Page 54: of Marine News Magazine (May 2014)

53 55

SHIP REPAIR sion of Friede Goldman Halter. Signal International, Inc. was incorporated in 2007 and began operations of offshore fabrication with shipyards in Texas and Mississippi. The

Pascagoula location(s) – consisting of an East and West

Yard – specializes in fl oating oil rig repair. In 2010, the company entered into the US Gulf Coast ship repair busi- ness with the asset acquisition of Bender Shipbuilding and

Repair in Mobile, Alabama. It is now Signal Ship Repair.

With a family of three yards strategically located along the

Gulf of Mexico in Alabama, Mississippi and Texas, Signal is poised to ramp up its services to an equally vibrant off- shore oil and gas industry and its support sector.

The ABC’s of High Blocking

Signal Ship Repair (SSR) has the ability to dry dock up to 600 foot vessels draughting over 24 feet of water on 12 foot blocks. While the standard blocking is six feet, the high blocking scenario gives SSR the ability to repair drop down thrusters in the fully down position without cutting a hole in the dry dock fl oor. In this way, they are also able to rig and remove Z-drive thrusters much faster should they require removal to the shop for rebuilding. Beyond this, the practice greatly facilitates ease of bottom repairs and coating. In a nutshell, the high blocking scenario has opened a new niche market for Signal Ship Repair. With the increase in the number of construction and offshore support vessels working in the GOM, it has given Signal the opportunity to perform eight quick turnaround high block dry dockings in the past 12 months. SSR Vice Presi- dent of Sales & Marketing, Joe Mayhall, told MarineNews, “The high block dockings fi ll short term availabilities in our dry dock schedule. The high blocking along with in- “The high block dockings fi ll short term availabilities in our dry dock schedule. The high blocking along with in-house Z drive repair capabilities turns our client’s repair around rapidly, getting them back to work in just days.” – Signal Ship Repair Vice President Joe Mayhall

May 2014 54 MN

MN May14 Layout 50-65.indd 54 4/21/2014 10:26:10 AM