Mississippi Gulf Coast Shipbuilding 2007

Transcription

Mississippi
Gulf Coast
Shipbuilding
2007
www.mscoastshipbuilding.com
Shipbuilding Corridor Directory – 1
Partially funded by the
Copyright © 2007 Mississippi Gulf Coast Alliance for Economic Development
Researched, written and prepared by Tortorano Commissioned Publications, 1477 College
Parkway, Gulf Breeze, FL 32563. Printed version available through Lulu.com, 860 Aviation
Parkway, Suite 300, Morrisville, NC 27560
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
without the prior written permission of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Alliance for Economic Development. Permission is granted to quote from this publication with credit.
Cover photos: USS Kidd, Northrop Grumman, Pascagoula, Miss.; artists drawing of DD(X),
Raytheon; composite structure, Northrop Grumman, Gulfport, Miss.; Signal International
shipyard, Signal International, Pascagoula, Miss.
Mississippi Gulf Coast
Shipbuilding
Preface
Contents
4
An opportunity
Part I: Overview
The U.S. shipbuilding industry
8
Part II: Gulf Coast region
A larger slice of a smaller pie
15
Part III: Synergies
22
How it fits together
Part IV: Businesses
South Mississippi ship/boat businesses
Part V: RDT&E
27
31
Federal/university research
Part VI: Tech transfer, incubators
Turning research into products
Part VII: Incentives
GO Zone: Incentives on steroids
Part VIII: Work force
37
39
42
A convergence of interests
Preface
An opportunity
T
he worst natural disaster in United
States history hit South Mississippi
and New Orleans Aug. 29, 2005 and
left devastation and death in its wake.
Beachfront communities were destroyed and residents scattered. The hurricane
would forever change the face of this region.
What may wind up as the real legacy of Hurricane Katrina is a rebuilding in South Mississippi
that will minimize the impact of future hurricanes.
Casinos are coming back – on land this time – and
condo developers are building hurricane-resistant
high-rises near the shore. The latest thinking in
urban planning is being adopted in many areas of
the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and the region along Interstate 10 has become a rebuilding hot
spot. Several developers have plans to create self-contained I-10 communities with a mix of
research, corporate and government offices, schools and housing along with pedestrianfriendly town squares.
Gov. Haley Barbour vowed that South Mississippi will be rebuilt “bigger and better,” and
the fact that most jobs lost during the hurricane were replaced by February of 2006 indicates
a boom is at hand. Sen. Trent Lott noted in April 2006 that blue chip companies from across
America have expressed interest in Mississippi, and Barbour has been saying that investing
in the state is good for shareholders. Indeed, the availability of $4.8 billion in Gulf Opportunity Zone incentives makes this an ideal time for newcomers.
For companies involved in shipbuilding, boat building and repair, it may be an opportune
time to set up shop in the Gulf Coast. South Mississippi is home to Northrop Grumman
Ship Systems, one of the key companies involved in building the next generation of surface
warships; Rolls-Royce Naval Marine; VT Halter Marine and other companies that are big
players in military shipbuilding. But it’s also home to one of the builders of some of the
world’s largest pleasure vessels – Trinity Yachts, which moved to Gulfport in the wake of
Hurricane Katrina, as did United States Marine, builder of special operations boats, and
Gulf Ship, which builds ships for Edison Chouest Offshore. While that in itself if significant, it’s particularly important because South Mississippi is also a central location for research in polymers and building with composites, a material of choice for the shipbuilding
industry.
Preface
Beyond South Mississippi, the Gulf Coast I-10 corridor, with a large work force and numerous federal and university research facilities, is a key shipbuilding corridor. The list of
shipbuilders includes Bollinger in Louisiana and Austal USA in Alabama. This section of
the Gulf Coast has the largest concentration of shipbuilders in what has become the largest
shipbuilding region in the nation.
The Mississippi Gulf Coast is on the northern shore of the Gulf of Mexico, between the
states of Alabama to the east and Louisiana to the west. The nearest foreign neighbors are
Mexico to the south and southwest, Cuba to the southeast and the nations of Central America. It is the southern-most portion of the state of Mississippi.
The cities closest to the Mississippi Gulf Coast are Mobile, Ala., to the east, New Orleans, La., to the west and Hattiesburg, Miss., to the north. The Mississippi Gulf Coast’s
largest cities are Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport and Bay St. Louis, but there are other population centers as well.
The Mississippi Gulf Coast is composed of six counties - George, Hancock, Harrison,
Jackson, Pearl River and Stone. Three of those counties – Hancock, Harrison and Jackson
– are on the coast and contain most of the population and business infrastructure. One of
the most notable features is the three counties share the Interstate 10 transportation corridor. Transportation, in fact, is one of the strong attributes of South Mississippi. It has multiple ports and
airports, inHattiesburg
cluding a
growing comMobile
mercial airport
Mississippi
Baton
in the city of
Gulf Coast
Pensacola
Rouge
Gulfport.
Fort Walton
The three
Beach
New Orleans
northern counties – George,
Stone and
Pearl River –
are not along
the I-10 corridor but are part of the Mississippi Gulf Coast because of strong social and
economic ties with the counties to the south. Indeed, the three more rural counties are
where the populations and businesses of the coast are expanding. Combined, the six counties are grouped into two metropolitan areas – Gulfport-Biloxi MSA and Pascagoula MSA
– one one micropolitan area, Picayune (Pearl River County).
The Mississippi Gulf Coast is a key part of two much wider regional economies. It is, of
course, an integral part of the state of Mississippi, where it serves as one of the key economic engines. But the Mississippi Gulf Coast is also part of the Gulf Coast I-10 Corridor,
Preface
Hattiesburg
Mobile
AL
Gulfport Biloxi
Ocean
Springs
Bay St. Long
Louis Beach
Slidell
LA
Moss Point
Pascagoula
Waveland
an urbanized region that spans more than 300 miles across four states, from the Baton Rouge
MSA in Louisiana to the Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin MSA in Florida. It’s a region
with seven contiguous MSAs and two micropolitan statical areas. While known for tourism, the
less-told story is it has a strong mix of defense-related activities. It includes two dozen bases –
many involved in aviation-related missions – and the world’s biggest defense contractors have
set up operations here.
I-10 region snapshot
The I-10 corridor, in fact, has become increasingly
States
portions of 4
innovative. It’s home to more than 150 federal and
university research units involved in everything from Land area*
12,216 sq. m.
artificial intelligence to stem cell research. Nine uni7
versities with interests in the region spent $519 million Metropolitan areas
Micropolitan areas
2
in fiscal year 2003 on R&D, with industry providing
$35.2 million. More than 200 firms claim R&D func- Counties/parishes
27
tions, thought the real number is likely considerably
Population (2000)*
3.42 million
higher. Indeed, the Fort Walton Beach-CrestviewDestin MSA alone can count about 350 technology
Work force*
1.62 million
companies that work closely with the Air Force bases
Gross metro product (2005)**
$126.7 billion
of Eglin and Hurlburt Field. The region’s innovation
Commercial airports
6
infrastructure also includes science and technology
parks, technology transfer offices, incubators and
Major ports
9
more.
Interstates
10; 65; 59
While the Gulf Coast I-10 Corridor has not promoted itself as such, it has all the elements in place.
Major military installations
22
And while clearly less well-known than other technol*pre-2003 metro definitions
ogy regions of the country, it’s in the enviable position **does not include two micropolitan areas
of being far less costly. It is well on its way to creating
Preface
a 21st century knowledge-based economy that will help the United States compete in the global
economy.
Within this broader technology region, the Mississippi Gulf Coast is well-positioned. Because
of Hurricane Katrina, this area has become something of a laboratory where innovative ideas
are taking hold. The Mississippi Gulf Coast is exploring new ways of building communities and
economic development officials, now more than ever, have set their sights on creating technology-driven economies. And a key to that effort is the shipbuilding, boat building and repair industry.
The Editors
Gulf Breeze, FL
March 2007
Part I: Overview
The U.S. shipbuilding industry
T
he numbers are startling and tell the
tale of a shrinking industry.
In the early 1980s there were more
than 200 major shipyards for build and repair in the United States and more than
112,000 workers. Some two decades later
the numbers dropped to just over 80 yards,
and the work force just over 46,000.1
The American Shipbuilding Association,
a trade group for the nation’s largest yards,
has said the industry is in peril. Congressmen in shipbuilding states warn that any
further dismantling will threaten the security of the United States because a domestic
capability to produce and repair warships,
support vessels, and commercial vessels is
fundamental.
In May 2001 the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security and
Bureau of Export Administration performed
an assessment of the industry. The report,
National Security Assessment of the U.S.
Shipbuilding and Repair Industry, pointed
out that there is ongoing concern about U.S.
shipbuilders’ inability to compete with foreign shipbuilders.2
The study, based on a survey of the industry itself, showed United States ranks 10th
in terms of tonnage built (less than 1 percent), with over 1,000 gross tons constructed as of June 2000. The leading shipbuilding nations: South Korea with 43 percent and Japan with 23 percent of the
worldwide market. By comparison, three
Major U.S. shipbuilders
The DD(X), or Zumwalt class destroyers, are being
developed and built at Bath Iron Works in Maine and
Northrop Grumman Ingalls Operations in Pascagoula,
Miss. Raytheon image
Active shipbuilding yards
9
Shipyards with build positions
13
Repair with dry docking
28
Topside repair
32
Work force
46,300
Sources: 2005 Report on Survey of U.S. Shipbuilding and
Repair Industry, U.S. Department of Commerce, MARAD
Part I – Overview
other crucial industries – aerospace, computers and automobiles – have a much larger share of the market and are much more
competitive, the study said.3
The military shipbuilding segment, a
strength for United States shipbuilders, is
facing a particularly rough time in part because of the huge costs of fighting the wars
in Afghanistan and Iraq, in part because the
Department of Defense wants fewer ship.
Add to that the growing bad publicity about
newer warships that are flawed and it’s
clear the industry is in deep trouble.
Some in Congress are calling for change.
Industry size
The industry itself is one of the oldest in
the nation, and involves the manufacture of
ships, barges and other large vessels, both
self-propelled and towed by other craft, as
well as the ship repair segment. Most shipyards specialize in either building or repair
work.
The industry is divided into two segments:
Those that produce for the civilian market
and those that produce for the military. The
commercial segment includes an assortment
of associated businesses that produce shipboard equipment, and is closely tied to the
oil and gas industry through the building of
oil and gas platforms. The military segment,
larger in terms of revenue, also includes
companies involved in weapons systems,
such as missiles, and communicationsrelated equipment.
While shipbuilding is not nearly as large
in terms of revenue as the nation’s aerospace industry, it is nonetheless substantial.
U.S. shipbuilding and repair industry account for some $8 billion to $10 billion in
annual sales,4 About 10 percent of the companies accounted for 85 percent of the revenues. The six largest shipbuilders, the socalled “Big Six,” accounted for two-thirds
of the industry’s shipbuilding revenue in
•
Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine, est. 1826
and builds surface combat ships. Part of General
Dynamics since 1995. In mid-2003 had 6,800
workers.*
•
Bender Shipbuilding and Repair Co. Inc., Mobile,
Ala., est. 1919. Builds commercial vessels. In mid2003 had 870 workers.
•
Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Conn., est. 1899.
Builds nuclear submarines. Modular sections built
at Quonset Point, R.I. facility. Part of General Dynamics since 1952. In mid-2003 had 8,900 workers.*
•
Aker Philadelphia Shipyard Inc., Philadelphia, Pa.,
newly established at former Philadelphia Naval
Shipyard. In mid-2003 had 850 workers.
•
National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego,
Calif., est. 1959, builds military auxiliary and support ships, oil tankers and dry cargo carriers for
commercial market. Part of General Dynamics
Corp. since 1998. In mid-2003 had 3,300 workers.*
•
Northrop Grumman Newport News, Newport
News, Va., sole builder of nuclear powered aircraft
carriers. Part of Northrop Grumman since 2001. In
mid-2003 had 17,400 workers.*
•
Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, Avondale Operations, Avondale, La., builds military, commercial and Coast Guard vessels. Part of Northrop
Grumman since 2001. Sister yard in Tallulah, LA,
builds modular sections. Avondale and Ingalls had
a combined 19,000 workers in late 2003.*
•
Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, Ingalls Operations, Pascagoula, Miss., builds military and Coast
Guard vessels. Part of Northrop Grumman since
2001. Ingalls and Avondale had a combined
19,000 workers in late 2003.*
•
VT-Halter Marine Pascagoula, Pascagoula, Miss.,
owned by Singapore Technologies Engineering.
In mid-2003 had 430 workers.
* denotes one of the “Big Six.”
Source: Department of Commerce, MARAD, 2005
Part I – Overview
1998 and perform nearly 90 percent of all
military work. Ninety-five percent of the
revenues of these yards were defenserelated.5
In fact, military orders account for the
vast majority of U.S. shipbuilding revenues.
The military portion of the industry – which
declined 60 percent in the 10 years since the
end of the Cold War – accounted for 70 percent of the revenues in 1998.6
At the time of the BIS assessment in
2001, the shipbuilding and repair sector
consisted of 250 private companies and five
publicly owned and operated repair yards.7
The Maritime Administration’s 2005 Report on Survey of the U.S. Shipbuilding and
Repair Industry places the number of major
shipbuilding and repair bases at 82, a figure
that includes active shipyards, those with
the capability of handling large vessels,
large repair and dry docking operations and
those that handle topside repair.8
The so-called “Big Six” from the BIS
study included three shipyards owned by
General Dynamics: Bath Iron Works, Electric Boat and National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. Two others, Avondale and Ingalls,
were at the time owned by Litton Industries
and the sixth one was Newport News. Since
the assessment, Litton’s Avondale and Ingalls and Newport News were purchased by
Northrop Grumman.
While the number of yards has dropped
dramatically over the past 20 years, the
number of workers, too, has taken a nosedive. According to MARAD’s survey, there
were 46,300 employed at the nation’s major
shipyards in 2005. While there have been
fluctuations from year to year, the general
trend has been downward. In 1982 there
were 112,500 workers at the major yards.9
But the malaise of the shipbuilding industry has an impact well beyond the yards.
There are thousands of vendors involved in
the shipbuilding field. Include their employ-
Public (Navy) shipyards
•
Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Va., was
established in 1767 under the British flag. It is
the Navy’s oldest shipyard and the largest on
the East Coast with 800 acres.
•
Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii, was established in 1908 and is the
largest industrial employer in Hawaii.
•
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Maine, where in
1690 the first North American warship was
built.
•
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate
Maintenance Facility, Bremerton, Wash. PSNS
and IMF merged in 2003.
Source: United States Naval Shipyards
ment into the mix and the number of workers who rely on the health of the industry
skyrockets to 350,000 workers in 47
states.10
The regions
There are five distinct regions surveyed
by MARAD: The East Coast, Gulf Coast,
West Coast, Great Lakes and non-CONUS.
The 2005 survey by MARAD showed there
are 82 major private shipbuilding and repair
yards in the United States, down from the
89 in the 2003 survey. That number includes 9 active shipbuilding yards; 13 shipyards with build positions; 28 repair with
drydocking; and 32 topside repair.11
The region with the largest number of
yards, 31, is the Gulf Coast, down by three
from the survey in 2003, followed by the
East Coast’s 27, down from 29 in the 2003
survey. The West Coast has 15 yards and
Great Lakes 6, with non-CONUS sites having 3 yards.12
According to the 2005 survey, the East
Coast and Gulf Coast each have 4 active
Part I – Overview
shipbuilding yards and the West Coast has
one. The Gulf Coast have 7 shipyards with
build positions compared to 4 for the Great
Lakes and 1 each for the East Coast and
West Coast.13
The numbers have changed dramatically
since 1982. The East Coast had the most
yards with 41 at that time, while the Gulf
Coast was second with 33 and the West
Coast close behind with 27. By 2005 the
Gulf Coast had 31 yards compared to the
East Coast’s 27 and the West Coast’s 15.
The Great Lakes was stable at 6 in 1982 and
the same number in 2005. Non-CONUS
was at 3 in 1982 and 2005. Significantly,
the number of yards went from 110 in 1982
to 82 in 2005.14
The number of build and repair positions
went from 212 in ’85 to 119 in 2005.15
Workers
Of particular significance for the shipbuilding industry is what’s happened to the
workforce. It has shrinked over the years,
and like the aerospace industry, there is real
concern about having enough workers for
the future.
In 1982 there were 112,500 workers at the
major shipbuilding and repair yards, but by
2005 the number stood at 46,300. All regions saw a drop in workers. The East Coast
went from 63,100 workers to 19,000, and
the West Coast from 23,700 to 7,700. The
Gulf Coast went from 22,900 to 18,200, a
drop, but not as severe as the East and West
coasts. The Great Lakes drop was from
2,300 to 1,300.16
The number of production workers shows
the East Coast with the largest number at
19,000, followed closely by the Gulf Coast
with 18,200, the West Coast with 7,700, the
Great Lakes with 1,300 and non-CONUS
with 200 for a total of 46,300 shipyard production workers.17
The BIS report in 2001 also sited the
Job market
Over time the number of shipbuilding jobs have
declined – hardly surprising, considering that in 1984
there were 229 major shipbuilders, repairers public
yards. In 2003 it was 89, according to the Maritime
Administration.
Ingalls in Pascagoula is a good example of the
changes. In 1977 the shipyard had 24,900 workers.
In 2001 it had dropped to 10,120. The reasons for
the drop: overall market demand, consolidations and
more efficient production methods.
Production jobs remain key to the industry, and
include the same work typically found on heavy construction, such as welders, boilermakers and such.
As with other heavy construction industries, there
are entry level jobs that can be learned with on-thejob training. But many of the jobs require formal
training or education, ranging from tech school to
advanced degrees.
Indeed, because of the importance of technology
to modern shipbuilding, the expectation is for an
increase of technology-intensive jobs. Scientists and
technicians with advanced degrees are beginning to
play a larger role.
Average wage in 2002 was $16.66, according to
MARAD and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but
many technology jobs pay considerably more.
workforce as a problem. It noted at the time
that labor shortages had reduced profits, impacted construction costs, and delayed project completion for most shipyards. In addition, many shipyards subcontracted work
normally done at the yard and turned away
new business. A few yards also used contract labor.18
The report also cited a high turnover in
some yards, due in part to the uneven workload.
The skill base of the U.S. shipbuilding
industry is eroding, notably for welders,
pipe fitters, and ship fitters. Shipyards also
cited shortages of machinists,
electricians and marine engineers. Shipyards compete with other industries and
Part I – Overview
with each other for skilled labor, according
to the BIS report.19
Research and development
Among the multiple concerns that have
been expressed about the nation’s shipbuilding, one of the most troubling is the concern
over research and development. There’s
simply not enough going on.
Nationwide, less than one percent of industry employees are engaged in R&D at
least part time, and 25 percent of those
workers have a four-year college degree.20
U.S. shipyard R&D averaged about 1.23
percent of revenues from 1996 through
2000. Half of the R&D was company
funded (0.64 percent of revenues), which
compares with more than 3 percent for all
U.S. manufacturing.21
The Big Six accounted for 80 percent of
the R&D averaging 1.49 percent of their
revenues. The R&D range for the Big Six
was from near zero to almost 3 percent.
Slightly more than half their R&D was
company funded.22
U.S. warships are acknowledged to be the
best in the world. Advancements include the
integration of nuclear power and gas turbine
propulsion, advanced weapons systems,
state-of-the-art electronic communications
and stealth technologies.23
A key reason for U.S. warship superiority
has been the shipbuilding research and
development expertise residing in the
Navy’s laboratories, acquisition commands
and certain shipbuilders and universities.
Collectively, they’ve conceived and designed most of the state-of-the-art hull, mechanical, electrical, power projection, air
defense, and undersea warfare capabilities
that are operational today.24
But with reduced R&D budgets, some of
that capability is becoming fragmented. The
shipbuilding industry’s principal roles in the
development process have been in the appli-
Industrial codes
Standard Industrial Classification codes and
North American Industrial Classification System codes for the shipbuilding industry:
SIC
•
3731: shipbuilding and repairing; floating dry docks
not associated with shipyards; shipbuilding and repairing except floating dry docks not associated with
shipyards.
•
3732: boat building and repairing; boat repair; boat
building
NAICS
•
336611: shipbuilding and repairing
•
336612: boat building
•
48839: other support activities with water transportation (pt)
Related SIC, NAICS:
•
SIC
1382: oil and gas field exploration services, geo-
•
physical surveying and mapping
3663: radio and television broadcasting communica-
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
tions equipment
3679: electronic components, NEC (antennas)
3761: guided missiles and space vehicles (except
research and development)
3812: search, detection, navigation, guidance, aeronautical, and nautical systems and instruments
3829: measuring and controlling devices, NEC
7371: computer programming services
7372: prepackaged software (software publishing)
8713: surveying services, geophysical surveying
•
NAIC
334220: space satellites, communications manufac-
•
turing
334220: earth station communications equipment
•
manufacturing
334511: search, detection, navigation, guidance,
aeronautical, and nautical system and instrument
•
•
•
•
manufacturing
511210: software computer packaged, publishers
54136: geophysical surveying and mapping services
54137: surveying and mapping, except geophysical,
services
541511: software analysis and design services custom computer
Part I – Overview
cation of technology, detailed design, and
manufacturing and system integration.25
An existing effort to bolster the shipbuilding R&D infrastructure is the National
Shipbuilding Research Project Advanced
Shipbuilding Enterprise (NSRP ASE).
This project is an industry/U.S. Navy partnership focused on improving the
commercial competitiveness of the U.S.
shipbuilding industry, thereby reducing
the cost of Navy ships. The Navy and the 11
major shipbuilders that comprise NSRP are
jointly funding R&D costs.26
The U.S. Navy directly funded 42 percent
of the R&D that took place in the
shipbuilding industry. Most Navy R&D is
devoted to the development of weapons and
combat systems, which is not performed by
shipyards.27
As part of recent DoD acquisition reform
policies, the Navy transferred its design and
life cycle responsibilities to the shipbuilding
industry. The transfer has been a part of an
overall defense downsizing effort that began
in the early 1990s.28
Now the thinking is, that shift of design
responsibility may have been a mistake.
Turbulent waters
With the industry already besieged by
problems, bad publicity about some
problems or potential problems with ships
has served to put a spotlight on the industry.
The LPD 17 San Antonio amphibious
assault ship was $1 billion over its projected
price of $876 million, and it arrived two
years late.29
There were so many safety and
craftsmanship problems the Navy declined
initially to accept the vessel.
But some of the worst publicity has been
more recent. A case in point: the Coast
Guard’s $24 billion deep-water program, an
ambitious plan to replace the agency’s
aging fleet with new ships, patrol boats and
helicopters over 20 to 25 years.
In December the Coast Guard said it
would pull eight patrol boats – retrofitted at
Bollinger Shipyard in Lockport, La. – from
service after deeming them unfit for use.
Bollinger had received a $488 million
contract to convert 49 aging, 110-foot patrol
boats into 123-foot vessels with new
equipment and enhanced capabilities. The
Coast Guard canceled the contract in July
2005 after Bollinger had delivered just four
of the boats. The hulls on some of the boats,
the Coast Guard said, cracked and buckled.
In mid-January the Navy issued a stopwork order to Lockheed Martin on its
$197.6-million littoral combat ship – a key
component of the future fleet, under
construction at Bollinger Shipyard. The
Navy cited “significant cost increases” and
“poor contractor performance.” The Navy
planned to review the feasibility of the
program over 90 days.
Also under fire is the $385 million
National Security Cutter, the 410-foot
flagship of the deep-water program, built by
Northrop Grumman in Pascagoula.
Congress has held hearings on the defective
design and is trying to determine why it was
built despite early indications of design
flaws.
Some congressional leaders are calling for
reform of the shipbuilding process.
“I'm seeing a pattern here,” said Rep.
Gene Taylor, D-Miss., referring to the
failure of the patrol boats and the problems
with the cutter. “In the (patrol boat)
program, you have eight vessels that were
fully capable before they went to the
shipyard, but now you’ve got eight pieces
of junk. In the case of the LCS, you’ve got a
ship that’s 70 percent complete but at a
higher cost. When things like this fail, that
means the taxpayer is being cheated, the
sailors are being cheated. What I’m trying
to do is hold these contractors
Part I – Overview
accountable.”30
Lawmakers have said they take issue with
having contractors oversee the design and
the building of ships. Insufficient oversight
has resulted in higher costs and in some
cases has prevented the government from
getting the best price for work, lawmakers
said. Some legislators want the design work
to again be done by the Defense
Department, while only building would be
done by defense contractors. Taylor said he
plans to introduce legislation requiring
defense agencies to design their own ships.
While some members of Congress are
unhappy with the current lot of contractors
and would like to increase the net of
contractors, the reality is the options are
slim. There is no realistic expectation that
work could be shifted to other yards
because the pool of yards capable of
building warships is so small.
“I don’t know where else (the work)
would go,” said James McCaul, a
shipbuilding expert at International
Maritime Associates Inc.31
13
Ibid.
Ibid.
15
Ibid.
16
Ibid.
17
Ibid.
18
DOC, National Security Assessment.
19
Ibid.
20
Ibid.
21
Ibid.
22
Ibid.
23
Ibid.
24
Ibid.
25
Ibid.
26
Ibid.
27
Ibid.
28
Ibid.
29
Andrew Scutro, Smoother sailing for San Antonio,
Navy Times, Dec. 19, 2005
30
Jaquetta White, Rough seas ahead, The (New Orleans) Times Picayune, Feb. 4, 2007.
31
Ibid.
14
Next: Gulf Coast region
1
U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration (MARAD), Office of Marine Asset
Construction and Technology, 2005 Report on Survey of the U.S. Shipbuilding and Repair Industry,
October 2005.
2
U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry
and Security (BIS), National Security Assessment of
the U.S. Shipbuilding and Repair Industry, 2001.
(http://www.bis.doc.gov/
defenseindustrialbaseprograms/index.htm).
3
Ibid.
4
American Shipbuilding Association.
5
DOC, National Security Assessment.
6
Ibid.
7
Ibid.
8
MARAD, 2005 Report on Survey.
9
Ibid.
10
American Shipbuilding Association.
11
MARAD, 2005 Report on Survey.
12
Ibid.
Part II: Gulf Coast region
A larger slice of a smaller pie
A
lthough the nation’s major shipbuilding industry has been shrinking, the Gulf Coast to a large extent
has managed to hold its own. And because
of that, its proportion of the major shipbuilding pie has increased.
It’s now the location for nearly 40 percent
of shipbuilders as well as the work force.
The Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration tracks the shipbuilding
sector in five regions: The East Coast, West
Coast, Gulf Coast, Great Lakes and nonCONUS areas. Over the years the numbers
have shown the nation’s major shipbuilding
sector is shrinking. The biggest regions
have lost companies and employees.
Figures show that between 1982 and
2005, the number of major shipyards and
repair facilities nationwide declined 25.45
percent – from 110 to 82 – while the number of workers tumbled by 58.84 percent –
from 112,500 to 46,300.
The regions that suffered the biggest
losses were the East and West coasts.
The East Coast in 1982 had 41 shipyards,
but by 2005 that figure had dropped to 27
yards, a loss of 34.1 percent. The number of
shipbuilding and repair jobs also declined,
from 63,100 in 1982 to 19,000 in 2005, a
staggering loss of 96.9 percent.
The West Coast also took a huge hit, going from 27 shipyards in 1982 to 15 yards in
2005, a loss of 44.4 percent. The work force
slid as well, going from 23,700 workers in
1982 to 7,700 in 2005, a 67.5 percent drop.
Major Gulf Coast shipbuilders
4
Shipyards with build positions
7
Repair with dry docking
6
Topside repair
14
Work force
18,200
Sources: 2005 Report on Survey of U.S. Shipbuilding and
Repair Industry, U.S. Department of Commerce, MARAD
By contrast, the losses on the Gulf Coast
among major shipbuilding and repair yards
were much smaller. In 1982 the Gulf Coast
had 33 yards and in 2005 it had 31 yards, a
loss of just over 6 percent. The work force
slipped as well, from 22,900 in 1982 to
18,200 in 2005, a drop of 20.5 percent –
small compared to the other two big regions.
The result was that the Gulf Coast became
a bigger player in a smaller field.
In 1982, the East Coast had 37.3 percent
of the big shipbuilding yards, the Gulf
Coast 30 percent and the West Coast about
24.5 percent. By 2005, the Gulf Coast had
increased its proportion to 37.8 percent,
while the East Coast slipped to 32.9 percent
and the West Coast fell to 18.3 percent.
The same type of shift occurred with the
workforce.
In 1982 the East Coast had well over half
the work force with more than 56 percent,
followed by the West Coast’s 21 percent
and the Gulf Coast’s 20.35 percent. By
Part II – Gulf Coast region
2005 the East Coast still had the most workers with 41 percent, followed by the Gulf
Coast with 39.3 percent and the West Coast
with 16.63 percent.
Gulf Coast core
The Gulf Coast shipbuilding region is
large, spanning an area between south
Texas and the tip of Florida. But within that
large crescent most of the major shipbuilding operations are concentrated in a 200mile area between New Orleans and Mobile. It has four of the nation’s nine active
yards: Bender Shipbuilding and Repair Co.
Inc. in Mobile, Ala., Northrop Grumman
Ship Systems’ Ingalls Operations and VTHalter Marine Pascagoula, both in Pascagoula, Miss., and Northrop Grumman Ship
Systems’ Avondale Operations in New Or-
leans. The Northrop yards in Pascagoula
and New Orleans are part of the “Big Six.”
In addition, four of the seven Gulf Coast
shipyards with build positions are in two
adjacent counties: Alabama Shipyard and
Austal USA, both in Mobile County, Ala.,
and Signal International LLC – East Yard
and VT-Halter Moss Point, both in Jackson
County, Miss.
This focus on shipbuilding has been a way
of life for a long time in this region of the
country, beginning with the first European
settlers. In World War II, Alabama Drydock
and Shipbuilding Co., Gulf Shipbuilding,
Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp., Delta Shipbuilding and Avondale Marine Ways were
among the U.S. shipyards that produced
4,600 ships for the war effort. Ingalls by
June 1945 had built more than 70 ships.
Today the Gulf Coast continues to have a
strong base of major shipbuilders and a
large slate of smaller shipbuilders, as well
as an array of vendors. But the region’s
shipbuilding industry is far different than it
was in the ’80s or ’90s. Companies that
once existed are no more, new players have
come into the region and shipyards that
once competed for contracts are now under
the same corporate umbrella.
One of the “new” shipbuilders in the Gulf
Coast is Los Angeles-based Northrop
Grumman, which through a series of acquisitions beginning in the mid-1990s went
from an also-ran in the defense industry to
No. 3 behind Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
It became a major player in the shipbuilding
industry with the purchase of Litton, which
owned a yard in Pascagoula and New Orleans, and Newport News Shipbuilding in
Newport News, Va.
Foreign interest in the U.S. defense industry also brought additional players to the
Gulf Coast. Rolls-Royce Naval Marine in
Pascagoula makes $650,000 propellers for
Navy ships at a foundry in Pascagoula, and
has designed the facility a center of excellence. Defense conglomerate Singapore
Technologies Engineering, which owns
aerospace company ST Mobile Aerospace
Engineering, entered the shipbuilding sector
when Friede Halter Goldman got into a
deep financial jam, was forced into bankruptcy and began selling off pieces of the
company. STE’s Vision Technologies purchased the FHG yards in Mississippi and
renamed them VT-Halter Marine.
Just across the state line Australia’s
Austal Limited entered a joint venture with
Bender Shipbuilding to set up Austal USA
on the banks of the Mobile River. Bender
has since sold off its interest to Austal.
In recent years, Northrop Grumman began
to consider the possibility of converting its
old East Bank facility into a 130- to 160acre park for his component and subsystem
suppliers. The idea was to borrow a page
from the auto industry by bringing suppliers
closer to take advantage of just-in-time delivery techniques. It had the potential to
lower costs and shorten the time frame for
building ships. There were early indications
that many suppliers were interested. But
Hurricane Katrina, which gave Northrop
enough to handle simply putting its yards
back together, put that project on the backburner.
More recent changes
When Hurricane Katrina plowed into
South Mississippi Aug. 29, 2004, the shipyards were at the very front of the assault. It
caused considerable damage to every yard
and the displacement of many workers. For
the major yards recovery was costly. More
than a year later shipbuilders were still coping with a shortage of workers.
Interestingly, South Mississippi after the
hurricane got additional shipbuilders.
Trinity Yachts opted to leave New Orleans and move its operation to Gulfport
along the industrial canal of Bernard Bayou
Industrial District. It specializes in high end
megayachts that are purchased worldwide.
In addition, United States Marine, which
builds specialty boats for special operations
forces, also moved from New Orleans to
Gulfport at a site along the same canal. Another company, Gulf Ship, set up operations
at a 31-acre site along the waterway to build
ships for Louisiana-based Edison Chouest
Offshore.
In what may be one of the more significant developments for South Mississippi in
the shipbuilding sector, a group of Gulfport
companies and colleges formed a marine
composites consortium that could turn
South Mississippi into the nation’s leading
center for cutting-edge research in the use
of advanced materials for the shipbuilding
industry. Its primary focus will be research
to tackle common problems in the use of
composites with shipbuilding.
But the consortium will also work to build
a cadre of scientists, technicians and workers who will create future generations of
military and commercial vessels. Members
of the group include Northrop Grumman,
Seemann Composites, United States Marine, Trinity Yachts, the University of
Southern Mississippi, Mississippi Gulf
Coast Community College and Pearl River
Community College.
Formation of the consortium, insiders
said, made sense because South Mississippi
is the nexus of academic and industrial interests in composites. Southern Miss has an
international reputation for its polymer program, and this region is home to some of
the biggest industrial users of composites.
Mississippi’s big dogs
While the amount of shipbuilding in
South Mississippi is significant, one of the
most striking aspects is that of the nation’s
nine active major yards, four are in the Gulf
Coast and two of those are in one city, Pascagoula.
Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman
Corp. operates three of the Big Six shipbuilders, and two of them are in the Gulf
Coast: Avondale and Ingalls. Although the
company has been around for a long time,
Northrop Grumman’s foray into shipbuilding is of recent vintage.
The company has shown that if you have
a vision and you pursue it, you can go from
an also-ran into a player to contend with.
When Northrop first began its buying spree
it was an aerospace company that faced
strong competition. But after an eight-year
buying spree, it is today world’s leading
shipbuilder and third largest U.S. defense
contractor. Its last major acquisition was in
2002 when it purchased TRW in a $7.8 billion stock deal.
High profile products include the B-2
stealth bomber, amphibious assault ships,
and oil tankers. It operates in seven sectors:
Electronic Systems (airborne radar, navigation systems, electronic countermeasures),
Information Technology (engineering and
science; training and simulation), Integrated
Systems (intelligence, surveillance, battle
management), Ship Systems (military and
commercial ships), Newport News (nuclearpowered submarines and aircraft carriers),
Mission Systems (mission-enabling systems
and service) and Space Technologies
(satellite payloads, laser systems).
Its footprint in the Gulf Coast region is
considerable, with about two dozen operations ranging from shipbuilding to information technology and aerospace. But the big
dog on the block is its shipbuilding efforts,
anchored by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, headquartered in Pascagoula.
There are four yards that fall under the
jurisdiction of Ship Systems – Pascagoula
and Gulfport in Mississippi, and New Orleans (Avondale) and Tallulah in Louisiana.
In addition to shipbuilding and repairing,
the company is involved in system support,
steel sales and is a partner in a research operation with the University of New Orleans.
Not far from the Northrop Ingalls yard is
another of the nine active shipyards.
Singapore Technologies Engineering is
the holding company for a group of engineering firms divided into four business
segments: aerospace, electronics, land systems and marine. Its aerospace unit maintains, repairs, overhauls commercial and
military aircraft like F-16 fighters; its land
systems unit upgrades and manufactures
military vehicles and weapon systems as
well as provides custom design, maintenance, and repair services.
The company's electronics unit designs
communications, transportation, simulation,
microwave, and industrial electronic products; its marine segment builds and repairs
ships; primarily patrol, container and military vessels.
In October, 2002, VT Systems acquired
the assets of Halter Marine, a leading commercial shipbuilder and one of the top
builders in the world for mid-sized ocean
going vessels. Its shipyards in the U.S. have
built more than 2,600 vessels – more than
any other shipbuilder in the world.
The marine sector of VT Systems provides shipbuilding ship conversion and ship
repair services on a total turnkey basis. It
constructs naval and paramilitary crafts, including the installation and integration of
advanced weapon and electronic systems on
these vessels. It also designs commercial
vessels for a worldwide clientele.
Just to the east of Pascagoula is home to
another of the nine major active yards:
Bender.
For nearly 80 years, Bender Shipbuilding
and Repair Co. Inc. has been a ship repair
facility on the central Gulf of Mexico.
Along 7,000 feet of deep water frontage, the
company has built new yards and wet
docks, improved equipment, and expanded
dry docks to raise lifting capacities to more
than 24,000 tons. It has a Panamax dry dock
and an around-the-clock work force.
Bender builds all types of vessels, crabbers, offshore supply vessels, push boats,
shrimp boats, factory trawlers, riverboats,
passenger vessels, tuna seiners, tug boats.
There are more than 800 Bender-built ships
currently operating worldwide.
Mobile is the outlet for the TennesseeTombigbee Waterway, which connects the
city with the nation's major river systems
and inland ports. The company partnered
with Austal to establish the Australian company’s operation in Mobile, but has since
sold back its part to Austal.
Next: Synergies
Part III: Synergies
How it fits together
A
t the February 2005 groundbreaking for a Rolls-Royce marine propeller center of excellence in Pascagoula, the head of Rolls Royce North
America offered an interesting observation
about some of the activities in South Mississippi.
James Guyette was there for propellers,
but he mentioned that Mississippi is also
building UAVs in nearby Moss Point, and
noted that his own company planned to test
Trent 900 engines at Stennis Space Center,
not far away. Guyette pointed out that
Because of the growing use of composites, Northrop
Grumman established a center for composites excellence in Gulfport, Miss. This is the lower part of a ship
mast. Northrop Grumman image
Rolls-Royce engines power some UAVs.
“I think you’re finding our futures really
are coming together here in quite an unusual
way,” he said about South Mississippi.
Guyette was talking about synergy, convergence; the way we do business in today’s
highly competitive, global environment. It
was a telling comment about what the future
might hold for South Mississippi as it begins to host activities that “fit together.”
South Mississippi has long been known as
the place where the nation turns to build
state-of-the-art warships, but how many
know that helicopter drones that can land on
those warships are built a few miles away?
How many are aware that South Mississippi
is on the leading edge of work with the
composite materials used to make ships and
aircraft? How many know aerospace propulsion systems are tested here and some
built here, or that Mississippi is home to
more than a quarter of the nation’s total supercomputing capacity?
It’s a convergence of activities that is significant for the future of this region.
In today’s military, the operative word for
warfare of the future is “network-centric.”
Put in its simplest terms, it means tying together all the forces available – air, sea,
ground and their permutations – through the
use of an information technology network.
It is a fundamental change in the way the
military conducts warfare. Rather than
building separate fighting entities then trying to mesh them together in a coordinated
Part III – Synergies
fashion, the military is building from the
ground up a war fighting machine that starts
out with the concept of integration.
Technological advances, much of it in the
field of information technologies, allow the
military to do a lot more with a lot less. Precision weaponry, real-time satellite imagery, robot aircraft, lighter and stronger
materials and an ability to compile, digest
and utilize massive amounts of data is
changing the nature of warfare. The key to
both the commander on the ground and the
foot soldier is the integration of all that information and capability into a useable
package.
The new generation of naval ships involves not only marine engineering per se,
but materials engineering, information technology engineering, aerospace engineering
and a host of other specialties to make it fit
together in the broader warfighting effort as
a coherent package.
The following are just a sample of the
fields with ties to shipbuilding.
Advanced materials
No doubt ships of the future will rely on a
new family of advanced materials.
The Mississippi Gulf Coast’s materials
activities are spread across a nine-county
region. While only a handful can be called
true advanced materials companies, the potential for attracting more is great because
of the co-location of research and users of
those products.
Five locations have emerged as centers
and potential centers for the growth of this
sector. In Hattiesburg the primary focus is
on research; in Gulfport there are a host of
composite operations; in Bay St. Louis a
number of raw materials plastics companies
are in operation; in Pascagoula there are key
chemical, including petrochemical, operations and in Picayune there are plastics operations.
The battlelabs
The 1997 battlelab initiative resulted from the Air
Force’s long-range planning document, “Global
Engagement: A Vision for the 21st Century Air
Force.” The Air Force felt it needed teams to assess technologies and potential uses due to the
speed of technological change.
Battlelabs rapidly identify innovative ideas and
measure how well they contribute to the core mission of the Air Force – air and space superiority,
global attack, precision engagement, information
superiority, rapid global mobility and agile combat
support. The idea is to rush new concepts and
technologies to the field so adversaries have no
time to consider how to counter U.S. capabilities.
Battlelabs differ from Air Force research labs in
that battlelabs focus on identifying innovative operational concepts that exploit mature technologies. Research labs concentrate on identifying and
developing new technologies.
Each battlelabs has 15 to 25 people who use
video conferencing and unclassified and classified
Internet technologies to work together to identify
promising concepts. An on-line forum allows them
to work with other organizations to generate and
coordinate the plans necessary to measure the
worth of promising concepts. Modeling and simulation as well as actual employment of capabilities in
operational units are some techniques to test concepts.
Battlelabs span many technologies, with half
falling into the category information-in-warfare,
which includes intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, navigation, weather and other activities.
About a third of the projects are in the general
category of electronic warfare, including activities
associated with psychological operations.
Other military branches also have adopted the
battlelab approach, and there are nearly a dozen
joint and federal battlelabs. Scattered throughout
the country, the I-10 corridor has two: The Command and Control Battlelab at Hurlburt Field and
the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Battlelab at Eglin Air
Force Base. Just outside the region, in Dothan,
Ala., the Army has its Air Maneuver Battlelab at
Fort Rucker.
Revolution at sea
It’s been called the next revolution at sea, and it’s occurring right here, right now.
The Navy’s “Sea Power 21” is a bid to make the most of U.S. technological strengths in advanced computer
networks, modular designs, unmanned vehicles and high-performance materials in order to build a faster,
stealthier, more lethal Navy.
The Navy’s efforts are part of a broader, all-service effort, called “ForceNet,” to build a more efficient military
where advanced computer networks link sensors, weapons, ships, air and land forces into an integrated entity
that can bring power to bear where it’s needed. Battle commanders will have responsibility for every aspect of
the fight in a given sector in a future battlefield where even foot soldiers will be walking data receivers.
For the Navy’s part, it involves a family of new ships that make use of advanced materials that allow more
flexibility in design, and it’s using modular construction to allow the Navy to “plug-and-play” capabilities based
on a particular mission’s needs. Sensor and weapon coverage will allow the Navy to reach further and longer
over the battle space. Unmanned air, surface and subsurface vehicles from ships will further extend sensor
coverage and combat reach.1
That the Central Gulf Coast will play a pivotal role in the remaking of the Navy and, by extension, the remaking of the military in general, is a given because of Northrop Grumman’s key role in the DD(X) project, one of
the family of ships that will be a part of this next generation Navy.
1
Rear Adms. H.G. Ulrich III and Mark J. Edwards, The Next Revolution at Sea, Proceedings, October 2003 (U.S. Naval
Institute)
The nerve center for South Mississippi’s
research in the plastics field is at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. At the center of it all is the School of
Polymers and High Performance Materials.
Faculty research areas are polymer engineering; coatings and films; biomedical research; polymer synthesis; formulation science; and water soluble polymers.
The university has five research units:
Materials Research Science and Engineering Center; Industry University Cooperative
Research Center in Coatings; Mississippi
Polymer Institute; and The Institute of Formulation Science; and Center for StimuliResponsive Polymeric Films and Coatings.
Gulfport’s Bernard Bayou Industrial District, just south of Interstate 10, has become
a magnet for companies that do fabrication
work with composites, primarily in marine
composites. In late 2006 a handful of the
Bernard Bayou companies and several
schools, including Southern Miss, formed a
marine composites consortium to tackle
problems associated with the use of com-
posites in shipbuilding. Corporate members
are Northrop Grumman, Seemann Composites, United States Marine and Trinity
Yachts.
Unmanned aerial vehicles
A California aerospace trade publication
in the summer of 2004, intrigued that
Northrop Grumman chose Moss Point for a
helicopter drone facility, called Mississippi
the world’s newest UAV capital.
The importance of unmanned aerial vehicles for the shipbuilding industry is clear:
Many of the next generation ships being
built will be aviation-capable, and much of
that aviation will involve unmanned aerial
vehicles, such as the Fire Scout.
Indeed, UAVs are growing in importance
to every aspect of military operations. Projections are the United States could be
spending nearly seven times more on UAVs
than it did before the 9/11 attacks, reaching
$12 billion over the next five years.
Northrop Grumman decided to locate the
final assembly site for its Fire Scout drone
helicopter in Moss Point at the Trent Lott
International Airport. Only months after
that decision, the company opted to also
build the central fuselage for the Global
Hawk at the same location. Since that time
it has also done work on the Hunter UAV
and expects to do more at the new center.
UAVs are part of the broader aerospace
corridor that’s developed in South Mississippi.
The Mississippi Gulf Coast’s aerospace
corridor includes five federal and university
aerospace-related research units, aerospace
businesses that include six of the biggest
names in the industry, aerospace technology
parks, aviation-related military bases, technology transfer offices, incubators and military aerospace test ranges, including the
vast Gulf of Mexico range.
South Mississippi’s aerospace activities
are part of two other broader aerospace regions. In Mississippi itself, the state hosts
some of the biggest names from the industry, including EADS North America, L-3
Communications, Lockheed and Northrop.
Every commercial jetliner in the world has
at least one hydraulic component designed
and manufactured in Mississippi. The state
is also home to Mississippi State University’s National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center and Raspet Flight
Laboratory, both in Starkville.
South Mississippi is also part of a broader
aerospace corridor that has developed along
the Central Gulf Coast. It includes activities
ranging from the development of smart
weapons to the building of the next generation of space craft. Research units focus on
engineering engineering and design; materials engineering; human factors; battlelabs;
munitions; power technologies; and remote
sensing. This aerospace corridor has captured the attention of the industry. At the
April 2006 ribbon-cutting for the $13 million Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems
Unmanned Systems Center in Moss Point,
the head of Northrop called the new facility
part of what he sees as an emerging aerospace corridor.
Sensors
While it’s known for rocket testing, Stennis Space Center has been a key player in
one field that has tremendous growth potential. Stennis is one of the few areas of the
world with a cluster of companies involved
in geospatial technologies. Scores of companies large and small have gathered in and
around Stennis to work in the field. That
intense activity prompted the federal government to pick a site at Stennis International Airpark for the Joint Airborne Lidar
Bathymetry Technical Center of Expertise.
The geospatial activity expanded in 2002
with the opening of the 220,000 square-foot
Lockheed Martin Space and Technology
Center, which prepares satellites for space
by fitting them with the thermal protection
systems they need to survive in space. That
portion of the operation is run by LM Space
Systems. In the same facility, Lockheed
Technology Services operates an Integrated
Metrology Center and provides engineering
and manufacturing services.
Sensors are integral to every phase of
military operations, from the troop on the
ground to huge systems like destroyers, aircraft carriers and satellites. The capabilities
of sensors have increased dramatically over
the years. Remote sensing is also crucial to
non-military activities, such as weather
forecasting.
South Mississippi’s geospatial activities
also include several research units, including the Center of Higher Learning and University Research at Stennis, the Enterprise
for Innovative Geospatial Solutions, Stennis
Office, the Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry
Technical Center of Expertise, Bay St.
Louis, and NASA’s Engineering and Sci-
ence Directorate, Science and Technology
Division.
Test and evaluation
The Central Gulf Coast has a longstanding role as a location for the testing
and evaluation of sea, land and air systems.
It has some of the largest land areas as well
as vast ranges over water in the Gulf of
Mexico.
One of the premier facilities is Eglin Air
Force Base, a 726-square-mile base in
northwest Florida where conventional air
armaments are developed and tested. It’s
also become an important training site for
other branches, including the Navy, which
uses it to test cruise missiles. Eglin, which
has a huge test reserve in the Gulf of Mexico, is also being used for training that was
previously done in Puerto Rico.
In Panama City, Fla., the Coastal Systems
Station Naval Warfare Center has been used
since 1923 as a proving ground for littoral
and expeditionary warfare. It conducts research into amphibious warfare, coastal operations, expeditionary maneuver warfare,
mine warfare and other operations.
Near Gulfport, Miss., the National Guard
uses a Gulf of Mexico range for air maneuver training, as well as Camp Shelby.
The region already has three military battlelabs that have as their mission finding
ways to incorporate new technologies into
the nation’s fighting forces: Command and
Control at Eglin Air Force Base, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles at Tyndall Air
Force Base, Fla., and the Army Air Maneuver Battlelab at Fort Rucker, Ala.
For the Central Gulf Coast, the mix of
corporate heavy hitters with interests in a
wide range of military sectors, revolutionary changes in shipbuilding, a fundamental
shift in war fighting and the need to test it
all will impact the Gulf Coast.
The co-location of academic, federal and
corporate shipbuilding research, companies
involved in the shipbuilding, the key enduser, battlelabs, and proving grounds has
huge implications for the Central Gulf
Coast. Add to that mix the presence of related clusters – composites, aerospace and
geomatics – and the Central Gulf Coast has
a shipbuilding/military infrastructure that
bodes well for the future.
Next: Businesses
Part IV: Businesses
South Mississippi ship/boat businesses
T
he following list includes the businesses along the Mississippi Gulf
Coast that work in ship and boat
building through the designing, building,
repairing and supplying of ships and boats.
Also included are some of the suppliers to
the industry. It was compiled using lists of
the Mississippi Development Authority,
Dun and Bradstreet, phone directories, the
Web and other sources.
BAE Systems Applied Technologies
Address: 330 Highway 90, Gautier, MS 39553
Products or services: defense-related engineering
for naval ships
Phone: 228.497.0340
M.M. Flechas Shipyard Co., Inc.
Address: 4514 Flechas Street, Pascagoula, MS
39567
Products or services: motorboats, inboard and outboard: building and repairing
SIC: 37314 Nonmilitary ship repair; 37320105
Employees: 5
Phone: 228.762.3628
GME
Address: 6525 Sunplex Dr., Ocean Springs, MS
39564
Products or services: boat repairing
SIC: 37320
Employees: 4
Phone: 228.872.2807
Gulf Ship
Address: 12351 Glascock Dr., Gulfport, MS 39503
Bay Marine Boat Works, Inc.
Address: 151 5th Street, Biloxi, MS
39530
Products or services: aluminum, steel
and wood boats, built and repaired; outboard, inboard motorboats
SIC: 37322; 37323
Employees: 8
Phone: 228.432.2992
Coastal Marine Equipment,
Inc.-Gulfport
Address: 20995 Coastal Parkway, Gulfport, MS 39503
Products or services: Marine equipment:; winches, windlass and capstans;
electric and non-electric
SIC: 3531KD
Employees: 24
Phone: 228.832.7655
Shipbuilding and repairing (SIC 3731)
Establishments primarily engaged in building and repairing ships, barges, and
lighters, whether self-propelled or towed by other craft. Also includes the conversion and alteration of ships and the manufacture of offshore oil and gas
well drilling and production platforms (whether or not self-propelled).
U.S.
1,034
100
91,855
$36.36 billion
Businesses
% total
Total workers
Total sales
Baton Rouge
9
0.9
842
Blxi-Gport-Pas
10
1
10,553
$1.2 billion
Ft Walton Bch
1
0.1
1
$0.2 million
Mobile
21
2
1,783
$198.3 million
New Orleans
48
4.6
8,772
$661.7 million
Pensacola
1
0.1
40
$0.9 million
Total
90
8.7
21,991
$2.1 billion
Metro area
Source: D&B. Compiled February 2007
$30.4 million
Part IV – Businesses
Products or services: builds ship hulls
for Edison Chouest; supply vessels for
the oil services industry
Phone: 228.897.9189
High Tech, Inc.
Address: 1390 29th Ave., Gulfport MS
39501
Products or services: Seismic exploration systems, hydrophones, telemetry
systems
Phone: 228.868.6632
KSI Building and Home Construction
Address: 14258 Fred and Al Key, Road
D, Stennis International Airport, Bay St.
Louis, MS 39556
Products or services: stainless cabinets
for boats and off-shore
Phone: 228.467.3888
Boatbuilding and repairing (SIC 3732)
Establishments primarily engaged in building and repairing boats. Rubber and
nonrigid plastics boats are classified under rubber and plastic products. marinas which perform incidental boat repair are classified in 4493; membership
yacht clubs are classified in 7997; and outboard motor repair is classified in
7699.
U.S.
3,393
100
64,203
Businesses
% total
Total workers
Baton Rouge
8
0.2
58
$5 million
Blxi-Gport-Pas
10
0.3
521
$142.7 million
Ft Walton Bch
9
0.3
22
$1.2 million
Mobile
27
0.8
176
$16.3 million
New Orleans
24
0.7
275
$25.4 million
Pensacola
23
0.7
231
$28.9 million
Total
101
3
1,283
$219.5 million
Metro area
$9.1 billion
Total sales
Source: D&B. Compiled February 2007
Northrop Grumman Ship Systems/
Gulfport (Center for Composites
Excellence)
Address: 13303 Seaway Road, Gulfport, MS 39501
Products or services: shipbuilding and repairing,
boat building and repairing; fiberglass marine products, composites, miscellaneous fabricated metal
products. The company has set up this site as its
Center for Composites Excellence.
SIC: 37310D; 37320
Employees: 800
Phone: 228.935.1122
Address: 6608 Sunscope Dr., Ocean Springs, MS
39564-8608
Products or services: information technology
Phone: 228.872.7300
Omega Shipyard
Address: 5659 Elder Ferry Rd., Moss Point, MS
39563
Products or services: repairs and builds boats and
barges; repairs and constructs steel and aluminum
marine vessels; fiberglass boat work and repair
SIC: 37310000; 37320
Employees: 45
Phone: 228.475.9052
Northrop Grumman Ship Systems/
Ingalls
Parker Marine Inc.
Address: 1000 Access Rd., Pascagoula, MS 39567
Products or services: design, engineering, construction, life cycle and fleet support, repair and modernization of surface combatant ships for the U.S. Navy
and international fleets. Northrop Grumman, which
is building the next generation of combat vessels,
also has electronics and aerospace operations in
South Mississippi
SIC: 37312D; 37313; 3731335; 37310200;
37310201
Employees: 11,750
Phone: 228.935.1122
PEMCO - Naval Engineering Works, Inc.
Northrop Grumman Data Systems
Address: 11179 Lamey Bridge Rd., D’Iberville, MS
39540
Products or services: canvas and related products
SIC: 37320000
Phone: 228.392.1279
Address: 3614 Frederic Street, Pascagoula, MS
39567
Products or services: steel fabrication for the marine industry
SIC: 34413D
Employees: 30
Phone: 228.769.7081
Rebel Boatworks
Address: 161 5th St., Biloxi, MS 39530
Products or services: boat repair (wood and fiberglass, up to 35 tons)
SIC: 37320000
Phone: 228.435.2762
Rolls-Royce Naval Marine Inc. (Center of
Excellence for Naval Propulsors)
Address: 3719 Industrial Road, Pascagoula, MS
39581
Products or services: marine propeller manufacturer. This company is also establishing a Center of
Excellence for Naval Propulsors at this same site.
Phone: 228.762.0728
Sea Fab Inc.
Address: 4111 Cedar St., Pascagoula, MS 39567
Products or services: shipbuilding and repairing;
offshore oil supply vessels, drill barges and trawlers
SIC: 37310000
Phone: 228.769.2500
Seemann Composites
Address: 12481 Glascock Dr., Gulfport, MS 39503
Products or services: fabrication of specialized
composite products for the aerospace and shipbuilding industry
Phone: 228.314.8000
Signal International LLC – East Yard
Address: 600 Louis St., Pascagoula, MS 39581
Products or services: oil rig fabrication and repair;
shipbuilding and repair
SIC: 37316
Phone: 228.762.0000
Signal International West
Address: 3400 Litton Road, Pascagoula, MS 39567
Products or services: oil rig fabrication and repair;
shipbuilding and repair
Phone: 228.762.9274
Smith Construction & Welding, Inc.
Address: 12511 Glascock Circle, Gulfport, MS
39503
Products or services: barge construction
SIC: 37311
Phone: 228.896.1221
South Coast Electric
Address: 13061 Road D, Port Bienville Industrial
Park, Bay St. Louis, MS 39520
Products or services: manufactures switchgear and
switchboard apparatus for maritime industry
Phone: 228.533.0002
Trinity Yachts LLC
Address: 13085 Seaway Road, Gulfport, MS 39503
Products or services: boat building (custom superyachts) and repairing
Phone: 228.276.1000
United States Marine Inc.
Address: 10011 Lorraine Road, Gulfport, MS 39503
Products or services: ship, boat building and repairing; constructs craft for military special operations
SIC: 37310; 37320
Employees: 75
Phone: 228.679.1005
VT Halter Marine (corporate)
Address: 900 Bayou Casotte Parkway, Pascagoula,
MS 39581
Products and services: shipbuilding, boatbuilding
and repair, multiple categories with multiple yards in
South Mississippi
Employees: 161
Phone: 228.696.6888
VT Halter Marine, Pascagoula Operations
Address: 900 Bayou Casotte Parkway, Pascagoula,
MS 39581
Products or services: shipbuilding and repairing
SIC: 37310
Employees: 363
Phone: 228.696.6888
VT Halter Marine, Halter Moss Point
Operations
Address: 5801 Elder Ferry Road, Moss Point, MS
39563
SIC: 37310
Employees: 206
Phone: 228.475.1211
VT Halter Marine, Moss Point Marine
Operations
Address: 7801 Trinity Drive, Escatawpa, MS 39567
SIC: 37310
Employees: 203
Phone: 228.475.6885
Williams Machine Works, Inc.
Address: P.O. Box 8640, Moss Point, MS 395628640
Products or services: heavy structural steel fabrication, marine
SIC: 34413D
Phone: 228.475.7651
Next: RDT&E
Part V: RDT&E
Federal/university research
I
n the Gulf Coast there are 11 federal
and university research units along the
Interstate 10 corridor and in the broader
region that are involved in shipbuilding and
maritime-related research. The following
list was compiled through the help of the
universities and federal facilities, and includes information obtained through multiple sources. This list does not include any
research and development done by the companies in the region.
Center for Advanced Power Systems
Federal/state/private/consortium: state of Florida
Established: 2000
Physical location/address: 2000 Levy Ave., Tallahassee, FL 32310
Annual R&D expenditures: Federal and industry
grants of $5 million annually
The 5 MW superconduction propulsion motor undergoes tests at Florida State University’s Center for Advanced Power Systems in Tallahassee, Fla. Center for
Advanced Power Systems image
Overview: The Center for Advanced Power Systems
(CAPS) was established at Florida State University
to perform basic and applied research to advance the
field of power systems technology, with emphasis on
application to electric utility, defense, and transportation, and, to develop a power systems engineering
education program to train the next generation of
power systems engineers. With the support of the US
Navy, Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the US
Department of Energy, Office of Electricity, CAPS
has developed a unique test and simulation facility
and a vibrant research and development program
aimed at advancing power systems innovation and
application for the future terrestrial power grid as
well as future all-electric naval surface combatants.
The center is supported by a research team comprised of dedicated and highly skilled researchers,
scientists, faculty, engineers, and students, recruited
from across the globe, with strong representation
from both the academic/research community and
industry. The 34,000 sq. ft. CAPS research, development, test and demonstration facility is located in
Innovation Park in Tallahassee, Florida, adjacent to
the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, the
Applied Superconductivity Center, and the FAMUFSU College of Engineering. FSU-CAPS is the
lead university of the Electric Ship Research and
Development Consortium supported by ONR.
Technical expertise/research fields: electric power
systems, superconductivity and electrical insulation
Research/site/business development contact:
Steinar Dale, Director
Mailing address: 2000 Levy Ave., Tallahassee, FL
32310
Phone: 850.645.1183
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.caps.fsu.edu:80/
Center for Turbine Innovation
and Research
Federal/state/private/consortium: academia and
Part V – RDT&E
corporate
Established: 2000
Physical location/address: CEBA 1419B, Louisiana
State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Annual R&D expenditures: about $1 million
Overview: The primary mission of TIER is to
enhance the understanding of flow, heat transfer and
combustion in a gas turbine, and propose innovative
solutions for improved design, performance and
reliability. Ongoing research involves improvements
to conventional technology in gas turbines and
energy generation (e.g., fuel cells) as well as the use
of emerging approaches to enable fuel flexibility
(e.g., SYngas, LNG) and Microsystems technology
for improving mixing, cooling and control of aero,
heat transfer and combustion processes in the engine.
Education of undergraduate and graduate students
and curriculum revisions is a key component of
TIER’s mission. In addition, outreach activities
through workshops and information/technology
transfer is emphasized. TIER is a collaborative effort
between academia, gas turbine engine companies,
and industries with cogeneration facilities.
Technical expertise/research fields: Gas Turbine
Heat Transfer and Aerodynamics, Gas Turbine Combustion, Flow and Combustion Control, Syngas
Combustion, Emissions, Fuel Cells, Microsystems,
Computational Fluid Dynamics & Heat Transfer,
Advanced Diagnostics
How academic/commercial can access research:
via Website and email requests
Physical location/address: CEBA 1419B, Louisiana
State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Research/site/business development contact: Sumanta Acharya, Mechanical Engineering Department
Mailing address: CEBA 1419B, LSU, Baton
Rouge, LA 70803
Phone: 225.578.5809
Web site: http://me.lsu.edu/tier/
Electric Ship Research and Development
Consortium
Federal/state/private/consortium: consortium
Established: 2002
Physical location/address: multiple university locations
Annual R&D expenditures: five-year program totaling $52 million
Overview: The Office of Naval Research manages
the consortium, which brings together in a single
entity the combined programs and resources of
Mississippi and Gulf Coast
shipbuilding RDT&E snapshot
Shipbuilding
research
Center for Advanced Power Systems
Center for Turbine Innovation and
Research
Electric Ship Research and
Development Consortium
Fire and Safety Test Detachment
Full Scale Fire Test Facility
Marine Composites Consortium Center of Excellence
National Biodynamics Laboratory
National High Magnetic
Field Laboratory
Naval Surface Warfare Center
Simulation Based Design Center
University of New Orleans/Gulf Coast
Region Maritime Technology Center
leading electric power research institutions for
research on near to mid-term electric ship concepts.
In addition, the consortium addresses the national
shortage of electric power engineers by providing
educational opportunities for students in state-of-theart experimental facilities, ensuring the United States
superiority in electric systems well into the future.
Participating members are Florida State University,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mississippi
State University, Purdue University, United States
Naval Academy, University of Texas at Austin and
University of South Carolina. FSU Center for
Advanced Power Systems is the lead university of
ESRDC.
Technical expertise/research fields: power
systems; power electronics; controls, protection
strategies; modeling and simulation, power train,
thermal management
Steinar Dale, director, Center for Advanced Power
Systems, FSU; Terry Ericsen, ESRDC program manager, Office of Naval Research
Mailing address: 2000 Levy Ave., Tallahassee, FL
32310 (Dale)
Part V – RDT&E
Phone: 850.645.1183 (Dale); 703.696.7741
(Ericsen)
E-mail: [email protected] (Dale);
[email protected] (Ericsen)
Web site: http://www.esrdc-workshops.org/
Fire and Safety Test Detachment, Coast
Guard Research and Development
Center
Federal/state/private/consortium: federal (U.S.
Coast Guard)
Established: n/a
Physical location/address: Little Sand Island on
upper Mobile Bay, Mobile, Ala.
Annual R&D expenditures: n/a
Overview: A sub-unit of the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center in Groton, Conn., it
focuses on improving fire safety in the maritime
community. It conducts full-scale fire tests aboard
ships, a virtual fire research laboratory for developing and establishing fire fighting techniques and performance criteria for improved marine fire safety.
Coast Guard personnel with specialized technical
rates serve under a supervisor who is an engineering
specialist. Project managers from the Safety and Human Resource Division control fire research projects
at the F&STD. The managers develop proposals and
detailed test plans, supervise testing, analyze test
results, and prepare final reports for project sponsors.
Technical expertise/research fields:
Facilities/equipment: F&STD maintains test facilities on Little Sand Island on upper Mobile Bay,
where full-scale test work is performed. These facilities include a fire test site (on the 50 acre island), the
test vessel, State of Maine, and a Navy test vessel,
the ex-Shadwell. The Coast Guard and the Navy
have a joint research agreement in order to share
resources and reduce project cost. The F&STD is the
only facility in the world with complete oceangoing
vessels available for marine type fire testing. These
test ships provide settings of unmatched realism for
simulating all types of shipboard fire scenarios in
accommodation areas, machinery spaces, cargo
holds, and/or on deck. Three small workboats provide rapid transport of personnel to the test site while
two landing crafts ferry all major equipment items.
David Beene, program manager
Mailing address:
Phone: 860.441.2759
Research activities
Power technologies
• Center for Turbine Innovation and Research,
LA
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, FL
Test and evaluation
• Fire and Safety Test Detachment, AL
• FullScale Fire Test Facility, AL
• Coastal Systems Station Naval Warfare Center, FL
•
Engineering/design & production
• Gulf Coast Region Maritime Technology
•
•
•
•
Center, LA
Louisiana Transportation Research Center,
LA
Simulation Based Design Center, LA
University of New Orleans /Northrop Grumman Maritime Technology Center of Excellence, LA
University of South Alabama College of Engineering, AL
Human factors/human-centered computing
• Institute for Human and Machine Cognition,
FL
• National Biodynamics Laboratory
Military battlelabs
• Command and Control Battlelab, FL
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Battlelab, FL
• Army Air Maneuver Battle Lab, AL
Web site: http://www.rdc.uscg.gov/
Full Scale Fire Test Facility (Ex-USS
Shadwell)
Navy)
Established: 1987
Physical location/address: Little Sand Island in
upper Mobile Bay, Mobile, AL
Annual R&D expenditures: varies between $2 million and $10 million
Overview: The Ex-USS Shadwell is a full-scale
damage control research, development, test and
evaluation facility for studies on active and passive
fire protection and flooding. Measures men, materials, equipment, sensors, systems, doctrines, tactics
and command and control under time-critical situa-
Part V – RDT&E
tions. Ship includes features of DDG 51, LPD 17,
688 submarine, LHAR, CVN 21 and DD 1000 ship
classes.
Technical expertise/research fields: Damage control, fire, flooding, fluid mechanics, modeling, fire
scaling, fire suppression
Facilities/equipment: All shipboard facilities required for damage control, computerized systems,
control systems
Research/site/business development contact: Dr.
Fred Williams, director of NRL Navy Technology
Center for Safety and Survivability, or Xuan
Nguyen, associate technical director, ex-USS Shadwell
Mailing address: Naval Research Laboratory, Code
6180, Washington, D.C., 20375
Phone: 202.767.2476
Web site: http://www.chemistry.nrl.navy.mil/6180
Marine Composites Consortium
Center of Excellence
Established: 2006
Overview: Established by Northrop Grumman, Trinity Yachts, Seemann Composites, United States Marine, University of Southern Mississippi, Mississippi
Gulf Coast Community College and Pearl River
Community College. It will focus on tackling common issues associated with the use of composites in
shipbuilding.
Research/site/business development contact: Phil
Dur, visiting professor of economic and workforce
development, USM
Mailing address: Department of Economic and
Workforce Development, University of Southern
Mississippi, 118 College Drive, #5022, Hattiesburg,
MS
Phone: 228.712.2090
Web site: none
National Biodynamics Laboratory
Federal/state/private/consortium: state
Established: 1971
Physical location/address: NASA Michoud, 13800
Old Gentilly Road, Building 420, New Orleans, LA
70129
Annual R&D expenditures: n/a
Overview: Conducts biodynamics and human factors research to enhance performance and prevent
injury to human beings when they are exposed to
external forces, motions, and accelerations such as
those encountered in aircraft, ships, automobiles and
other moving environments.
Technical expertise/research fields: Human factors
investigations of optimal operator/equipment or operator/environment interaction; head and neck acceleration of the human body; data processing for the
National Crash Survival Data Bank; cognitivebehavior anti-motion sickness training program; machining of test fixtures for high-g testing applications; operation and configuration of horizontal accelerator and vertical accelerator; recording of shipboard motion data; configuration of data acquisition
systems to measure ship shock, vibration, or acceleration data
Facilities/equipment: Horizontal and vertical acceleration test facilities based on the Bendix (CVC)
Hyge Shock Testing Systems; Ship Motion Simulator; Six Degrees-of Freedom Motion Platform; Triaxial tilt/rotation chair, machine shop, welding shop
and woodworking shop
Research/site/business development contact: Thomas G. Dobie
Mailing address: National Biodynamics Laboratory,
c/o University of New Orleans, Room 910, 2000
Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans, LA 70148
Phone: 504.257.3918
Web site: http://www.nbdl.org
National High Magnetic Field
Laboratory
Physical location/address: 1800 E. Paul Dirac Dr.,
Tallahassee, FL 32310
Established: 1990
Overview: Develops and operates high magnetic
field facilities that scientists use for research in physics, biology, bioengineering, chemistry, geochemistry, biochemistry, materials science, and engineering.
It is the only facility of its kind in the United States
and one of only nine in the world. It is the largest
and highest powered magnet laboratory, outfitted
with the world’s most comprehensive assortment of
high-performing magnet systems.
Research/site/business development contact: Greg
Boebinger, director
Mailing address: 1800 E. Paul Dirac Dr., Tallahassee, FL 32310-3706
Phone: 850.644.0311
Web site: http://www.magnet.fsu.edu/
Part V – RDT&E
Naval Surface Warfare
Center Panama City
Navy)
Established: 1945
Physical location/address: 110 Vernon Ave., Panama City, Fla. 32407-7001
Annual R&D expenditures: $31.6 (FY 2002)
Overview: Formerly named the Coastal Systems
Station Naval Warfare Center, the Naval Surface
Warfare Center Panama City is the Navy’s premiere
research and development organization focuses on
littoral warfare and expeditionary warfare. Provides
research development, test and evaluation, and inservice engineering for mine warfare, special warfare, amphibious warfare, diving and other naval
missions that take place primarily in the ocean region
and other responsibilities by the Commander, Dahlgren Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center. It’s
one of the major research, development, test and
evaluation laboratories of the U.S. Navy and boasts a
wide base of expertise in engineering and scientific
disciplines.
The Office of Research and Technology Assessment
(ORTA) at the Coastal Systems Station is chartered
under the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation
Act of 1980, and its amendments, for the express
purpose of transferring federally owned technologies
and facilities to state and local government, educational institutions, and private industry.
Phone: 850.235.5107
Web site: http://nswcpc.navsea.navy.mil/
Simulation Based Design Center
Federal/state/private/consortium: consortium
Established: 1998
Physical location/address: at UNO/Northrop Grumman Maritime Technology Center of Excellence,
adjacent to Northrop Grumman Ship Systems Avondale Operations, on the west bank of the Mississippi
River, a few miles upstream from New Orleans
Annual R&D expenditures: $2.5 million
Overview: A nonprofit operating under the College
of Engineering at the University of New Orleans and
the Gulf Coast Region Maritime Technology Center.
Focuses on integrating advanced information technologies and techniques to enhance design and engineering. It views itself as a leader in the use of virtual prototyping tools to support the development of
moderate to complex products and processes.
Technical expertise/research fields: virtual prototyping; design and operation testing; physics based
simulation; automation and robotics; process modeling and simulation; ergonomic studies; immersive
environments; cost modeling; computer processing
time; visualization theater, classroom/meeting room
utilization
Facilities/equipment: visualization theater; conference room; hardware and software
Research/site/business development contact: Dr.
Greg Dobson
Mailing address: SBDC, 5100 River Road, Station
721-1-1, Avondale, LA 70094-2706
Phone: 504.654.2773
Web site: http://www.gcrmtc.org/sbdc/
University of New Orleans/Gulf Coast
Region Maritime Technology Center
Federal/state/private/consortium: partnership
(public-private)
Established: 1993
Physical location/address: UNO campus on the
lakefront
Annual R&D expenditures: $7 million
Overview: Designed to help the U.S. maritime industry become more competitive on an international
scale through sponsored research, the Gulf Coast
Region Maritime Technology Center works closely
with the Office of Naval Research. Focus is to improve design and production technologies for shipbuilding, reduce material costs, reduce total ownership costs, educate and train, improve environmental
engineering and management. The Maritime Environmental Resources and Information Center is also
located at this site. In addition, the Simulation Based
Design Center is located at the Maritime Technology
Center of Excellence adjacent to Northrop Grumman
Ship Systems Avondale Operations.
Technical expertise/research fields: Research and
teaching laboratory for UNO’s College of Engineering, 3D simulation and modeling facilities, and robotic welding laboratory and production test facility
Facilities/equipment: 4.5 acres, four-story, 200,000square-foot center. Co-located here is the Simulation
Based Design Center (SBDC), ShipWorks Robotics
Laboratory (SWRL), and Distance Learning Facility.
see web site www.gcrmtc.org/
Frank Bordelon
Part V – RDT&E
Mailing address: Gulf Coast Region Maritime
Technology Center of Excellence, 409 CERM, New
Orleans, LA 70148
Phone: 504-280-3871
Web site: http://www.gcrmtc.org/
Next: Tech transfer, incubators
Part VI: Technology transfer
and incubators
Turning research into products
T
here are 12 technology transfer offices in the region, three of them in
South Mississippi, that handle a variety of technologies. Each will handle any
technology developed by research units under their jurisdiction, including advanced
materials technologies.
The Central Gulf Coast also has 12 business incubators, two in South Mississippi,
that help startup companies make the transition to the marketplace.
South Mississippi
Gulf Coast Business Technology Center
Location: 1636 Popps Ferry Road, Biloxi MS 39532
Phone: 228.392.9741
Function: business incubator
Focus area: does not specialize in any particular
field, but has facilities for technology companies.
Incubator includes 42,000 square feet of space.
Overview: Owned by Harrison County, the BTC is a
short distance from Interstate 10.
Contact: Adele Lyons
Web site: http://www.gulfcoast.org/btc/
Mississippi Enterprise for Technology
Satellite-imaging technology developed by Stennis
Space Center in the 1980s has been used by doctors to
improve disease detection. NASA image
Address: Building 1103, Room 143, Stennis Space
Center, MS 39529-6000
Phone: 228.688.3144
Function: technology transfer office and business
incubator
Focus area: remote sensing, software and hardware
development, oceanography applications, general
information technology
Overview: MsET helps industry utilize the scientific
and technical expertise, facilities and other resource
of NASA, the Navy and their prime contractors, the
federal laboratories, the Mississippi Department of
Economic and Community Development and Mississippi colleges and universities. Additional partners
include the Army Corps of Engineers, USDA Laboratory in Stoneville, MS, Mississippi Contract Procurement, Mississippi Resource Center and the
Small Business Development Centers. It has 25,000
square feet of incubator space and focuses on tech-
Part VI – Technology transfer and incubators
technology transfer, incubator snapshot
Technology transfer
and business
incubators
Gulf Coast Business
Technology Center
Mississippi Enterprise
for Technology
NASA Technology Transfer Office
Noetic Technologies
nology companies.
Research facilities used: National Aeronautics and
Space Administration, Naval Oceanographic Office,
Naval Research Lab, Mississippi Technology Transfer Center, state institutions of higher learning.
Contact: Greg Hinkebein
Web site: http://www.mset.org
Function: technology transfer office
Focus area: polymer science, chemistry, biochemistry, marine science, construction engineering
Overview: The marketing and commercialization
arm of the University of Southern Mississippi Research Foundation. The goal of NTI is to create opportunities for inventors in and outside the university
and connect their technology to the market.
Research facilities used: Polymer Science Department, Marine Science (Gulf Coast Research Lab),
Stennis Space Center, Chemistry and Biology Departments.
Contact: Les Goff
Phone: 601.261.1316
Web site: http://www.noetictechnologies.org
Next: Incentives
NASA Technology Transfer Office
Location: EA30/Technology Transfer Office, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, John
C. Stennis Space Center, Stennis Space Center, MS
39529
Phone: 228.688.1929
Function: technology transfer office
Focus area: Propulsion test technologies, Earth science remote sensing technologies
Overview: The mission of the technology transfer
program at Stennis Space Center is to assist in the
transfer and commercialization of NASA-developed
technologies into the private sector. The program
identifies technologies at the center with commercial
potential. NASA seeks commercial partners to share
in the time and costs of co-developing a technology
into a useful government and/or commercial product.
U.S. business and industry can also enter into a variety of agreements with NASA to develop new products or applications, find better ways to do business,
and solve technical problems using Stennis expertise.
Research facilities used: NASA facilities at Stennis
Space Center
Contact: John Bailey
Web site: http://technology.ssc.nasa.gov
Noetic Technologies Inc.
Location: 3610 Pearl St. Hattiesburg, MS 39401
Part VII: Incentives
Go Zone: Incentives on steroids
W
hile money may not be the most
important reason a company
moves or expands, it’s certainly a
crucial part of the equation. Mississippi has
proven to be a competitive state when it
comes to incentives.
For Mississippi, the lead economic development agency is the Mississippi Development Authority. In the past incentives were
primarily geared towards luring traditional
manufacturing sectors. While it still does
that, the state has put more emphasis on cre-
One of the most dramatic
new tools came about with
passage of the Gulf Opportunity Act of 2005, designed
to help the areas hit by hurricanes Katrina, Rita and
Wilma.
ating a technology-driven economy, including offering incentives for research and development operations.
In the Biloxi-Gulfport-Pascagoula metro
area there are a host of chambers of varying
sizes that offer activities to promote local
businesses and represent members on local
issues. But economic development functions, including the granting of incentives,
are managed by three organizations: The
Harrison County Development Commission,
the Jackson County Economic Development
Foundation and the Hancock County Port
and Harbor Commission.
One of the most dramatic new tools came
about with passage of the Gulf Opportunity
Act of 2005, called GO Zone, designed to
help areas hit by hurricanes Katrina, Rita
and Wilma. In Mississippi, 47 counties qualify for the incentives, which encourages investment by companies large and small, preexisting and new.
Mississippi can issue $4.8 billion in tax
exempt, private-activity bonds to finance
Part VII – Incentives
development of a wide array of commercial
projects in the GO Zone. They can be used to
fund the construction and renovation of nonresidential real property. Tax-exempt status
should result in savings of up to 200 basis
points in interest costs per year for participating businesses.
In lieu of bond money, a company can take
advantage of accelerated depreciation. Qualified GO Zone property is placed in service
equal to 50 percent of the cost. This is in addition to the normal depreciation deduction
for the balance of such costs. Bonus depreciation is available to businesses of all sizes for
their investments in equipment, nonresidential real property or residential rental
property, substantially all of which is used
both in the active conduct of the business’
trade or business and in the GO Zone.
Eligible personal property must be placed
in service on or before Dec. 31, 2007, and
eligible real property must be placed in service on or before Dec. 31, 2008.
Local incentives available: Varies depending upon
number of jobs, wages and capital investment. “GO
Zone” incentives available.
Contact: John W. Zink, executive director
Web site: http://www.portandharbor.com
The following lists contact information for
the key economic development organizations
with an interest in the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Jackson County Economic
Development Foundation, Inc.
George County Economic Development
Foundation
Location: P.O. Box 441, Lucedale, MS 39452
Phone: 601.947.2755
Geographic coverage: George County
Contact: Sue Wright, executive director
Web site: http://www.georgecounty.ms
Hancock County Port
and Harbor Commission
Location: P.O. Box 2267, Bay St. Louis, MS 39521
Phone: 228.467.9231 (800.558.1658)
Geographic coverage: Hancock County
Services/departments: Rail service at Port Bienville
Industrial Park, truck and rail car facilities and barge
and ship facilities at Port Bienville Industrial Park.
General aviation service at Stennis Airport/Airpark.
Harrison County Development
Commission
Location: 12292 Intraplex Parkway, Gulfport, MS
39503
Phone: 228.896.5020
Geographic coverage: Harrison County and municipalities of Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport, Biloxi and D’Iberville
Services/departments: responsible for industrial recruitment, industrial park management, commercial
development, retail development, recreational and leisure development, existing business and industry development and retirement development
Local incentives available: tax exemptions, industrial
property, foreign trade zone, financing programs.
Check with commission for more detailed information
Contact: Larry S. Barnett, executive director
Web site: http://www.mscoast.org
Location: 3033 Pascagoula St., Pascagoula, MS
39568
Geographic coverage: county of Jackson and the municipalities of Pascagoula, Moss Point, Gautier and
Ocean Springs
Services/departments: economic development/
industrial development; commercial development
Local incentives available: finance programs and tax
exemptions available on city, county and state levels.
Incentives such as Foreign Trade Zone, industrial
property, industrial buildings, infrastructure and training also available to eligible companies.
Contact: George Freeland Jr., executive director
Phone: 228.769.6263 (800.362.0103)
Web site: http://www.jcedf.org
Mississippi Development Authority
Location: 501 North West Street, Jackson, MS
Phone: 601.359.3449
Geographic coverage: the entire state
Services/departments: economic development; exist-
Part VII – Incentives
ing business and industry; financial resources; international development; minority business enterprise; rural
minority business development centers; national development; tourism development; community development; community services; employment training; energy
Web site: http://www.mississippi.org
Mississippi Power
Location: 2605 13th St., Gulfport, MS 39502
Phone: 228.865.5653
Geographic coverage: 23 counties in southeastern
Mississippi
Services/departments: In addition to providing electric power, Mississippi Power has operated an economic development division since 1925. Among other
things, it will host visits to sites, identify land for development purposes and available buildings, provide
maps and plats of an area or site, describe applicable
tax credits and incentives, offer family relocation advice, fringe benefit surveys, transportation availability,
employee training programs and other services.
Contact: Mark Loughman, economic development
director
Web site: http://www.southernco.com/mspower
sippi Small Business Assistance Loan Program.
Web site: http://www.smpdd.com/
Stone County Economic Development
Partnership
Location: P.O. Box 569, Wiggins, MS 39577
Phone: 601.928.5418
Geographic coverage: Stone County
Contact: Sandra Maniscalco, executive assistant
Web site: http://www.stonecounty.com
Next: Work force
Partners for Pearl River County
Location: P.O. Box 278, Picayune, MS 39466
Phone: 601.749.4919
Geographic coverage: Pearl River County
Contact: Ron Fine, director of operations
Web site: http://www.partners.ms
Southern Mississippi Planning
and Development District
Location: 9229 Highway 49, Gulfport, MS 395034317
Phone: 228.868.2311
Geographic coverage: 15 county and 37 municipal
governments, the districts geographic service area encompasses Covington, Forrest, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson Davis, Jones,
Lamar, Marion, Pearl River, Perry, Stone and Wayne
Counties.
Services/departments: local and regional planning
and development; human services. Among other
things, it operates three financing programs that enhance economic development: the Economic Development Administration Revolving Loan Fund, the Minority Business Enterprise Loan Fund and the MissisShipbuilding Corridor Directory – 41
Part VIII: Work force
A convergence of interests
T
he comment by the CEO of Northrop
Grumman didn’t have anything to do
with the advanced materials sector,
but it did speak directly to the type of employees who work in South Mississippi.
Ron Sugar was talking to an Alabama
newspaper in April 2006 after the groundbreaking of the company’s new unmanned
system center in Moss Point. He was asked
to elaborate on the aerospace “center of excellence” he sees emerging along the Gulf
Coast between South Mississippi and North-
“...we know all about the
quality of workers and the
quality of life here. It's an attractive place to be, and it
shouldn't be a surprise that
others are discovering that.”
- Northrop Grumman CEO Ron Sugar
west Florida.
“First, remember that we’ve had this wonderful relationship over the years building
great ships for the Navy and the Coast
Guard, so we know all about the quality of
workers and the quality of life here. It’s an
attractive place to be, and it shouldn’t be a
surprise that others are discovering that,”
Sugar told the Mobile Press-Register.
Northrop Grumman has a long history
with Mississippi and Louisiana through
shipyards in Pascagoula, Gulfport and New
Orleans. Not only has it poured money into
the yards that received $1 billion in damages
from Hurricane Katrina, but the company is
also investing more in aircraft operations
here. Why such a large investment?
“There’s a wonderful convergence of the
interests of the folks of this region with the
interests of our military and with the interests of Northrop Grumman as a corporation,” Sugar told the newspaper.
He said the company has to be focused on
creating value as a corporation. So it’s a
Part VIII – Work force
good business case to invest in the Gulf
Coast region. But he said he also sees the
human side of it. The work force has shown
it has the right stuff, so to speak.
“Following Katrina and watching what
you folks endured and how you’ve handled
it at every level, my respect has risen to the
highest levels,” Sugar told the newspaper.
Corporate officials have frequently pointed
out that one of the benefits of an operation in
South Mississippi is the can-do attitude, the
work ethic, a patriotic bent and a willingness
to learn. A work force, after all, is one of the
key resources of any company.
Mississippi is a right to work state with
competitive wage rates – average hourly
earnings are roughly 75 percent of the
United States average – corresponding to the
state’s lower-than average living and business costs. The state, recognizing the importance of the work force, has in place training
programs designed to guarantee a new or
expanding company has the workers it needs
to get the job done.
Mississippi offers customized employee
training at little or no cost to the company
through the community college system, at
vocational-technical centers, at a company’s
work site or in specialized mobile training
units.
The training includes customer-designed
pre-employment training, post-employment
training and upgrade/retraining services for
new, expanding or existing industries
through the Workforce Education Program
in conjunction with the community college
system. The cost of each program is negotiated based on required training needs of
each industry.
A program that can be leveraged with the
Workforce Education Program is the federal
government’s Workforce Investment Act.
Through WIA’s on-the-job training program, the employer may be reimbursed up to
50 percent of the wages for new workers
for up to six months. When participants
complete the training and enter unsubsidized employment, the employer may realize additional savings through a tax credit
available under the Targeted Job Tax
Credit Program. WIA assistance is provided through the Mississippi Development Authority.
For the advanced materials industry, the
state’s four-year universities offer programs that are among the best in the nation. The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg is a national leader in
the area of polymer science, with one of
the top programs in the United States.
Southern Miss is home to the Polymer Research Institute. Further upstate in Starkville, Mississippi State University offers
undergraduate, masters and doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering. MSU is
home to Raspet Flight Laboratory, part of
the Aerospace Engineering School, and a
nationally recognized institute.
The Center for Manufacturing Technology Excellence also provides training to
companies located in Mississippi. That
training option, combined with training
available through the community college
system, offers aerospace and aviation companies a variety of options for adequately
providing workers with the technical skills
needed for success.
A 2002 report stated that 55 percent of
the plastics companies surveyed contracted
with Mississippi community colleges for
training. Two-thirds of those companies
gave positive ratings to the training. Interviews conducted in this study also identified the community college system as an
asset to the Mississippi plastics industry. In
particular, the Plastics Technology Program at Jones County Junior College was
identified as a program that should be ex-
(Continued on page 46)
Biloxi-Gulfport-Pascagoula MSA, employment and wage estimates, selected fields (Nov. 2004)
The following list is based on data from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and is designed to show occupations likely of interest to industries, like plastics and chemicals, that require workers from a variety of fields. It is not a complete
list of occupations in the MSA. Estimates do not show self-employed workers.
Code number
Occupation title
Employment
Median hourly
Mean hourly
Mean annual
1,410
$22.83
$23.74
$49,380
15-0000
Computer and mathematical occupations
15-1021
Computer programmers
110
$19.83
$20.69
$43,020
15-1031
Computer software engineers, applications
170
$23.53
$23.79
$49,490
15-1032
Computer software engineers, systems software
40
$29.51
$28.11
$58,480
15-1041
Computer support specialists
350
$16,30
$17.00
$35,350
15-1051
Computer systems analysts
280
$27.44
$27.87
$57,960
15-1061
Database administrators
50
$22.78
$23.28
$48,430
15-1071
Network and computer systems administrators
140
$24.60
$24.75
$51,470
15-1081
Network systems and data communications analysts
50
$21.47
$21.63
$44,990
17-0000
Architecture and engineering occupations
4,470
$23.80
$25.56
$53,160
17-2051
Civil engineers
440
$27.01
$28.72
$59,730
17-2071
Electrical engineers
170
$31.96
$32.24
$67,060
17-2072
Electronics engineers, except computer
180
$35.63
$32.05
$66,660
17-2121
Marine engineers and naval architects
90
$28.60
$28.33
$58,920
17-2141
Mechanical engineers
140
$31.02
$31.04
$64,570
17-3011
Architectural and civil drafters
170
$28.21
$26.24
$54,570
17-3012
Electrical and electronics drafters
50
$29.07
$25.60
$53,250
17-3013
Mechanical drafters
40
$18.04
$19.64
$40,850
17-3022
Civil engineering technicians
(1)
$12.57
$13.62
$28,330
17-3023
Electrical and electronic engineering technician
420
$21.06
$22.03
$45,820
17-3026
Industrial engineering technicians
50
$22.27
$22.78
$47,390
17-3027
Mechanical engineering technicians
90
$19.09
$18.86
$39,240
17-3029
Engineering technicians, except drafters, all other
270
$31.50
$31.28
$65,060
17-3031
Surveying and mapping technicians
40
$12.44
$12.03
$25,030
19-0000
Life, physical, and social science occupations
1,290
$29.70
$29.74
$61,860
19-2012
Physicists
40
$39.88
$40.94
$85,160
19-2031
Chemists
100
$30.96
$32.69
$68,000
19-2042
Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers
220
$36.72
$36.48
$75,880
19-2099
Physical scientists, all other
220
$33.29
$33.36
$69,400
19-4031
Chemical technicians
100
$19.34
$18.25
$37,970
Continued page 45
(cont.) Biloxi-Gulfport-Pascagoula MSA, employment and wage estimates, selected fields
Code number
Occupation title
Employment
Median hourly
Mean hourly
Mean annual
19-4099
Life, physical and social science technicians, al
other
70
$22.01
$21.05
$43,780
49-0000
Installation, maintenance and repair occupations
7,220
$15.58
$16.39
$34,100
49-1011
First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, etc.
660
$20.78
$21.13
$43,960
49-2011
Computer, automated teller, office machine repairers
70
$13.37
$14.21
$29,560
49-2022
Telecom equipment installers/repairers, exc. line
120
$23.89
$21.72
$45,180
49-2094
Electrical/electronics repairers, comm and industrial
60
$19.94
$20.22
$42,050
49-3011
Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
190
$19.92
$20.31
$42,240
49-3021
Automotive body and related repairers
140
$18.55
$19.05
$39,620
49-3023
Automotive service technicians and mechanics
670
$12.31
$13.94
$29,000
49-3031
Bus and truck mechanics/diesel engine specialists
280
$14.71
$14.54
$30,240
49-3042
Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, exc. engines
230
$16.04
$16.63
$34,590
49-3051
Motorboat mechanics
(1)
$10.23
$12.92
$26,880
49-3053
Outdoor power eqmnt/other small engine mechanics
(1)
$6.37
$7.47
$15,530
49-9021
Heating, air cond/refrigeration mechanics/installers
500
$15.67
$15.52
$32,290
49-9041
Industrial machinery mechanics
560
$24.51
$23.17
$48,190
49-9042
Maintenance and repair workers, general
1,650
$11.04
$12.39
$25,770
49-9043
Maintenance workers, machinery
120
$28.04
$24.69
$51,350
49-9044
Millwrights
(1)
$25.25
$23.91
$49,740
49-9051
Electrical power-line installers/repairers
230
$22.88
$21.80
$45,350
49-9098
Helpers – installation, maintenance, repair workers
160
$9.14
$10.14
$21,100
49-9099
Installation, maintenance, repair work, all other
130
$12.43
$15.06
$31,320
51-0000
Production occupations
11,520
$16.50
$16.42
$34,160
51-1011
First-line sups/mgrs of production/operating wkrs
730
$23.95
$24.10
$50,120
51-2041
Structural metal fabricators and fitters
160
$14.86
$14.48
$30,120
51-2092
Team assemblers
710
$8.33
$9.14
$19,010
51-4011
Computer-control’d machine tool operators
30
$11.98
$11.79
$24,510
51-4031
Cutting, punching and press machine setters, etc.
80
$13.07
$13.59
$28,260
51-4034
Lathe/turning machine tool setters, operators, etc
30
$13.33
$13.53
$28,150
51-8091
Chemical plant and system operators
720
$20.86
$20.24
$42,110
51-9023
Mixing and blending machine setters, operators,
etc.
100
$10.97
$11.05
$22,990
51-9061
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers and weighers
400
$21.37
$21.32
$44,350
51-9111
Packaging and filling machine operators/tenders
120
$8.81
$9.47
$19,690
51-9121
Coating, painting/spraying machine setters, etc.
100
$15.36
$14.72
$30,630
Continued page 46
(cont.) Biloxi-Gulfport-Pascagoula MSA, employment and wage estimates, selected fields
Code number
Occupation title
Employment
Median hourly
Mean hourly
Mean annual
51-9193
Cooling and freezing equipment operators, tenders
30
$7.92
$10.51
$21,850
51-9198
Helpers – production workers
260
$9.78
$10.35
$21,540
53-0000
Transportation and material moving occupations
10,160
$10.15
$11.45
$23,810
53-1021
First-line sups/mgrs of helpers, laborers, etc.
170
$18.07
$19.13
$39,800
53-1031
First-line sups/mgrs transportation machine oprtrs
200
$18.54
$21.23
$44,170
53-3032
Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer
1,390
$14.85
$15.21
$31,650
53-3033
Truck drivers, light/delivery services
1,180
$10.27
$10.72
$22,300
53-5011
Sailors and marine oilers
60
$12.60
$12.58
$26,180
53-5021
Captains, mates and pilots of water vessels
90
$16.73
$19.46
$40,490
53-5031
Ship engineers
60
$20.59
$23.06
$47,960
53-6011
Bridge and lock tenders
40
(1)
(1)
(1)
53-6099
Transportation workers, all other
30
$17.33
$16.37
$34,050
53-7021
Crane and tower operators
200
$15.93
$16.02
$33,330
53-7032
Excavating/loading machine/dragline operators
(1)
$12.58
$12.63
$26,260
53-7051
Industrial truck and tractor operators
390
$12.81
$12.81
$26,640
53-7061
Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
320
$7.77
$8.20
$17,060
53-7062
Laborers and freight, stock/material movers, hand
2,440
$8.97
$9.99
$20,770
53-7063
Machine feeders and offbearers
30
$9.02
$9.37
$19,500
53-7064
Packers and packagers, hand
570
$6.67
$7.07
$14,700
(1) Estimates not released
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Compiled April 2006
(Continued from page 43)
panded throughout the community college
system, according to a report by the Mississippi Technology Alliance.
Shipbuilding
Summary
Why the United States?
•
•
•
One of the largest markets in the world
Congress has a buy-U.S. mindset
U.S. remains an innovation leader
Why Mississippi?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Strong congressional delegation holds leadership positions on the Appropriations Committee, Homeland
Security Committee, Energy and Commerce Committee and Armed Services Committee
Low cost of doing business
A predominantly rural state, there’s room to grow
Prime Mississippi locations offer air, highway and rail access.
Within a day’s drive to more than half the U.S. business population, including Atlanta, Birmingham, Dallas,
Houston, Little Rock, Memphis, Mobile, Nashville, New Orleans and St. Louis.
Interstate 55 provides access to markets in Chicago, Memphis, New Orleans and St. Louis
Interstate 10 and 20 provide access to Atlanta, Birmingham, Dallas and Los Angeles
20 rail systems
Offers incentives for traditional manufacturing operations and research and development efforts
Worker training programs
Why South Mississippi?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Strategic location with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico and foreign ports
Foreign trade zones
Availability of tax incentives through GO Zone Act of 2005
Two ports provide access to worldwide markets
Home of the University of Southern Mississippi and its respected polymer research enterprise
Home of a cluster of plastics and chemicals companies
Home to a cluster of cutting-edge composite fabrication plants, the material of choice for many platforms
Vast test ranges on land and in the Gulf of Mexico
Proximity to key end-users in the military
Universities eager to work with private companies
Shipbuilding
BAE Systems Applied Technologies, Part IV
Bay Marine Boat Works, Inc., Part IV
Center for Advanced Power Systems, Part V
Center for Turbine Innovation and
Research, Part V
Coastal Marine Equipment, Inc.-Gulfport, Part IV
Electric Ship Research and Development
Consortium, Part V
Fire and Safety Test Detachment, Coast Guard
Research and Development Center, Part V
M.M. Flechas Shipyard Co., Inc., Part IV
Marine Composites Consortium Center
of Excellence, Part V
Full Scale Fire Test Facility (Ex-USS
Shadwell), Part V
GME, Part IV
George County Economic Development
Foundation, Part VII
Gulf Coast Business Technology Center, Part VI
Gulf Ship, Part IV
Hancock County Port and Harbor
Commission, Part VII
Harrison County Development
Commission, Part VII
High Tech, Inc., Part IV
Jackson County Economic Development
Foundation, Inc., Part VII
KSI Building and Home Construction, Part IV
Mississippi Development Authority, Part VII
Mississippi Enterprise for Technology, Part VI
Mississippi Power, Part VII
NASA Technology Transfer Office, Part VI
National Biodynamics Laboratory, Part V
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Part V
Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama
City, Part V
Noetic Technologies Inc., Part VI
Northrop Grumman Ship Systems/Gulfport
(Center for Composites Excellence), Part IV
Northrop Grumman Ship Systems/Ingalls, Part IV
Northrop Grumman Data Systems, Part IV
Omega Shipyard, Part IV
Parker Marine Inc., Part IV
Partners for Pearl River County, Part VII
PEMCO - Naval Engineering Works,
Inc., Part IV
Index
Rebel Boatworks, Part IV
Rolls-Royce Naval Marine Inc. (Center of
Excellence for Naval Propulsors), Part IV
Sea Fab Inc., Part IV
Seemann Composites, Part IV
Signal International LLC – East Yard, Part IV
Signal International West, Part IV
Simulation Based Design Center, Part V
Smith Construction & Welding, Inc., Part IV
South Coast Electric, Part IV
Southern Mississippi Planning and
Development District, Part VII
Stone County Economic Development
Partnership, Part VII
Trinity Yachts LLC, Part IV
United States Marine Inc., Part IV
University of New Orleans/Gulf Coast Region
Maritime Technology Center, Part V
VT Halter Marine (corporate), Part IV
VT Halter Marine, Pascagoula Operations, Part IV
VT Halter Marine, Halter Moss Point
Operations, Part IV
VT Halter Marine, Moss Point Marine
Operations, Part IV
Williams Machine Works, Inc., Part IV

Mississippi Gulf Coast Shipbuilding 2007

Transcription

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