Page 111: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 1997)

SMI: Diverse Job Load Keeps Morgan City Yard Busy

Service Marine Industries (SMI), based in

Morgan City, La., has enjoyed the work swell produced by the still-growing oilfield business.

Recently, Offshore Marine Service entrusted

SMI with the conversion and refurbishment of

MTV Louis Eymard. Once a supply vessel used for towing, the vessel will be cut in half and extended 20 ft. (6.1 m) with the addition of a midbody section, leading to its reclassification as a USCG Subchapter L supply boat for load- lined vessels. The boat will measure 185 ft. (56.4 m) when complete, and will be outfitted with a larger bowthruster for increased maneu- verability. "We have completed numerous conversions of this size and scale on offshore supply and multi-purpose vessels," said Ronnie

Chiasson, SMI vice president and Repair

Division manager. The lengthened Louis

Emyard is to be used as an offshore supply ves- sel.

SMI also won a contract from Oceaneering

Intl. to design and build a 243-ft. (74-m), 4,000- hp multi-service vessel. The contract — which includes an option for a second vessel — is sig- nificant because it is the first newbuild ordered in the company's history.

The MSV will be classed to ABS DP-2 (double redundant). In addition, it will SOLAS and

ABS classed for unrestricted ocean service, and equipped with a fully integrated GMDSS for area A3 operation. The vessel will sport a 6,000-sq.-ft. aft deck will be able to accommo- date a cargo deck load of 1,200 long tons.

Finally, SMI signed a contract with Kim

Susan Inc. to build a 210-ft. (64-m) offshore supply vessel. Having sold its fleet to Trico last year, Kim Susan now plans to rebuild its fleet, starting with the SMI newbuilding. The vessel will be powered by two EMD Model L-16-645-

E6 marine engines, rated 1,950 bhp at 900 rpm.

For more information from Service Marine

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Avondale Positioned To Capture

More Commercial Business

Avondale Industries — not resting on the lau- rels (or $332 million) of its recent ARCO con- tract — reportedly expects new opportunites to win contracts to build commercial oil tankers.

The New Orleans-based naval and commercial shipbuilder won a $332 million order to build two 125,000-dwt Suezmax crude oil tankers for

Atlantic Richfield Co. (ARCO) Marine.

An Avondale spokesman said the shipbuilder was in the running for further commercial tanker newbuilding contracts, pointing to a number of rumored tanker deals which could end up in U.S. yards. Speculation of late has centered on new orders from British Petroleum in collaboration with Overseas Shipholding

Group Inc. and Sea River Maritime.

Maritrans Inc. currently has an order for six

Jones Act handysize products tankers pending with Avondale. Maritrans is reported to be in the process of securing finances for the deal.

Avondale announced second quarter net income of $6.4 million, compared with $14.3 million a year earlier which included an income tax benefit of $9 million. Second quarter net sales were $145.8 million against $152.6 mil- lion a year earlier. The ARCO tankers are both due to be delivered in 2000 and will be employed in the Alaska-U.S. West Coast trade.

While some have questioned the high cost of the tankers, Avondale explains that this is due to a high specification design incorporating dupli- cate propulsion systems.

For more information from Avondale

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