Offshore drilling contractor Noble Corporation has sent a force majeure notice to its client Shell over the Noble Globetrotter II drillship contract after the rig was damaged earlier this week in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico in severe weather during Hurricane Ida. The 2013-built ultra-deepwater drillship has a contract with Shell lasting until early September 2023 at a flexible day rate of at least
Salvors have raised the bow section of the liftboat Seacor Power, which overturned in heavy seas in the Gulf of Mexico in April.The Donjon-SMIT salvage team lifted the bow section to the surface of the water and transported it by barge on Saturday to the Modern American Recycling Services, Inc. (M.A.R.S.) facility in Houma, La.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is evaluating remote operation of locks within the U.S. inland waterways system. Timetables are hazy, but the Corps plans to include remote operations capabilities during rehabilitations or new construction, in the work planned, for example, in the Upper Ohio Navigation Project, part of the USACE’s Pittsburgh District.
The U.S. Coast Guard is working with the Seacor Power's owner to salvage the lift boat that capsized earlier this month in the Gulf of Mexico.A unified command including representatives from the Coast Guard and Houston-based Seacor Marine engaged in-person for the salvage and wreck removal, including the removal of fuel and oil from the overturned vessel, the Coast Guard said on Tuesday.
Lockport, La.-based Bollinger Shipyards has acquired Gulf Island Fabrication’s shipyard facilities in nearby Houma for approximately $28.6 million.The purchased site encompasses 437 acres on the west bank of the Houma Navigation Canal, of which 283 acres is unimproved land that is available for expansion.
NOAA’s effort to recapitalize its aging fleet of research ships took a major step forward today with the U.S. Navy’s award of a $178,082,877 contract to Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors LLC, Houma, La., for the detailed design and construction of two new oceanographic ships.NOAA is acquiring the vessels through an agreement with the Naval Sea Systems Command, a leader in building
Offshore energy companies have started searching for new bases away from Louisiana's devastated ports as oil and gas companies launch efforts to resume their Gulf of Mexico operations.Port Fourchon, a key hub for the offshore industry, was slammed by Ida on Sunday when it made landfall with winds over 150 miles per hour (240 kph).
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) on Monday awarded $19.6 million in grants aiming to help 31 shipyards modernize, increase productivity, and expand local employment opportunities while competing in the global marketplace.The grants were awarded to shipbuilding and repair yards in 15 states throughout the U.S. as part of MARAD's Small Shipyard Grant Program.
Newport, R.I. has been chosen as the future homeport for a new NOAA oceanographic research vessel being built for the agency. Discoverer will be a state-of-the-art ship that operates around the nation and the world to study and explore the ocean.“Discoverer will be one of the world’s most advanced research vessels,” said Rear Adm.
In the small city of Houma, Louisiana, about an hour southwest of New Orleans, volunteer rescue workers with a “Cajun Navy” group struggled in the wee hours of Monday to navigate streets strewn with trees toppled by Hurricane Ida's ferocious winds.The group had sped down from Lafayette after getting reports of people trapped by the fierce storm's floodwaters.
On Wednesday, August 4, Campbell Transportation Company, Inc. christened the secondhand towboat Marci Gale in downtown Pittsburgh.Formerly named the Elizabeth Lane, the Marci Gale was purchased by Campbell in the spring of 2021 from Canal Barge. Upon acquisition, the Marci Gale underwent an extensive overhaul and rehabilitation process at Main Iron Works Shipyard in Houma, La.
The U.S. Coast Guard will next week hold a formal public hearing to consider evidence related to the April 2021 capsizing of the liftboat Seacor Power and the death of 13 of its 19 crewmembers in the Gulf of Mexico.The Seacor Power liftboat capsized, April 13, 2021, about seven miles south of Port Fourchon, La., in the Gulf of Mexico with 19 crewmembers aboard.