Marine Log - February 2009 - (Page 7) Update INL AND • COASTAL OFFSHORE • DEEPSEA biz NOTES Western Gulf leases, draw strong interest In some of the strongest interest generated by the region in more than a decade, the Western Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Lease Sale 207 drew high bids valued at $483.96 million, according to the U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS). The agency awarded 313 leases to the successful high bidders for the tracts, which are located offshore Texas. The highest bid accepted on a tract was $61.1 million made by Statoil Gulf of Mexico LLC for Alaminos Canyon Block 380. This tract is in deep water (greater than 6,562 feet or 2,000 meters) and received 3 bids. Exxon Mobil Corporation had the most bids, with 128 valued at $125.3 million, followed by Hess Corporation, with 22 vaued at $14.2 million, and Chevron U.S.A. Inc., with 20 bids valued at $127.3 million. dison Chouest Offshore (ECO), Galliano, La., has outlined some of its plans for its latest shipyard venture, Tampa Ship, LLC, Tampa, Fla. As we previously reported (ML, December 2008, p. 7), Chouest acquired Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co. Inc.’s majority stake in the yard and has since assumed management and operation of the yard. The Tampa shipyard is a full service conversion, overhaul and CHOUEST COMES TO TAMPA E repair facility, with four large graving docks, capable of servicing ships up to 150,000 dwt. Chouest has agreed to assist in the phase out of a new construction deal with Bender. The previous owner has been building three large barges for OSG America; Chouest will assist in completing that deal, slated for a late 2009 delivery. Chouest also committed to the port authority that Tampa Ship will dredge slips within the facility to a 30-ft depth. Chouest is currently reviewing plans to modernize the shipyard. He said the company remains committed to growing and developing Tampa Ship’s current workforce of 500. When Tampa’s workforce is added to those of existing Chouest shipbuilding operations at North American Shipbuilding (Larose, La.), North American Fabricators (Houma, La.), Gulf Ship (Gulfport, Miss.) and Navship (Navegantes, Brazil), ECO employ over 3,000 workers. FRC project moves ahead at Bollinger THE U.S. GOVERNMENT Accounting Office (GAO) has cleared the way for work to begin on the Fast Response Cutter (FRC) at Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, La., after denying competitor Marinette Marine Corp.’s bid protest against the U.S. Coast Guard. Marinettee Marine had lodged the protest against the Coast Guard on Oct. 7, 2008 following an $88 million award to Bollinger Shipyards. The award is a firm-fixedprice contract with an economic price adjustment. The maximum www.marinelog.com Fincantieri completes Manitowoc acquisition Fincantieri Marine Group Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of Italy’s Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani SpA recently completed the acquisition of the Marine Group of Manitowoc, Inc., Manitowoc, Wis. The all-cash deal is worth $120 million and includes Marinette Marine, Marinette, Wis., Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay, Wis., and Cleveland Shiprepair, Cleveland, Ohio. In 2007, the Marine Group had sales of $321 million and operating earnings of $26 million. www.manitowocmarine.com FEBRUARY 2009 MARINE LOG 7 value of the FRC contract, if all options are exercised for a total of 34 patrol boats, is $1.5 billion over a period of between six and eight years. The Sentinel Class patrol boat will be 153 ft 5 in x 25 ft 5 in, capable of speeds of 28 plus knots, and armed with one stabilized remotely-operated 25 mm chain gun and four crew- served .50-caliber machine guns. It will accommodate 22 crew members. The first Sentinel will be delivered to Coast Guard District 7, based in Miami, in the fall of 2010. The Bollinger design is based on a parent craft concept using a modern hull form, the Damen 4708, that was originally developed by Damen Shipyards in the Netherlands. http://www.manitowocmarine.com http://www.marinelog.com
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