Maritime News Headlines
September 2003
NASSCO starts work on the first T-AKE (9/30). Read NASSCO's news release in the News Releases section of their web site here. See the great photograph that they sent out with it here. Look at that: real shipbuilders, every one of them. Not a retired admiral to be seen. Excellent!
US Coast Guard updates its oil spill statistics (9/30). See these fascinating (I'm easily fascinated) and generally encouraging charts and data here. Comment later.
Conrad Industries wins a $5.5 million contract for its Orange Shipbuilding subsidiary to build a crane barge for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (9/29). Read the DefenseLink announcement here.
Avondale delivers its final sealift ship, USNS Benavidez (T-AKR 306) (9/19). Read NG's press release here.
After 112 years, Sparrows Point reaches the end (9/15). The Baltimore Sun reports that, in the absence of a surprise savior, the assets of Baltimore Marine Industries, formerly the Sparrows Point shipyard of Bethlehem Steel, will be liquidated at auction on November 5. Quincy and Sparrows Point both liquidated in the same year!
Kvaerner Philadelphia delivered its first ship, the 2600-TEU containership "Manukai" on Monday, September 8, 2003 (9/13). Read the shipyard's press release here. No announcement from Matson Navigation: maybe they are waiting until the ship gets to San Francisco.
Parker Drilling's jack-up PD-14J, a Baker Marine, "Bigfoot", slot-type, independent-leg, rig built by Promet in Singapore in 1979, collapses in the Gulf of Mexico (9/12). Read Parker Drilling's press release here. Read the report in the South's finest newspaper here.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has denied Bollinger Shipyards' appeal of the District Court's ruling in Bollinger's case against its insurance carriers, in a finding of importance to all shipbuilders (9/12). Read the Court's ruling here.
The proposed sale of the former Charleston Naval Shipyard to its tenant for only $9 million is being opposed by local interests (9/11). Read the Charleston Post and Courier's report here.
Maritrans' suit against the federal government, in which it claimed that OPA 90 was an unconstitutional "taking" of private property, has been thrown out by the Court of Appeals (9/11). Read Maritrans' press release here.
Avondale delivers the third Polar Tanker (9/5). Read ConocoPhillips' press release here. No announcement from Northrop Grumman for some reason.
Marinette wins contract for ATB for Penn Maritime (9/5). Read Manitowoc's press release here.
Avondale lays keel for LPD 20, an event originally scheduled for March 11, 2002 (8/27). Read Northrop Grumman's press release here.
Ninth District Court of Appeals orders District Court in Anchorage to reconsider its award of $4billion in punitive damages against Exxon Mobil for the Exxon Valdez oil spill (8/22). Read ExxonMobil's press release here.
NASSCO delivers the second of two very large ro-ro ships, "North Star", to TOTE (8/23). Read NASSCO's press release on their web site here.
Northrop Grumman confirms that it has settled, for $60 million, the Department of Justice's allegations that Newport News Shipbuilding improperly charged $72 million in costs on its disastrous "Double Eagle" tanker program to the Navy (8/21). Read the NG press release here.
Northrop Grumman and the State of Louisiana agree to invest $112mm ($56mm each) in facility improvements and workforce training at Avondale (8/21). No mention of any plans to invest in competent management. Read the NG press release here and the Associated Press report here.
LeTourneau's shipyard in Vicksburg MS delivers the Enhanced Super Gorilla-class jack-up "Bob Palmer" to Rowan Companies (8/20). Read Rowan's press release here.
The Atlantic Monthly slams the international maritime industry (8/16). No link to the article but you can find the Atlantic Monthly here. To read the article, you will need to buy the September issue of the magazine.
EB and NNS get a contract for up to 6 SSNs for a total of $8.7 billion that could be converted to a multi-year contract for 7 SSNs for a total of $10.9 billion (8/14). Read the DefenseLink announcement here. The announcement is misleading, however, because this second, 7-boat, deal apparently does not include the first FY03 boat that's counted in the base 6-boat deal, which is already funded, so the potential is really 8 boats with a total contract value that is somewhere north of $12 billion. Reuters quotes "Defense officials" as saying that the "manufacturers" should make $150mm profit per boat. Twenty years ago you could buy a whole SSN for that, but of course we had competition then. What a disgraceful waste of the taxpayers' money.
Marinette Marine wins the competition for the Improved Navy Lighterage System (INLS) Program for Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) with a total bid, including all options, of $405mm (8/12). Read the DefenseLink announcement here. Competitors' prices for the total program are all understood to have been over $500mm.
State of Alaska sells ferry "Bartlett", built by JeffBoat in 1968, on e-Bay for $389,000 (8/12). No link.
The Justice Dept. and Newport News Shipbuilding are reported by both AP and Reuters to have settled their litigation over the shipyard's Double Eagle design costs (8/8). Read the AP report here and the Reuters report here.
USS Constellation (CV 64) was decommissioned in San Diego, after almost 42 years of service. Read the Navy's tribute here.
July 2003
Dean Taylor replaces Bill O'Malley as Chairman of Tidewater (7/31). Read the Tidewater press release here.
MARAD publishes a draft strategic plan and invites comments (7/31). Read the plan here.
Pride International terminates contract with Bay Ltd. of Corpus Christi (not to be confused with Bay Shipbuilding) for construction of two platform rigs (7/30). Read Pride's press release here.
MARAD goes ahead with controversial contract to sell 15 ships to AbleUK, two of which may be modified and sold to subsidize the cost of demolition of the other 13 (7/30). Read MARAD's press release here. Better still - good for MARAD! - read the actual contract here.
Rep. Case (D-HI) introduces three bills, each of which, in different ways, repeals part of the Jones Act (7/29). Read the text of H.R. 2845 here. Read the text of H.R. 2846 here. Read the text of H.R. 2847 here.
Cove Point LNG terminal reopens after 23 years (7/28). Read the USCG press release here.
Sundial Marine Construction & Repair, Inc., of Troutdale, Oregon, beats out established second-tier naval shipbuilders to win $7mm Navy contract for 3 YOs, with options for 6 more (7/23). Read the DefenseLink announcement here.
Ex-"Spirit of Texas" sold for scrap (7/21). Lloyd's Register Fairplay reports that the former "Spirit of Texas", the third of the three handy-sized bulkers built by Levingston Shipbuilding, has been sold for scrap, although only 21 years old. No link.
More musical chairs at Matson (7/21). Read Matson's press release here.
Navy exercises an option with NASSCO for the fourth T-AKE (7/18). Read the DefenseLink announcement here.
Northrop out of LCS competition as the Navy downselects three of the six contenders to perform preliminary design (7/17). Read the DefenseLink announcement here. Read GD's press release here. Read Lockheed Martin's press release here. Read Raytheon's press release here.
Avondale launches first-of-class USS San Antonio (LPD 17) and will christen her on Saturday, 19 July (7/17). Read NG's press release here.
Kvaerner Philadelphia and Matson Navigation christen Kvaerner's Hull #1 (7/14). Read Matson's press release here.
First Wave rumored to be object of take-over offer (7/13). Informed sources say that Channel Shipyard, a Houston ship repairer, has made an unsolicited offer to buy all First Wave's shipyards other than Pelican Island. No link.
ConocoPhillips to import 7.5mm tpy of LNG from Qatar (7/12). Read the announcement here.
MARAD to sell U.S. cruise industry data (7/10). Read the announcement here.
NOAA wants to buy a new SWATH ship for coastal mapping service (7/10). They don't have enough money. Read the notice here.
DoHS invites applications for service on its National Maritime Security Advisory Committee (7/9). Read the notice in the Federal Register here.
Maritime Administrator testifies on ship scrapping program (7/9). Read his testimony here.
Maersk Inc. fined for violating sanctions against trade with Cuba (7/9). Read the Treasury Department's report here.
SeaRex liftboat "Trident Crusader" for sale for $22mm (7/3). MARAD sold title to this vessel for $8.7mm. Read the listing by a Canadian broker here.
Senator George Allen (R-VA) to hold a hearing on the "ghost fleet" (7/3). Read his press release here.
Spain wants ABS to be decertified by the EU (7/3): the Spanish government, apparently carried away by its unaccustomed role as George W's best buddy, has petitioned the EU to decertify ABS. ABS is, naturally and very reasonably, furious. Read ABS' press release here.
Seacor revealed to be the "undisclosed interests" building PSVs at Bollinger (7/3): of course, everybody in the industry knew that but Seacor apparently thought it was a secret. Very strange thinking. Read Bollinger's press release here.
Department of Homeland Paranoia reveals its approach to port security (7/3). Read the Department's press kit here. Read the U.S. Coast Guard's maritime strategy here.
GAO critical of Title XI program (7/3). Read the GAO's report here.