Page 44: of Marine News Magazine (August 2017)

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FEATURE: SHIPYARDS

Boatbuilding:

Alive and Well on the Gulf Coast

The diverse backlog of four Gulf Coast builders is carrying the day in an otherwise lackluster market.

By Susan Buchanan host of diversi? ed Gulf of Mexico shipyards have Though boats serving Gulf oil production are stacked managed to keep their heads above water during along the coast, demand for new ones hasn’t disappeared 2-1/2 years of low oil prices that have hurt demand completely. As drilling and development move further off-

A for vessels. They’ve done it by building ferries and inland shore, larger vessels are needed for deepwater operations. barges, along with boats under the Foreign Military Sales This month, MarineNews looks at four adaptable com- (FMS) program. Demand for ferries and barges have grown, panies that have stayed alive – and thrived – during the in part, because of government efforts to reduce pollution weakness in oil prices.

and cut congestion on the nation’s roads, subways and buses.

Seaparately, shipyards are clinching orders under the Horizon Stays Hot in the GoM Sun

Department of Defense’s Foreign Military Sales program, Horizon Shipbuilding in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, is a which shrank in FY 2016 from a peak of $46.6 billion full-service yard, manufacturing boats using aluminum, steel in FY 2015, but could grow again with President Trump’s and ? berglass. “Our current project for NYC Ferry is our plans to expand military spending. In addition, boat re- most ambitious so far, with ten vessels to be delivered in less pairs are keeping some Gulf yards busy as owners of in- than a year and ? ve delivered to date,” Lance Lemcool, Hori- spected tow vessels try to comply with new U.S. Coast zon’s Vice President of West Yard Operations, said last month.

Guard Subchapter M regulations. “Building these ferries uses many of our resources now,

Horizon Shipbuilding Swiftships

August 2017

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