VT Halter Marine unveils new blast and paint facility

New facility can accommodate ship sections as large as 105' W x 80' L x 40' H, weighing up to 500 tons

APRIL 7, 2018 — Shipbuilder VT Halter Marine Inc. yesterday held a dedication ceremony at its Pascagoula, MS, shipyard to unveil a new $10-million, state-of-the-art blast and paint facility that will allow ship sections to be prepared, blasted and painted in a controlled environment.

The ceremony included a keynote speech given by Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS).

“The installation of this new blast and paint facility is to incorporate cutting edge technologies in our marine construction programs. We are now able to apply a diverse range of protective coatings regardless of the weather conditions,” said VT Halter Marine CEO Rob Mullins.

Located at the northeast corner of the shipyard in Pascagoula, MS, the facility consists of a large 304 ft x 120 ft main building with adjacent spaces for blasting, and painting of small parts of large ship sections with dual independent grit recovery, and cleaning processes to enable re-use of abrasive media. It can accommodate ship sections as large as 105 ft W x 80 ft L x 40 ft H, weighing up to 500 tons each.

The facility is also designed for 24/7 operation in all weather conditions, and utilizes 100% LED lighting to reduce energy consumption and carbon footprint.

Earlier last month, VT Halter Marine announced it had begun the construction of the first Articulated Tug Barge (ATB) Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunker barge in the U.S. As we previously reported, the shipyard is building the ATB for Q-LNG Transport, a venture 70% owned by Share Guidry and 30% owned by New Orleans-based Harvey Gulf International Marine.