USA: Bay Shipbuilding Starts Construction of Tidewater’s PSV

Bay Shipbuilding Co on Monday laid keel for the first, out of two, platform supply vessel that company is building for New Orleans-based Tidewater Marine. The second keel laying is expected in mid-December.

Vice president and general manager at Bay Shipbuilding Co. Gene Caldwell said that this contract will open new jobs at the yard. “The reason for a little bit of peak this year is because of our new construction,” he said.

Bay Shipbuilding, which had about 250 workers in mid-November, is part of Fincantieri Marine Group. So far Fincantieri invested about $100 million in capital improvements into the Sturgeon Bay and its Marinette shipyards.

The yard has invested in new production and transportation equipment and is upgrading its floating dry dock capabilities. Caldwell said Bay Shipbuilding continues to seek other commercial work and the platform supply vessels have opened a new line of potential business.

Both PSVs, currently under construction in Sturgeon Bay, have the capability to operate in ice.

“It is something new for us, and I think it’s the hot trend in the shipbuilding market right now,”Caldwell said about the PSV class of ships. “There are quite a few of them in contract right now around the world.”

Two Deepwater Platform Supply Vessels will be state-of-the-art vessels with diesel-electric z-drive propulsion, dynamic positioning 2 (DP-2) system, polar class 7, fire-fighting class 2 (FFV 2) system, and ENVIRO. The first platform supply vessel is scheduled for delivery in the 4th Quarter of 2012, and the second platform supply vessel is scheduled for delivery in the 2nd Quarter of 2013.

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World Maritime News Staff, November 25, 2011; Image: MMC-Shipdesign