Page 24: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2001)

Ship Repair & Conversion

NORSHIPCO Weathers the Economic Storm

A down economy, a disabled drydock and a nation under heightened security measures — not exactly the best position for a ship repair facility to be in — or so one would think. Norfolk Shipbuilding & Drydock Cor- poration (NORSHIPCO) however has managed to stay on top with its steady stream of government and com- mercial work coming into its yard. A member of the

United Slates Marine Repair (USMR) group of ship- yards, NORSHIPCO, as well as its West Coast yard affiliates, Southwest Marine and San Francisco Dry- dock, have, according to USMR COO and NORSHIP-

CO president, Alexander Krekicli, "weathered better than most."

By Regina P. Ciardiello, senior editor

With 70 percent of NORSHIPCO's work on the gov- ernment side, the yard has still had a steady stream of commercial work. According to Krekich, the work that was performed on MSC ship M/V SSG Edward A.

Carter was successful in terms of schedule, costs and customer satisfaction. The 950-ft. (289.5 m) vessel, which arrived at NORSHIPCO on March 1, 2001, is under a long-term charter to MSC. Owned and operat-

Military Sealift Command (MSC) M/V SSG Edward A. Carter (at left), which is owned and operated by Maersk Line sits alongside

Disney's Wonder at NORSHIPCO's Titan drydock. ed by Maersk Line, it was converted from a commer- Drydock was Disney Wonder, which arrived at NOR- cial containership to a self-sustaining, prepositioning SHIPCO on September 12. Originally scheduled to

Army ammunition containership— capable of trans- porting 2,500 20-ft. containers. (Continued on page 27)

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