Page 5: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (May 1985)

Versatile Corporation Buys

Davie Shipbuilding Yard

From Dome Petroleum

The Canadian shipbuilder and re- pairer, Davie Shipbuilding Limited of Quebec, has been purchased by the Vancouver-based Versatile Cor- poration, already a significant ship- yard operator and one of Canada's top 100 industrial manufacturers.

This acquisition makes Versatile a major force in Canadian ship- building and repairing, with approx- imately 40 percent of Canada's total shipyard capacity—on both the

East and West Coasts—now under its ownership. Besides Davie (to be renamed Versatile Davie), Versatile owns the Burrard Yarrows Corpora- tion, with yards in North Vancouver and Victoria on the West Coast, as well as the Versatile Vickers facility in Montreal.

Versatile Davie was acquired from Dome Petroleum Limited of

Calgary, Alberta, for an undisclosed sum. The Versatile Corporation now employs some 3,200 people in Cana- dian shipbuilding and repairing.

Besides its extensive ship repair- ing activities, the Davie yard is cur- rently completing a 4,000-dwt Gulf- span ferry, the Caribou, for C.N.

Marine, with delivery scheduled for later this year. The yard is also expected to receive one-third of the value of a forthcoming C$650-mil- lion contract to upgrade four frig- ates for the Canadian Navy.

Versatile Davie's facilities include five newbuilding berths capable of building vessels of up to 100,000 dwt, and two drydocks capable of repairing vessels of the same size.

Newly Formed Company

Acquires Compressor Line

From Allis-Chalmers

A-C Compressor Corporation of

West Allis, Wise., has acquired the compressor operation of Allis-

Chalmers Corporation. Terms were not disclosed.

According to Carl R. Hall, chair- man of the board and chief execu- tive officer, the newly formed and independent A-C Compressor Cor- poration recently purchased the ro- tary sliding vane compressor and both multi-stage and single-stage centrifugal compressor product lines, along with the attendant tech- nology and engineering, from Allis-

Chalmers.

Included in the purchase were the

Allis-Chalmers South Island plant in Appleton, Wise., where the com- pressors are made; machinery and equipment within the plant dedi- cated to the manufacture of the products; and test facilities with ca- pacities to 17,500 hp for closed loop and string testing at West Allis.

Besides Mr. Hall, A-C Compres- sor was formed by William M.

Conner, president and chief oper- ating officer, who was formerly gen- eral manager of the Allis-Chalmers compressor operation; Kenneth B.

Gardner, executive vice president and chief financial officer; and other private investors.

Circle 313 on Reader Service Card

MTL Gets $187-Million

Navy Contract To Operate

Nine Tankers For MSC

Marine Transport Lines, Inc. (MTL) of Secaucus, N.J., has been awarded a $187,200,000 fixed-price

Navy contract to operate and main- tain nine Military Sealift Command tankers of the Sealift Class. The five-year contract becomes effective

May 7 this year. MTL was deter- mined to be low offer on a competi- tive procurement; 84 companies were solicited and nine offers were received.

The 27,000-dwt tankers transport

Department of Defense refined pe- troleum products worldwide. They were delivered to MSC in 1974 and 1975 under the Navy's Build and

Charter program. Four of the 587- foot ships were built by Todd Ship- yards and five by Bath Iron Works.

Chiasson Joins Conrad

As Project Manager

Conrad Industries, Inc. of Morgan

City, La., has announced the addi- tion of Ronald P. Chiasson to its management staff as project man- ager and estimator in both new con- struction and ship repair. He has 11 years of marine experience, includ- ing the past eight years with Delta

Shipyard in Houma, La.

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