Page 49: of Marine News Magazine (August 2017)

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FEATURE: SHIPYARDS “Our improvements have resulted in streamlined manufacturing, lower costs to customers and quality unmatched in the industry. Our new auto- mated panel line lets us manufacture components more quickly and with extraordinary accuracy.” – Johnny Conrad,

President and CEO Conrad Shipyards to 300’; two 260’offshore deck barges; one LNG bunker barge; and various smaller barges.

Conrad’s repair-and-conversion services include elec- trical, mechanical and propulsion work and hull repairs, along with large-scale conversions of ships and barges.

Repair-and-conversion capabilities range from 100-ton inland tugs to 12,000-ton offshore dredging and con- struction vessels. “We employ a seasoned and motivated workforce of about 900, including an experienced multi- disciplined engineering team,” Johnny Conrad said. “Con- rad is deeply committed to employee safety, well-being and growth; to protecting the environment; and to giving back to the communities where we live and work.”

Diversified Companies Buoy

Gulf Communities

Flexible yards along the Gulf have withstood oil-price pressures by providing a variety of vessels to domestic and

Image courtesy of Conrad Shipyards Images courtesy of Conrad Shipyards foreign customers. Boat builders who rely mainly on off- shore oil-and-gas customers, however, have laid off thou-

Susan Buchanan is a New Orleans-based business writer, sands of workers in the last year or so. Diversi