US Gulf Coast shipyards squeezed

NEW YORK: The shipbuilding industry in the US Gulf Coast is still struggling to expand and grow one year after Hurricane Katrina caused widespread devastation in the several Gulf coast states, industry sources said last Friday. Shipyards in Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Alabama are being squeezed by a labour shortage and an increased work load for repairs. The work backlog for some shipyards is so heavy that they have had to turn away large potential new ship orders. The labour shortage problem has the biggest impact on shipyards in Mississippi and Louisiana, where most yards are operating at 90 to 100 per cent capacity.