Signal International

With a family of three yards located along the Gulf of Mexico in Alabama, Mississippi and Texas, Signal International offers new construction, rig and ship repair, offshore and technical services. Marine construction and repair needs are complimented by three dry docks; a 30,000-ton lift rig dock, a 22,000-ton Panamax dry dock and a 4,500-ton lift dry dock.

In Mobile, Ala., Signal Ship Repair (SSR) offers 4,400 ft. of water front along the Mobile River with a maintained channel depth of 44 ft.  This facility specializes in ship repair and conversion.  The shipyard houses two floating dry docks, one Panamax size dry dock plus one 4,500-ton dry dock.   

Most recently, SSR has completed dry docking and repair of the ATB Pat Cantrell and tug Betty Wood, Olympic Shipping’s Olympic Intervention IV, as well as Foss Maritime’s Delta Mariner. 
SSR is also in the final throws of a major conversion on the U.S. Corp of Engineers’ dredge Wheeler.   Upcoming work includes U.S. Shipping’s ATB Petrochem Producer/Galveston and Crimson Shipping’s ocean warehouse barge Crimson Tide. 

Joe Mayhall, VP Sales and Marketing states that SSR has a healthy backlog of work into the 1st quarter of 2014.  “2013 has been a very good year.  We continue to have success with new and repeat clients both foreign and domestic.  With PSVs and construction vessels increasing in size and deadweight, SSR has found a niche market having the capability to dry dock the larger, deeper draft vessels.

These vessels require higher blocking to work on underwater machinery.  As the new tranche of PSVs and CSVs come on line in the Gulf we see that market continuing to grow for us.”
Our new construction facility in Orange, Texas has undergone a major transformation over the past several years.

These upgrades include elevating its marine and heavy manufacturing capability to include a new panel line and steel processing facility.  Signal Orange has recently delivered to Kirby Offshore two 20,000-dwt ATBs. The hopper barges are 488 x 90 x 36 ft.  The two OTBE designed 6,000-hp tugs are 123 x 42 x 22 ft.  In May Signal delivered to McDonough Marine a 300 x 100 x 20 ft. heavy deck barge.  McDonough also has under contract to Signal several 260-ft. deck barges as well as a second 300 x 100 x 20 ft. 

The Pascagoula, Mississippi facility handles marine fabrication and rig repair.  Along with a 30,000-ton dry dock, Signal maintains a deep hole 500  x 300 x 60 ft. for underwater thruster work as well as space for storage of offshore equipment.  This year the 30,000-ton Dual Carrier/Heavy Lift dry dock has completed several dockings on semi-submersibles and jack-ups while maintaining a healthy backlog of marine fabrication.

(As published in the August 2013 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News - www.marinelink.com)