Shipbuilding: Weldon Named VP at HII Ingalls
Scott Weldon was promoted to vice president of supply chain management at HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division. In this role, Weldon will provide leadership to all Ingalls supply chain management functions, including sourcing, procurement, inventory control and material warehousing. He succeeds Lori Harper, who will retire on Aug. 1 after more than 15 years of service at Ingalls. Weldon joined HII in 1998 and served in various leadership positions across the shipyard. Most recently, he served as chief procurement officer.
First Nuclear-Powered Carrier Completes Last Deployment
“Nearly everything that can be said about this ship must be done in superlatives or in terms of the first, the largest, the fastest, greatest striking capability and highest operational flexibility.” - Secretary of the Navy John Connally, USS Enterprise commissioning ceremony, Nov. The USS Enterprise (CVN 65) is used to being first, biggest, fastest, and best. Now she can add “last” to her impressive list of accomplishments, as she has returned to her homeport of Norfolk, Va., for the final time. She completed her 22nd and final overseas deployment on Nov. 4, 2012.
NSRC Convenes For Ship Repair Conference
Ship repair industry leaders from all three coasts and Hawaii converged in Washington, D.C., last week to kick off the National Ship Repair Coalition’s (NSRC’s) 2002 National Ship Repair Conference at the Washington Court Hotel on Capitol Hill. The annual conference is instrumental to both ensuring Fleet readiness and addressing the challenges that face the domestic industry. “NSRC is a leader in efforts aimed at ensuring the security of the United States while enhancing the safety and quality of life of the servicemen and women who put their lives on the line each day,” said NSRC President Christopher Long. NSRC is a supporter of fully funding critical readiness accounts, such as ship depot maintenance, which have historically been underfunded.
Iridium Approves WCC Comms Solutions
World Communication Center (WCC), a provider of worldwide satellite voice and data communications, announced that its MariTrack SSAS and ComCenter solutions have been approved for commercial sale by Iridium. Manufactured by Applied Satellite Engineering (ASE), WCC’s turnkey solutions provide industry leading product functionalities: online security and encryption, Ontec’s permission-based software features, Iridium’s global satellite technology and WCC’s 24 x 7 live customer support. According to Don Thoma, executive vice president, Iridium Satellite LLC, "The MariTrack and ComCenter solutions passed our rigorous testing and work seamlessly on Iridium's satellite network.
WCC Sat Phones Aid Tsunami Relief Efforts
World Communication Center (WCC), a leading provider of global satellite voice and data communications, has provided nine satellite phones to assist Mercy Corps in its multi-country tsunami aid programs. WCC’s Iridium-based satellite communications solutions enable the field-based relief workers to communicate in areas left without cellular or land-line communications. “Mercy Corps has relied on WCC to provide satellite communications for relief and development efforts since 2002,” says Peter Dickinson, Director, Information Technology. “WCC is proud to support Mercy Corps in their distribution of life-saving aid to the tsunami survivors in possibly one of the largest relief efforts ever mobilized,” states Weldon Knape, CEO of WCC.
Bill introduced re harbor maintenance tax exemption
Representative Weldon (R-FL) introduced the Short Sea Shipping Tax Exemption Act of 2005 (H.R. 3319) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide an exemption from the harbor maintenance tax for certain shipping between United States mainland ports. If enacted into law, this bill would exempt certain U.S short-sea shipping (basically that involving containerized and ro-ro cargo) from the harbor maintenance tax. (HK Law)
Authorization Bill Benefits New Projects
The House and Senate have given final approval to a Conference Committee Report, which settled differences in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1999. This legislation allows numerous projects to advance or be initiated. For instance, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) can move into the next phase of harbor deepening in projects at the Ports of Brunswick and Savannah. “Authorization of the Brunswick project puts it on an immediate track to construction, projected to start next year pending schedule and funding issues,” said Doug J. Marchand, GPA executive director. “Deepening the Brunswick channel to 36 ft. will save carriers and shippers more than $5.6 million annually.
