Bollinger delivers 14th fast response cutter to Coast Guard
Bollinger Shipyards, of Lockport, La., delivered Heriberto Hernandez, the 14th fast response cutter (FRC), to the U.S. Coast Guard on July 30.
The announcement was made by Bollinger’s president and chief executive, Ben Bordelon. “We are very pleased to announce the delivery of the latest FRC built by Bollinger Shipyards, the Heriberto Hernandez, to the 7th Coast Guard District in Puerto Rico. We are looking forward to honoring and celebrating the heroic acts of Hernandez at the vessel’s commissioning.”
The 154-foot patrol craft Heriberto Hernandez is the 14th vessel in the Coast Guard's Sentinel-class FRC program. To build the FRC, Bollinger used a proven, in-service parent craft design based on the Damen Stan Patrol Boat 4708. It has a flank speed of 28 knots, state-of-the-art command, control, communications and computer technology, and a stern launch system for the vessel’s 26-foot cutter boat. The FRC has been described as an operational “game changer” by senior Coast Guard officials.
The Coast Guard took delivery in Key West, Fla., and is scheduled to commission the vessel in Puerto Rico during October 2015.
Each FRC is named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished him or herself in the line of duty. This vessel is named after Coast Guard hero Heriberto Hernandez. Hernandez, a fireman aboard the 82-foot Coast Guard cutter Point Cypress made the ultimate sacrifice as he braved enemy gunfire in South Vietnam while patrolling the Vietnamese coastline. For his bravery as he faced the enemy, Hernandez was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star with the Combat “V” device.
Donjon awarded Navy contract
Donjon Marine Co., of Hillside, N.J., is being awarded a $44,500,000 modification to a previously awarded contract for salvage, salvage-related towing, harbor clearance, ocean engineering and point-to-point towing services to support the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research’s ocean engineering program and the Office of the Navy Supervisor Of Salvage And Diving.
Work will be performed in the Atlantic Ocean (80 percent) and the Gulf of Mexico (20 percent) and is expected to be completed by August 2016.
The Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington is the contracting activity.
EB gets $42 million sub modification contract
Electric Boat Corp., of Groton, Conn., is being awarded a $42,492,474 modification to previously awarded contract for additional lead yard services and development studies and design efforts related to Virginia-class submarines.
Work will be performed in Groton (98.4 percent); Newport, R.I. (0.9 percent); and Quonset, R.I. (0.65 percent), and is expected to be completed by October 2015.
Research vessel contract for All American Marine
All American Marine Inc. (AAM), of Bellingham, Wash., is to design and construct a new aluminum catamaran research vessel for the University of New Hampshire (UNH). All American Marine will build the 48-by-17-foot cat using a customized design by Teknicraft Design Ltd. of Auckland, New Zealand.
The new vessel, funded through a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will serve the Joint Hydrographic Center (JHC) at UNH.
Set for delivery early next year, it will be joining the university's existing fleet and will complement capabilities by offering a highly complex multi-mission platform.
All American Marine is the exclusive builder for Teknicraft Design catamarans in North America and the research vessel's aluminum hull will feature the signature Teknicraft Design hull shape with symmetrical bow, asymmetrical tunnel and integrated wave piercer.
Inspiration for the vessel design comes from the success of NOAA's R/V Auk, built by AAM in 2006, and the 48-foot R/V David Folger built for Middlebury College in 2012.
Huntington Ingalls awarded $20.5 million for Nimitz work
Huntington Ingalls Inc., of Newport News, Va., has been awarded a $20,580,879 contract for ship repair support on the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68).
Huntington Ingalls Inc. will provide management, material support services, labor, supplies and equipment deemed necessary to perform nuclear and nuclear-related work on Nimitz.
Work will be performed in Bremerton, Wash., and is expected to be completed by February 2016.
Verreault Navigation expands dry dock
Groupe Maritime Verreault reports that it completed Phase I of the expansion of its dry dock at its Verreault Navigation facility in Les Méchins, Quebec.
Following the expansion, the dry dock is 800 feet long by 184 feet wide, making it one of the largest in Canada. Groupe Maritime Verreault President and Chief Executive Denise Verreault said that in Phase II of the expansion, the shipyard will widen its gate to 178 feet and deepen the dry dock by five feet, which should “give us more flexibility with the tides.” Verreault, whose father opened the shipyard in 1956, says the dry dock will be lengthened even further to accommodate shuttle tankers.
The shipyard employs about 250 workers and is located on the St. Lawrence River close to the East Coast of Canada. The shipyard repairs cargo vessels, tankers, ferries, icebreakers and cruise vessels. Once Phase II is complete, Verreault said, the shipyard will add another 100 workers and the shipyard will be able to accommodate even larger vessels.
“Now, we can take two or three vessels at the same time because of the size of our dry dock and we can even accommodate two lakers at the same time,” said Verreault.
The expansion of the dry dock was financed with the assistance of the Business Development Bank of Canada.
Aker Philadelphia changes its name
Aker Philadelphia Shipyard ASA announced in late July its plan to change its name to Philly Shipyard ASA, pending an upcoming shareholder vote at an extraordinary general meeting expected to take place in October. Aker Philadelphia Shipyard Inc. (APSI) will likewise change its name to Philly Shipyard Inc.
“Changing our name to Philly Shipyard more accurately reflects the shipyard we have become in recent years,” remarked Steinar Nerbovik, Aker Philadelphia Shipyard’s president and chief executive. “We have delivered on our promises and stand firmly on our own two feet as a company. The new name also represents the proud tradition of shipbuilding in Philly and the city with which we are so intimately linked.”
The name change coincides with the announcement of Aker Philadelphia Shipyard’s plan to divest its portfolio of shipping assets, streamlining the business and drawing an end to a successful buildup of investments as a partial owner in eight Jones Act product tankers with an approximate contract value of $1 billion.
“The planned divestment of our shipping assets will show that we have created significant shareholder value and will greatly focus the business going forward,” said Kristian Rokke, Aker Philadelphia Shipyard’s chairman. “While we will remain opportunistic in our investment approach, the name change comes at a natural time and will better illustrate how the shipyard connects with its stakeholders as a strong, stand-alone, Philadelphia-based company.”
Aker Philadelphia Shipyard is a leading U.S. commercial shipyard constructing vessels for operation in the Jones Act market. It possesses a state-of-the-art shipbuilding facility and has earned a reputation as the preferred provider of oceangoing merchant vessels with a track record of delivering quality ships.
