Bender to sell Tampa Bay Shipbuilding stake to Chouest

Tim Colton reports on www.coltoncompany.com that the Bender Group is selling its controlling interest in Tampa Bay Shipbuilding & Repair Company to Edison Chouest Offshore.

According to a letter "to all Tampa users" posted by Tim, the sale is in process of being concluded and the handover of the facilities is expected to take approximately two months.

The letter says that "all three barge forebodies currently under construction at Tampa Bay Shipbuilding & Repair Company will be completed at Tampa Bay Shipbuilding & Repair Company utilizing the current workforce."

Those forebodies are the barge elements of three ATB's being built for OSG.

EMD Services International, LLC filed suit against Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc. and OSG America, LP in Alabama Southern District Court on October 17, 2008 seeking $1,219,804 plus interest and costs in relation to payment for two EMD engines supplied for one of these ATB's. Read the complaint here.