OCTOBER 10, 2016.— Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (NYSE:HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division reports that its sixth U.S. Coast Guard National Security Cutter (NSC), Munro (WMSL 755), has successfully completed acceptance trials. Munro spent two
OCTOBER 6, 2016 —The U.S. Coast Guard moved forward with the offshore patrol cutter acquisition yesterday by issuing a notice to proceed to the detail design and construction phase (Phase II). The
JUNE 22, 2016 — Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, LA, has delivered the USCGC Joseph Tezanos, the eighteenth Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to the United States Coast Guard. The Coast Guard took delivery of
MAY 20, 2016—While no ballast water technology manufacturer has yet gained U.S. Coast Guard Type Approval, some are now reporting that they have completed land-based and shipboard testing, the final steps on
MAY 4, 2016 —In Phase 2 of its FRC acquisition program, the U.S. Coast Guard today awarded a contract to Bollinger Shipyards LLC, Lockport, LA, for the procurement of up to 26
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.
NOVEMBER 15, 2015 — Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (NYSE:HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division christened the company’s sixth U.S. Coast Guard National Security Cutter (NSC), Munro (WMSL 755), November 14 in front of nearly 600
The U.S. Coast Guard recently issued a notice in the Federal Register that it would review a proposal by Washington State Ferries (WSF) to modify its marine terminal operations to handle Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). The LNG would be used to fuel its six Issaquah Class ferries. Last year on June 27, the Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound had received a Letter of Intent (LOI) and a Waterway Suitability Assessment (WSA) from Washington State Ferries to modify their marine terminals to handle LNG.
In accordance with regulation and policy guidance, the Captain of the Port (COTP), Coast Guard Puget Sound Sector, in cooperation with key stakeholders, will review and validate the information in the WSA. Once the COTP reviews the WSA, he will issue a Letter of Recommendation to the Washington Department of Transportation recommending the suitability of the Puget Sound waterways that will be used for LNG marine traffic as it relates to safety and security. Public comments received last November regarding WSF’s proposal will be considered in the development of the COTP’s Letter of Recommendation. Some of the comments received expressed concern about the exposed location of the LNG tanks on the top deck of the converted ferries and how they could potentially pose a security threat. Other comments thought that LNG poses a pollution threat to the environment. The Coast Guard will examine WSF’s Emergency and Operations Manuals covering the LNG transfer system and transfer procedures.
Proposed conversion
Once WSF receives the Letter of Recommendation from the Coast Guard, it will be able to move forward with the retrofit of the first Issaquah Class ferry, which will serve as a proof of concept for the remaining vessels in the class. The diesel-powered ferries carry about 1,200 passengers and 124 vehicles.The state’s ferries, says WSF, are the largest single source of marine carbon emissions in the state. It expects to cut CO2, particulate matter, SOx, and NOx emissions significantly with the use of LNG s a marine fuel. The WSDOT also expects to reap some cost savings, although the picture is not as compelling as it was last year when oil was at $100 per barrel.
During testimony this past January before a State Senate Energy, Environment and Telecommunication Subcommittee, Lynne Griffith, Assistant Secretary of Transportation, Ferries Division, said there would be a $1 per gallon savings when burning LNG as compared with burning Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel. WSF burns about 18 million gallons of fuel annually. The cost of fuel now represents about 23 percent of the Fiscal Year 2013-2015 operating budget as compared with 11 percent in Fiscal Year 2000-2001. Any ferries that would burn LNG would have to be refueled by tanker truck every seven to 10 days.
Munro is the company’s sixth NSC and is expected to be delivered by the end of next year.
“The National Security Cutter program is in a very mature state,” said Derek Murphy, Ingalls’ NSC program manager. “NSC 6 is the most complete ship at launch, and we accomplished this a week earlier than scheduled. Our shipbuilders continue to improve the learning curve, and the National Security Cutter program illustrates the cost savings and first-time quality that comes from serial production. Our learning curve is the best it has been on this program, and we look forward to continuing this trend on future Coast Guard ships.”
Munro was translated (transferred) via the shipyard’s rail car system to the floating dry dock one week prior to launch. The dock was moved away from the pier and then flooded to float the ship. With the assistance of tugs, Munro came off the dock Saturday morning.
“All of the folks working the translation and launch worked diligently to ensure the process was done in the most efficient manner possible, and that’s exactly what happened,” said Jason Frioux, Ingalls’ NSC 6 program integration manager. “Now our NSC 6 team will continue this effort so this ship will be ready for sea trials and delivery next year. Everything we are doing on a day-to-day basis matters because we want to ensure the men and women of the Coast Guard will have a safe and quality ship to support their homeland security missions.”
Ingalls has delivered the first five NSCs and has three more under construction, including Munro. The seventh ship, Kimball (WMSL 756), is scheduled for delivery in 2018. The eighth NSC, Midgett, will start fabrication in November.
Munro is named to honor Signalman First Class Douglas A. Munro, the Coast Guard’s sole recipient of the Medal of Honor. He was mortally wounded on Sept. 27, 1942, while evacuating a detachment of Marines on Guadalcanal.
Legend-class NSCs are the flagships of the Coast Guard’s cutter fleet. Designed to replace the 378‐foot Hamilton-class high-endurance cutters that entered service in the 1960s, they are 418 feet long with a 54-foot beam and displace 4,500 tons with a full load. They have a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 miles, an endurance of 60 days and a crew of 110.
NSCs are capable of meeting all maritime security mission needs required of the high-endurance cutter. They include an aft launch and recovery area for two rigid hull inflatable boats and a flight deck to accommodate a range of manned and unmanned rotary wing aircraft. The Legend class is the largest and most technologically advanced class of cutter in the Coast Guard, with capabilities for maritime homeland security, law enforcement, marine safety, environmental protection and national defense missions.
AUGUST 13, 2015—In a surprising announcement, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said that Thomas P. Ostebo, who just took the reins of President and CEO of the association on July 6, has stepped