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www.marinelink.com MN 53 of the contract is $432.1m. The con- tract includes options for nine addi- tional vessels in the following five years. Austal will immediately com- mence preparation work including a $140m facility expansion and work- force development which will take approximately 12 months to com- plete. Construction of the first LCS vessel will commence in early 2012 and is scheduled for delivery in 2015.

The aluminum warships will be built at Austal’s U.S. shipyard in Mobile,

Ala. and will more than double

Austal’s U.S. workforce to around 3,800 employees.

Lockheed Martin-Led Team

Launches Third LCS

The Lockheed Martin-led industry team launched the nation's third

Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), Fort

Worth, at the Marinette Marine ship- yard. The 389-ft Fort Worth was launched into the Menominee River.

Just prior to its launch, the ship's sponsor, Congresswoman Kay

Granger of Texas, christened Fort

Worth with the traditional smashing of a champagne bottle across the ship's bow. Fort Worth will continue to undergo outfitting and testing at

Marinette Marine before delivery to the Navy in 2012.

Clean Harbors Opens New Iberia

Response Center

Clean Harbors, provider of envi- ronmental, energy and industrial services throughout North America, has based a regional response center here to respond to environmental emergencies throughout the Gulf

Coast region. The new facility also augments the company’s natural dis- aster response and logistical support services for the region, as well as sup- ports existing field services locations in Louisiana and Texas. The Clean

Harbors New Iberia facility houses self-contained skimming watercraft of up to 30 ft in length, various response boats and landing craft, shallow water skimmers and contain- ment boom. Supply and tanker trucks, personal protective equip- ment, mobile communications equipment and other response assets are also kept at the ready.

Crowley Expands at Everglades

Crowley Liner Services is expanding at Port Everglades with a new 10-year terminal lease that calls for additional acreage and increased container guar- antees. The terms of the new lease call for increasing Crowley's terminal from 68.2 to 80 acres. Guaranteed container moves will begin at 110,000 in 2011, increase to 112,000 in 2012, and increase by 1,000 annu- ally thereafter on each January 1st through 2020. Under the new agree- ment Crowley's first-year guarantee represents nearly 96% of their FY10 container volumes.

Delta Wave Comms Teams with

Global Rescue

Delta Wave Communications, Inc. has teamed up with Global Rescue to combine their service with Delta

Wave’s line of satellite based global personal tracking and emergency alert products and services. Global

Rescue is an emergency services com- pany that provides medical, aeromed- ical evacuation, search and rescue and security services.

The companies have partnered to offer a full service emergency alert program for customers who require a total solution with global two-way communications and emergency alert features, along with field care and evacuation services.

PEOPLE & COMPANY NEWS

Signal International Completes

Mobile Yard Renovations

Signal International Inc. recently completed a $9m yard and drydock renovation on its ship repair facility in Mobile, Ala. Signal Ship Repair (SSR), the company’s most recent acquisition, offers repair and new construction for ships, workboats and tugs in the Signal family of yards. The facility upgrade project was completed ahead of schedule and made ready for the Transocean

Deepwater Navigator. The drillship has been at Signal’s Pascagoula yard for repairs and recently arrived at

SSR’s Panamax drydock, for hull and tank repairs, thruster removal and repair, servicing of the main propulsion system and lower hull painting. The newly refurbished

Panamax floating drydock has been certified for a lift capacity of 21,500 tons. Over 500 tons of steel were replaced on the well deck support- ing structure and the wing wall plat- ing with attached internal structure.

The west end well deck apron was also renewed in its entirety and all exterior wing wall coatings were redone. The south wing wall crane had two new engines installed, all the steel cables on both cranes were replaced and both cranes were inspected, tested and annual certifi- cations renewed.