Page 29: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (February 15, 1985)

Federal Barge Lines

Acquired By Midland

Affiliated Company

Houston Natural Gas Corporation (HNG) has announced the comple- tion of the sale for $39,750,000 of

Federal Barge Lines, Inc., United

Barge Company, and Marine

Equipment Company to Midland

Affiliated Company. Federal,

United, and Marine Equipment are wholly owned subsidiaries of HNG's

Pott Industries; Midland Affiliated is a wholly owned marine subsidiary of Eastern Gas and Fuel Asso- ciates.

The sale is part of HNG's restruc- turing program begun earlier in 1984, in which HNG announced it would dispose of all non-oil and gas related operations.

Houston Natural Gas is a diversi- fied energy company involved pri- marily in the transmission and sale of natural gas and in oil and gas exploration and production. Bos- ton-based Eastern Gas and Fuel is the parent organization of several energy-related companies engaged in coal production, natural gas dis- tribution, and inland marine trans- portation.

Morris Guralnick Firm

Awarded Two Contracts

For Conversion Designs

Morris Guralnick Associates, Inc. (MGA) has been awarded two con- tracts under which the San Francis- co-based firm of naval architects and marine engineers will assist with the engineering and design phase in the conversion and modifi- cation of two ships to be operated by the Military Sealift Command.

The first contract, awarded by

Continental Maritime of San Fran- cisco, Inc., calls for MGA to prepare the designs, studies, construction drawings, and other data required in converting the former American

President Lines containership Pres- ident Monroe to an Auxiliary Crane

Ship (T-ACS-2).

Under the second contract, placed by Northwest Marine Iron Works of

Portland, MGA will assist the Ore- gon shipyard in modifications to be made to the USNS Observation Is- land (T-AGM-23), a former Mariner

Class freighter that has been con- verted into a missile tracking ship.

Modifications to the President

Monroe include removal of all con- ventional cargo gear and replace- ment with three sets of twin pedes- tal cranes, each crane with a lifting capacity of 30 metric tons. Accom- modations will be expanded to carry 89 persons, and two new 1,640-kw diesel generators will be installed to power the increased electrical load.

Changes on the Observation Is- land include addition of a deck- house to increase personnel accom- modations, upgrading of electronic systems, installation of two evapo- rators, and raising the height of the stack.

Navy Awards NASSCO $14 Million For Overhaul

Of Tank Landing Ship

National Steel and Shipbuilding

Company of San Diego (NASSCO) has announced that a contract option for approximately $14 million has been exercised by the U.S. Navy for the regular overhaul of the tank land- ing ship USS Bristol County (LST- 1198).

A contract awarded by the Navy in 1982 provided for the regular over- haul of the tank landing ship USS

Tuscaloosa (LST-1187), with options for similar overhauls of four addition- al LSTs—Cayuga, Frederick, Peoria, and Bristol County. Each option has been exercised separately; with the exercise of all options, the total value of the contract is approximately $80 million.

The Bristol County has arrived at

NASSCO and is scheduled for rede- livery to the Navy August 23 this year.

All five LSTs were built by the San

Diego yard during 1967-72 as part of a 17-ship contract fulfilled for the

Navy by NASSCO. The shipyard's current backlog is approximately $710 million, including the Bristol

County.

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February 15, 1985 Circle 151 on Reader Service Card 29