRTLE, delivered two years ago from Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., Lockport, La., to Montco Offshore, Inc., Golden Meadow, La., has led Montco to order another nearly identical vessel, L/B KAYD. Like its predecessor, the L/B KAYD will be built in Lockport and delivery is planned for September 2005. “When we took delivery of the L/B MYRTLE, said Lee Orgeron, president of Montco, we hailed it as a giant leap forward in the evolution of liftboats. Now we are excited that the L/B KAYD, named after my grandson, will be the next step in that evolution. The three cranes, all to be manufactured by Titan Industries…

Success achieved by the 245-ft. class liftboat L/B Myrtle, delivered two years ago from Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., Lockport, La., to Montco Offshore, Inc., Golden Meadow, La., has led Montco to order another nearly identical vessel, L/B Kayd. Like its predecessor, the L/B Kayd will be built in Lockport and delivery is planned for September 2005. "When we took delivery of the L/B Myrtle,” said Lee Orgeron, president of Montco, “we hailed it as a giant leap forward in the evolution of liftboats. Now we are excited that the L/B Kayd, named after my grandson, will be the next step in that evolution. The three cranes, all to be manufactured by Titan Industries, will include a port bow mounted primary crane with a 110 ft.

Hurricane Dennis, a 140 MPH hurricane roared through the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico July 8-9 but caused little damage to oil platforms, drill rigs or to the shipyards in its path. In contrast, the 140 MPH Hurricane Ivan that traveled through the same waters last fall, caused extensive damage to platforms, rigs and especially to underwater pipelines. “It caused all of the worry, but resulted in none of the work of Ivan,” commented Dr. Joe Orgeron, chief technology officer for Montco Offshore,Inc a leading operator of lift boats. Only one platform appeared to be damaged by Dennis’ winds. That was BP’s Thunder Horse platform located in Mississippi Canyon Block 778, 150 miles southeast of New Orleans.

The liftboat Juan tilts to its starboard side about 70 miles south of Gibson, La. The Coast Guard is monitoring the situation, and all personnel aboard the boat were safely evacuated. U.S. The Coast Guard is monitoring a liftboat that is listing to one side today about 70 miles south of Gibson, La. A liftboat is a self-elevating, self-propelled boat used for various tasks such as crane operations, pipe laying and construction. The Coast Guard was notified that the liftboat Juan, owned and operated by Montco Offshore Inc. in Galliano, La., was listing to its starboard (right) side during jack-up procedures. All six crewmember were safely evacuated from the boat. Initially, the boat was listing at 10 degrees, and the boat is currently listing 45 degrees.

Montco Offshore is the beneficiary of the latest innovative newbuild from the Bollinger Shipyards stable. The companies are touting the new L/B Myrtle, a 137.5 ft. unit, as a giant leap forward in the evolution of liftboats. The unit is outfitted with 245-ft. legs and the self-propelled floating platform has the ability to work in water depths to 180 ft. with a 15-ft. air gap while lifting a total of 850 KIPS of variable load. The feature that separates this liftboat from others, however, is that it is equipped with a bowthruster and controllable pitch (CP) propellers for greater maneuverability and pinpoint positioning of the huge legs with oversized pads on the ocean bottom.

There has been a steady stream of bad news recently in the marine press regarding the health of the oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico. Much of this bad "press" is fueled by boat operators who are trying to do a "Rope-a-dope" on their competitors. That is by "talking the industry down" they are trying to convince competition that "better days" may be years out, hoping they may not be ready when the turnaround comes. All indications are that the industry will indeed drill itself out of the current malaise - sooner than later. And the indicators for such a turnaround are right in front of your face if you know where to look. In general, people who follow intensely the oil and gas industry all agree that a significant rebound is on the way.

In the strictest sense, a liftboat is a self-propelled crane barge that can elevate itself above the water line. It is the cranes that make a liftboat such a valuable tool for building and/or renovating offshore oil and gas structures. A recent example of the working ability of these liftboats is the L/B Myrtle, a 137.5-ft. by 92-ft. vessel with a trio of 245-ft. legs, enabling the vessel to work in water depths of 180 ft. with a 15-ft. air gap. The vessel was built by Bollinger Shipyards in their Lockport facility and sent to Bollinger's Amelia, La. shipyard for the outfitting of the three legs. Montco Offshore, Inc., Galliano, La., owns the vessel. Montco owns six liftboats capable of operating in water depths from 75 to 180 ft.

The task of picking just one Bollinger Shipyards-built vessel to feature as a "Great Boat" is a nearly impossible task. Plainly stated, the boatbuilder is so active in such a diverse number of niches, it is impossible to select one as better than the other, given some of the groundbreaking vessels built in 2002. The editors of MarineNews have, hence, selected a two vessels for this focus: the liftboat L/B Myrtle; the shelf boat Ms. Another example of Bollinger Shipyards' ability and willingness to integrate customer demand into its new products is the new Super Shelf Boat, Ms. Sara Jane. When MNM Boats, the operating division of C&G Boats…