Page 37: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2000)

U.S. Report • News

Construction

Commences On

Milestone Cruise Vessel

Litton Ingalls kicked off the construc- tion process of the first cruise ship to be built in the U.S. in 40 years, with a pre-

July 4th ceremony at the yard's

Pascagoula, Miss, headquarters cele- brating the vessel's hull fabrication.

Located among a patriotically-cen- tered flag waving crowd was Uncle

Sam, the yard's guest operator, who went aboard a plasma arc plate cutting machine to cut the initial steel plate for

Project America Hull #1 -— the first in a series of cruise ships built by Litton

Ingalls for American Classic Voyages (AMCV).

The commencing of the hull fabrica- tion marked the start of the construction of the first of two 1,900-passenger cruise ships for AMCV. The vessels, which will be U.S.-owned and crewed as well, will offer exclusive service to the Hawaiian Islands beginning in early 2003. Ingalls has an additional agree- ment with AMCV for a twin ship to fol- low in 2004, as well as an option for a third in a program worth more than $1.4 billion. Initially labeled Project Ameri- ca, this vessel series is the result of the

U.S.-Flag Cruise Ship Pilot Project, which is designed to rejuvenate the

U.S.-flag oceangoing cruise ship fleet.

The project is expected to help sustain and modernize the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base, and is strongly support- ed by both the U.S. Department of

Defense and the U.S. Maritime Admin- istration (MarAd). The project was for- mulated as a result of the passage of the

U.S.-flag Cruise Ship Pilot Project

Statute in 1997. In order to ensure an efficient construction process, Litton

Ingalls is engaged in a $130 million construction project at the yard. Already covering approximately 300,000 sq. ft. of assembly space, the yard expects to add a mammoth crane capable of 600- ton lifts, measuring 411 x 329 ft. (125.2 x 100.2 m)

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August, 2000

FirstWave And PPL Join Forces

FirstWave has formed an alliance with

PPL Shipyard Pte Ltd. in order to offer expanded options and greater cost sav- ings in the area of rig construction.

Extending beyond FirstWave's alliance with A&P Group U.K., this merger with

PPL will capitalize on the multi-site facilities and expertise of both compa- nies in offshore rig new construction and complex conversions.

Both companies will be able to meld marketing and project management knowledge for the delivery of new con- struction and conversion services throughout the world.

Bollinger Delivers 254 ft. Multi-Service Vessel

Bollinger Shipyards delivered a 254 ft. (77.4 m), 4,000-hp multi-service (MSV) for Oceaneering International, Houston,

Texas. The vessel, which had its hull launching on Jan 1, was christened on

May 19 by Cynthia Huber, wife of

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