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Bollinger Shipyards signed of a multi- vessel contract with Rigdon Marine to build 10 platform supply vessels (PSV) for Rigdon Marine, based on a new GPA 654 Class, designed by Guido Perla &

Associates. The design incorporates increased carrying capacity and greater operating efficiency, compared to similar sized vessels, while at the same time allowing simplified construction methods to reduce construction cost. All ten are planned to be built at Bollinger's Lockport

La. facility.

Donald "Boysie" Bollinger, chairman and CEO of Bollinger said, "We are excit- ed about our upcoming program with Rig- don Marine. I have worked along side of

Larry and several of his team members for many years. The timing of this state of the art PSV program is ideal for both of our organizations, and I am confident that this program is only the first of several to come."

The GPA 654 Class of PSV is a newly designed vessel that measures 190 x 46 x 18-ft. The vessels will be diesel-electric and classed ABS +A1+AMS+DP2,

USCG Subchapter L and SOLAS.

Larry Rigdon, president and CEO of

Rigdon Marine Corporation said, "Our organization is committed to the redevel- opment of the State of Louisiana and hav- ing the next phase of our building pro- gram in Louisiana and at Bollinger is another reinforcement of that commit- ment."

To double the size of its existing fleet of 10 PSVs, Rigdon Marine recently com- pleted a series of financial transactions which strategically positioned the compa- ny for growth. It signed a $170 million

Credit Facility with a group of European banks led by DVB Bank and secured $30 million in equity investment.

The newly restructured Rigdon Marine

Corporation has replaced its original financial capitalization for the recently completed GPA 640 series of 10 platform support vessels and has obtained addition- al financing for a new series of 10 vessels, which it has on a firm contract with a

Bollinger.

Chouest Continues

Newbuild Quest

Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) announced plans to construct several new anchor handling towing supply vessels (AHTS) at its North American Shipbuild- ing (NAS) facility in Larose, La. Addi- tionally, the company is announcing plans to expand upon its series of 280-ft. plat- form supply vessels (PSV), as well as many new fast supply vessels. Bollinger

Shipyards also announced the construc- tion of two 245-ft. liftboats for Chouest.

ECO has already ordered ship's equip- ment for the first three AHTS vessels, and holds an option for another three vessels.

The first two AHTS vessels are to be delivered during the first and third quar- ters 2007. This new proprietary hull design, 16,000 hp class, 280-ft., DP2, 200

MT bollard pull, new generation anchor handler offers increased capacities for both deck and below-deck cargoes, with a deadweight tonnage of 4,236 LT. The ship will be equipped with a 500 MT three-drum winch, providing total wire capacity for 27,034 ft. of 4.25-in. wire, with secondary winches with a total capacity of 33,160 ft. of five-inch diame- ter synthetic rope. Chain lockers will accommodate 18,700 ft. of 3 3/4-in. chain. Deck equipment includes dual tow pins, shark jaws and stern rollers. 4• MarineNews • February, 2006

NEWS

Directory of companies given editorial coverage in this edition of MarineNews.

Bollinger Shipyards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4, 10, 16

Alan Twaits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Allied Signal-Honeywell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Art Mead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Bill Bitner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Bouchard Coastwise Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Breaux Brothers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Brian Dzwonkowski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Brian P. Devine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Bristol Harbor Marine Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Burger Boat Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

C&S Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

C. Raymond Hunt Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Capt. Pamela Hepburn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Celebrity Cruise Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Charlie Deroko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Crowley Maritime Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Cummins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10, 13

Damen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Daniel Kane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

DeFelsko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Donald "Boysie" Bollinger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Donjon-Smit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Doug Hearn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Dr. David Kirshman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Dr. Karla Peijs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Dr. Mohsen Badiey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Ecodrill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Edison Chouest Offshore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Eller & Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Frank Basil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Furuno . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Gladding-Hearn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Guido Perla & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Hamilton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Harbor Bunkering Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Harry Ebanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Healy & Bailie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Ingram Barge Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

ITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Jeff Massengil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Jerry Hauske . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Jime Shiner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

John F. Foley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Larry Rigdon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Manitowoc Marine Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Marinette Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Marisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Matt Hawkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Metals USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Milko Yordanor Nitchev . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

MITAGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Nancy Targett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

National Sea Grant College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Nigel Watson-Clark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

NLB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

NOAA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Northeast Maritime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Northrop Grumman Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Noxudol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

OIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Orange Shipbuilding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Pacific Shipyard Intl. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Patrick Landry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Propulsion Controls Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Richard Adams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Richard Adams Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Rigdon Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Roehrig Maritime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Rolls-Royce Aerospace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Sea Coast Electric Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

SENESCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Sherwin-Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Shiner Moseley and Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

SkipperLiner Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

SMIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Stephen Danisovszky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Tidewater Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4, 13

Torben Munk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Transocean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Trinity Marine Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

University of Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Vision Technologies Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

VT Halter Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6, 16

Wartsila . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

William E. Munson Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Wing Inflatable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

The Index

Rigdon to Build PSVs at Bollinger

Tidewater Hostages Released

Tidewater Inc. confirmed that the four workers who were abducted by armed force and taken hostage from its offshore supply vessel Liberty Service offshore the Niger

Delta on January 11, 2006, were released safe and well in the early morning hours of

January 30, 2006. Three of the hostages were employees of Tidewater Crewing Lim- ited, a Tidewater subsidiary. They were Captain Patrick Landry, 61 years of age, and a citizen of the United States; Harry Ebanks, 54 years of age, and a citizen of Hon- duras; and Milko Yordanor Nitchev, 56 years of age, and a citizen of Bulgaria. The fourth hostage was Nigel Watson-Clark, a citizen of the United Kingdom and an employee of Ecodrill. Both Tidewater and Ecodrill were working for Shell Nigeria at the time of the attack. All of the workers will undergo medical examinations before repatriation to their homes and families. Tidewater has worked closely with Shell

Nigeria, Ecodrill, the U.S. and U.K. governments, and the Nigerian authorities to bring about the successful release of the hostages, and Tidewater is grateful for the help and support extended during these difficult times.

Rigdon Marine's new GPA654 Class PSV to be built at Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, La.

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