Diversification Keeps Gulf Vessel Builders Afloat

Companies building vessels on the U.S. Gulf are servicing a flock of domestic and overseas clients while their offshore oil and gas customers wait for Washington to issue more drilling permits and safety rules. Some of the region’s builders are busy making repairs. After a federal ban on deepwater drilling ended in October — three months after BP’s well was capped — the Gulf remains quiet, but industry members expect business to improve eventually.