Page 40: of Marine News Magazine (November 2010)

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40 MN November 2010 on shallow water drilling has hurt both the oil and marine industries, he noted. All of Fleet Operators' vessels are cur- rently working, however, mainly on construction and pro- duction jobs.

The offshore drilling ban shut down 33 rigs from May into October, and few permits were issued for shallow water drilling over that period. By late September, BOEM had issued only six permits for new shallow water wells in the five months since BP's April 20 rig explosion, accord- ing to a recent report by Bernard Weinstein at Southern

Methodist University's Maguire Energy Institute. In com- parison, an average 10 to 15 permits were issued monthly for new, shallow water wells before the spill, he said.

Under the new regime, more than 30 offshore rigs in the

Gulf must apply for new drilling permits and undergo inspections before getting the federal go-ahead to operate.

At least some permits will be approved by year end, according to BOEM director Michael Bromwich.

Moratorium, New Regs Disrupt Business Plans

At Gulf Craft, LLC, Chief Financial Officer Scotty

Tibbs said the offshore moratorium interrupted business activities and dashed planning efforts at companies along the Gulf. Business won't start to recover until next year at the earliest, he predicted. His firm builds aluminum crew and supply vessels in Patterson, La.

Boysie Bollinger, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. (Photo courtesy Bollinger Shipyards)

David Barousse, business development director of Morgan City,

La. based Fleet Operators, Inc., which owns and charters supply vessels for the offshore oil and gas industry. (Photo courtesy Fleet Operators)