Page 74: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 2015)

SHIPBUILDING

VT Halter Powers Ahead

Diverse newbuild, repair, government workload has VT Halter ? ring on all cylinders

If you drive just south of I-10 in Pas- tenured and important client for ability to do government and commer-

When it comes to diversity in cagoula, Miss., within 10 minutes you VT Halter. cial work in one facility is one of the shipbuilding VT Halter has ? nd yourself on the doorstep of VT Hal- • A Fast Missile Craft (FMC) for the things that makes VT Halter a little dif- ter Marine, arguably one of the more di- U.S. Navy, undergoing sea trials ferent.” few that can match the depth verse and active shipyards in the U.S. • An Oceanographic vessel, TAG66 Anyone in the shipbuilding business

The company, which is a subsidiary • A car carrier for Pasha knows how dif? cult of a task it is to and breadth of its order of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. • The last two in a series of 10 Super- build commercial and navy contracts book. Last month we spoke (VTS), operates three facilities in Jack- Max 320-ft. PSVs for Hornbeck under the same roof. While both are son County, Miss., and today supports ships, the procurement, oversight and with Bill Skinner, VT Halter’s about 1,600 full time employees as well In addition, VT Halter’s repair facility requirements for navy ships are a dif- as about 1,600 vendors and subcontrac- (pictured above), which opened in 2014 ferent magnitude of order, making the

CEO and a 46-year veteran tors. Its recent and current order book is and includes a 13,000 ton drydock, has process to design, build and out? t a of the shipbuilding industry, fat and diverse, and includes: been full with a diversity of work from completely different ballgame. Skinner

NOAA to offshore to bulk carriers since said the secret to success is really no for his take on the shipyard’s • Two LNG-fuelled ConRo carriers it opened last year. secret at all. “We have a program man- for Crowley Maritime, the ? rst of “The secret of VTHM’s success is our agement group that has been trained progress.

their kind in the world ability to harness existing commercial and the experience of working our navy • A pair of 250,000 barrel ATBs and and defense-related project ‘know-how’ programs, and they know the difference

By Greg Trauthwein, Editor a pair of 6,000 hp ATB tugs for and integrate it with emerging tech- of requirements as opposed to our com-

Bouchard Transportation, a long- nologies,” said Bill Skinner, CEO. “Our mercial customers. It’s just a matter of 74 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • APRIL 2015

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