Page 50: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2014)

50 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News ? AUGUST 2014 REPAIR & MAINTENANCE BAE Systems Ship Repair BAE Systems Ship Repair Leveraging Location, Infrastructure & Workforce BAE Systems launches the Þ rst of four platform supply ves-sels it?s building for Jackson Offshore Operators, LLC., January 29, 2014. The vessels, being built in Jacksonville, Fla., will support drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico and reß ects the company?s continued growth in U.S. commercial shipbuilding and its support to the offshore oil and gas industry. BAE Systems Ship Repair is one of the many entities that make up BAE Sys-tems U.S. subsidiary. Although BAE Systems Ship Repair devotes much of its production capability to naval custom-ers, it also has a robust commercial busi-ness, according to Richard McCreary, vice president of Commercial Business Development.In addition to maintenance, repair, overhaul and conversion (MROC) work, McCreary says the company is also heavily involved in new construc-tion projects. ?We have four major new construction programs underway?two in Jacksonville and two in Mobile. At our Jacksonville Yard, we are construct- ing four platform support vessels (PSVs) for Jackson Offshore, as well as a tug for SEACOR. At Mobile, we have two PSVs building for GulfMark Offshore, and a subsea construction support vessel for Oceaneering International.The Jacksonville and Mobile yards are well situated to support the ?oil patch? business in the Gulf of Mexico as well as construction and repair of ships involved in the Jones Act trade, he says. All of the work was competitively bid and were awarded as Þ rm-Þ xed price contracts. McCreary says BAE Systems is unique-ly situated with capacity and capability to handle larger value programs. ?There are a couple of competitors that can do the same kind of work. However, BAE Systems? reputation and Þ nancial securi- ty are major differentiators, and big fac- tors in the company winning the work.?McCreary says the company is ?blessed in our locations.?While there are some channel restric-tions, the Mobile facility has a 46,000 ton dry dock. ?We can handle larger work, up to drill ships, that most of our competition cannot.? When the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico is opened for drilling in around 2018-2020, McCreary says BAE Sys-tems will be well situated for new work.At Jacksonville, McCreary says the yard has an eclectic mix of business, from Navy surface combatant overhauls in the drydock to mega-yachts. ?The commercial new construction is a nice balance to our Navy work.?Both Mobile and Jacksonville are do-ing MROC work for commercial cus-tomers, he says. The two drydocks in Mobile and one in Jacksonville, and the ability to take larger vessels, are signi Þ cant assets. McCreary says the company is in con-stant contact with its customer base in the major oil and gas centers of Houston and New Orleans, and elsewhere on the east coast. While the company has long term relationships, most customers do not make long-term contractual commit-ments. ?We?re only as good as our last job, and we have to be very competitive to win the next one.?Growing Talent The size and stability of BAE Sys-tems has also attracted a quality work-force. ?We have as skilled a work force as anyone in this industry,? McCreary By Edward LundquistMR #8 (50-57).indd 50MR #8 (50-57).indd 508/4/2014 10:05:50 AM8/4/2014 10:05:50 AM