Repair Co News

In 1975, tugboats Bouchard Boys and Evening Light enter service, both at 3,900-hp. It was also during this year that Bouchard Transportation Co. formed its long-standing current relationship with Caddell Dry Dock & Repair Co.—a partnership--to this day--is still based on trust, loyalty and family heritage. The July 2018 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News will feature a special “Bouchard Transportation Co. Celebrates 100 Years” magazine. For more information contact: Greg Trauthwein, [email protected], t. 516-810-7405.

Senesco Marine of North Kingstown, R.I. launched the largest commercial floating dry dock in the Northeast United States on May 7, 2013. Senesco built the dry dock for Caddell Dry Dock and Repair Co. of Staten Island, N.Y. The dry dock has a lifting capacity of 7,300 LT, is 420 feet long, and has a 100-foot wide open pontoon deck between its 30-foot tall wing walls. JMS Naval Architects (JMS) of Mystic, Conn. designed the dry dock for Caddell to accommodate large tank barges, tugs, workboats and Coast Guard Cutters.

Having detailed instructions for each shipbuilding task and precise sequencing of the workflow is creating efficiencies and reducing rework at shipyards on the east and west coasts of the US. The work packs that Senesco Marine’s tradesmen are working from provide instructions—including checks and balances and dimensions—for each step of the process. “The person cutting the angles to go on panels has a cut sheet with instructions on how to cut every angle,” explains Joe Bush, VP Operations at Senseco Marine in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.

Senesco Marine, North Kingstown Rhode Island has signed a contract for the construction of a 120 x 420-ft., 7300 long ton hauling capacity Dry Dock, with Caddell Dry Dock and Repair Company, Inc., of Staten Island, NY. The announcement was made by Senesco Marine, North Kingstown, Rhode Island, Tom Johnson, Vice President Business Development, “We are pleased to announce the contract award by Caddell Dry Docks & Repair Co’s. new dry dock. Steve Kalil, President of Caddell’s stated that after Senesco delivered a new dry dock in July of 2011 it was easy to execute the second new build given the quality and workmanship we experienced throughout the construction.

According to a Nov. 4 report from www.al.com, attorneys for Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co. reached an agreement Tuesday with creditors that will allow the bankrupt Mobile, Ala. company to borrow up to $6m while it tries to sell assets. (Source: www.al.com)

Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co. agreed to seek protection from its creditors, filing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition to reorganize. The company announced in a prepared statement that it intended to cut its workforce to about 300 to keep operations, including a ship repair job, running. “I regret very much the impact this decision has on our employees and vendors, and the community,” said Tom Bender, President and CEO, pledging to “devote every waking minute” to getting the company through the process and back to business as usual as quickly as possible. Monday, according to a blog on AL.com (http://blog.al.com) a U.S. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge reportedly ruled that Seacor Marine was due to collect a $5 million guarantee from Bender…

Albacore Research Ltd (ARL) has announced that its ShipConstructor software has been named design software-of-choice under the Second-Tier Shipyard Design Enhancement Program, which was recently granted funding under the National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) Advanced Shipbuilding Enterprise initiative. The NSRP Advanced Shipbuilding Enterprise is a collaborative program aimed at boosting productivity among U.S. first- and second-tier shipbuilding and repair yards. Recent project awards included $1.25 million for the development of standard shared CAD software for commonality of designs of critical components such as HVAC and piping systems and creation of a common parts catalogue.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled that the U.S. Coast Guard may order the forcible evacuation of a vessel in distress when lives are in danger. In the instant case, the master of a fishing vessel taking on water called the Coast Guard for assistance. Coast Guard personnel and pumps were insufficient to prevent the vessel from taking on more water and listing significantly. Eventually, the USCG on-scene coordinator directed all persons on the fishing vessel, including the master, to abandon ship, as he feared the vessel was about to sink suddenly. When the master objected, the USCG officer advised the master that he would be subdued physically if necessary in order to take him off the vessel. The fishing vessel sank 55 minutes after it was abandoned.

Herschel T. Vinyard, Jr., Vice President of Atlantic Marine Holding Company, was elected Chairman of the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA). Mr. Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc. Cherrie Felder, Channel Shipyards, New Orleans was elected Vice Chairwoman. SCA is the largest and most broadly-based national trade association representing the U.S. shipyard industry. SCA members build, repair and service America's fleet of commercial and small and mid-sized government vessels. The Council represents 52 companies that own and operate over 120 shipyards in 23 states, with facilities on all three U.S. coasts, the Great Lakes and the inland waterways system. SCA also represents 28 affiliate members that provide goods and services to the shipyard industry.

Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc. of Mobile, Ala.has announced the opening of Astilleros Bender S. De R.L. De C.V. in Tampico, Mexico. Astilleros Bender is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bender. The shipyard is located on the south side of the Panuco River 10 km upstream from the Gulf o Mexico and across the city of Tampico. The yard consists of 125 acres of land and 3000 ft. of river frontage accessed by 28 ft. deep maintained channel. Astilleros Bender currently is concentrating on ship repair and has in operation a 3000 ton lift capacity dry dco and some 1,500 feet of river side repair facility open for business.

Larry Rigdon, President and CEO of Rigdon Marine, said that the second vessel in its 10 vessel contract has been delivered by Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc. of Mobile, Alabama. The M/V Bourbon was issued a United States Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation (COD) for coastwise trade in the United States and is fully classed by the American Bureau of Shipping for international operations. The M/V Bourbon was immediately deployed to a major oil company for work in the Gulf of Mexico after its christening by Mrs. Maxine Rigdon, mother of Larry Rigdon.

Larry Rigdon, President and CEO of Rigdon Marine, said that the second vessel in its 10 vessel contract has been delivered by Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc. of Mobile, Alabama. The M/V Bourbon was issued a United States Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation (COD) for coastwise trade in the United States and is fully classed by the American Bureau of Shipping for international operations. The M/V Bourbon was immediately deployed to a major oil company for work in the Gulf of Mexico after its christening by Mrs. Maxine Rigdon, mother of Larry Rigdon. The M/V Bourbon like its sister vessel, the M/V Orleans, is a 210 x 54 x 19-ft.

Senator Jeff Sessions announced that Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc. has been awarded a contract for the drydocking of the USS Ticonderoga, the Navy’s first Aegis Cruiser, presently homeported in Pascagoula, Miss. The vessel’s overhaul is being managed by the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion in Pascagoula, Miss. for the Department of the Navy. The repairs are scheduled to being in February 2002. The work package includes rudder, shafting, valve, structural and electrical repairs as well as major preservation items that presently total approximately $8 million; employing approximately 125 shipyard workers at the peak of the 120-day contract. Bender has the option pricing in place for additional work that could bring the total package to almost $16 million.

Injury and illness rates at shipyards that belong to the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) have declined over the past three years helping facilities to drastically their overhead costs. The average Total Recordable Incident Rates (TRIR) for SCA member facilities declined from 12.94 percent in 1998 to 11.76 percent in 2001, while the average TRIR for the industry as a whole (SIC 3731) as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) was 20.2 percent in 1999 and 22 percent in 2000. SCA’s data is based on the quarterly injury and illness surveys calculated by the Council. SCA has an active safety committee that reviews the results of each quarterly survey and holds bi-annual safety seminars to address the areas where most injuries occur.

Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co. signed a contract for the drydocking and repair of USS Yorktown. The Ticonderoga Class Guided Missile Cruiser, which was built at Ingalls in 1982 has a workscope of standard drydocking items and shaft repairs. The vessel arrived at Bender on November 12, where it will remain until December 1.

Every year, MarineNews chooses a handful of vessels delivered in the past 12 months and bestows upon them the distinction of “Great Boats.” The boats are chosen for innovations in design, construction and utilization. Following are the 17 vessels or groups of vessels chosen as the Great Boats of 2000. Crowley Marine Services delivered Alert, Attentive, and Aware, a series of three 140-ft., 10,000-hp Prevention and Response Tugs (PRTs), to Alyeska Pipeline Service Company in Valdez, Alaska. Specifically designed and developed for Alyeska, the boats will be used by Crowley in the Trans Alaska Pipeline System trade. Alert was deployed in February; Attentive was delivered in June, and Aware was delivered in July.

Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co. Inc., Mobile, Ala., is being awarded an $8,075,500 firm-fixed-price contract for the dry docking selected restricted availability of USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG 29). Work will be performed in Mobile and is to be completed by November 2002. Contract funds in the amount of $7,962,443 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured and advertised in the Commerce Business Daily, with three proposals solicited and two offers received. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, Pascagoula, Miss., is the contracting activity.

Congressman Sonny Callahan announced that Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc. recently signed a contract for the drydocking and repair of the USS Stephan W. Groves (FFG 29). The Groves is an Oliver Hazard Perry Class Guided Missile Frigate homeported in Pacagoula, Miss. The vessel’s overhaul is being managed by the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair in Pascagoula for the Department of the Navy. The Groves will arrive at Bender on July 31 for a drydocking scheduled in early August and completion in mid-November. The work package includes drydocking, hull, machinery, electrical, electronics and piping repairs with a contract value of $8 million plus optional items which could result in an additional $1.5 million. The job will require 125 workers.

Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc., signed a contract with Pemex, the national oil company of Mexico, for the repair, refurbishment and dry docking of Pemex’s semi-submersible accommodation/maintenance vessel, the PSS Chemul. The 13,000 ton Chemul was recently drydocked in Mobile on the Mobile Heavy Lifter, a submersible heavy lift barge chartered in by Bender for the docking of the semi. Chemul was then towed to the work site at Bender's Yard 9, located on the east side of the Mobile River. "This contract represents Bender's entry into this class of repair work on offshore rigs and vessels and we are very appreciative of Pemex's confidence in Bender for awarding us this job,” said Tom Bender, company president.

Larry Rigdon, President and CEO of Rigdon Marine, said that the fourth vessel in its ten vessel contract has been delivered by Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc. of Mobile, Alabama. The M/V Chartes was issued a United States Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation (COD) for coastwise trade in the United States and is fully classed by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for international operations. Ms. Mary Rivers, Executive Assistant to Mr. Larry Rigdon since 1995, christened the M/V Chartes at Bender. “I am honored that Mr. Rigdon selected me to christen the ‘Chartres’ and introduce this new vessel into the most technologically advanced fleet now operating in the Gulf of Mexico,” Ms. Rivers said upon breaking the traditional champagne bottle against the ship’s hull.

Trico Marine Services, Inc. has reached an agreement to build two GPA 640, 210-ft. offshore supply vessels for a total cost of approximately $35m. The vessels will have diesel electric propulsion and class 2 dynamic positioning systems. Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc. will build the vessels at its shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, with an expected delivery date for the first vessel in March 2008 and the second vessel in July 2008. The agreement guarantees the construction costs of the vessels as well as technical specifications and contains penalties for late delivery. Trico expects to fund construction costs related to each vessel from cash and cash flow from operations. These vessels incorporate an additional deck level for increased accommodation of client personnel.

Overseas Shipholding Group Inc., the company that bought Maritrans Inc., said it will build three articulated tug barges, each with a construction value of about $90m. The barges will be constructed at Tampa Bay Shipbuilding & Repair Co., while the tug boats will be constructed at Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co. in Mobile, Ala., according to a release from Overseas Shipholding. Tampa Bay Shipbuilding, which is an affiliate of Bender and located at the Port of Tampa, previously handled projects for Tampa-based Maritrans, which was sold in November for $455 million. A call to Tampa Bay Shipbuilding for additional details was pending. The barges will have a carrying capacity of about 290,000 barrels.

The development of key features in ShipConstructor will be funded by the Second-Tier Shipyard Design Enhancement Project II, which recently received significant funding from the National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) Advanced Shipbuilding Enterprise. The project, headed by Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc., includes seven shipyards and four naval architect firms, representing the core of second-tier shipbuilding and ship design in the United States. The overall goal of the project is to provide U.S. second-tier shipyards with a state-of-the-art design system that will enhance their global competitiveness. Albacore Research Ltd. (ARL) will extend ShipConstructor’s capabilities to fully meet the design requirements of the U.S. second-tier shipyard industry.