Bollinger Shipyards

Bollinger delivers FRC Winslow Griesser

Each FRC is named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished him or herself in the line of duty. This vessel is named after Coast Guard Hero Winslow Griesser.

Winslow W. Griesser, Keeper of the Buffalo Life-Saving Station in New York, was awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal on February 23, 1901 for his heroic actions during a dramatic rescue on November 21, 1900.

“We are very pleased to announce the delivery of the latest FRC built by Bollinger Shipyards, the Winslow Griesser, to the 7th Coast Guard District in Puerto Rico,” said Bollinger President & CEO, Ben Bordelon. “We are looking forward to honoring and celebrating the heroic acts of Winslow Griesser at the vessel’s commissioning.”

To build the Coast Guard’s Sentinel-class FRC program, Bollinger Shipyards uses a proven, in-service parent craft design based on the Damen Stan Patrol Boat 4708. It has a flank speed of 28 knots, state of the art command, control, communications and computer technology, and a stern launch system for the vessel’s 26 foot cutter boat. The FRC has been described as an operational “game changer,” by senior Coast Guard officials.

Bollinger in $8.5 million False Claims Act settlement

The False Claims Act suit alleges that Bollinger misrepresented the longitudinal strength of patrol boats it delivered to the Coast Guard that resulted in the boats buckling and failing once they were put into service. Bollinger Shipyards is located in Lockport, Louisiana.

“Those who expect to do business with the government must do so fairly and honestly,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Mizer, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We expect the utmost integrity and reliability from the contractors that design and build equipment that is essential to public safety and our national defense.”

In 2002, the U.S. Coast Guard contracted to lengthen the Coast Guard’s existing fleet of 110-foot patrol boats to 123 feet and to make other modifications. Bollinger was the subcontractor that performed the 123-foot patrol boat design and conversion work. An essential element of the conversion was that the modified boats have sufficient longitudinal strength to meet the performance requirements set forth in the contract.

The United States alleged Bollinger provided the Coast Guard with engineering calculations that falsely represented the longitudinal strength of the boats and was two times greater than their actual longitudinal strength. The United States alleged Bollinger ran the calculations three times and only provided the Coast Guard with the highest and most inaccurate, of the three calculations. The United States further alleged Bollinger also failed to follow the quality control procedures that were mandated by the contract that would have ensured against such engineering miscalculations.

The case was handled jointly by the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Louisiana.The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

Edison Chouest Offshore’s new 300 ft Class PSV

SEPTEMBER 26, 2014—Back in May, Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, LA, delivered the Ms. Charlotte, the first in a series of four 300 Class deepwater platform supply vessels for Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO), Galliano,

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