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SCA Weekly Report | May 6-10, 2024
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2024 SCA Spring Membership Meeting
Registration is now open for the 2024 Shipbuilders Council of America Spring Membership Meeting on June 12-13, 2024 in Washington, D.C.
This event is the premier forum for the gathering of the domestic shipbuilding and ship repair industrial base.
All events will be held at the Adams and Reese office building at 20 F St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001.
Confirmed Speakers:
- The Honorable Nickolas Guertin, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition
- Congressman Trent Kelly (R-MS-01)
- Congressman Jerry Carl (R-AL-01)
- Congressman Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17)
- Ron O'Rourke, Specialist in Naval Affairs, CRS
- Eric Labs, Senior Analyst for Naval Forces & Weapons, CBO
- Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship & Veterans' Employment and Training Service Panel
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Save the Date: Upcoming Events
- 2024 SCA Spring General Membership Meeting: June 12-13, 2024 | Washington, D.C.
- 2024 SCA Fall General Membership Meeting: October 9-10, 2024 | Mobile, Alabama
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Updated OSHA Shipyard Fall Protection Fact Sheet
Work in shipyards and onboard vessels can present numerous hazards, with falls being a leading cause of fatalities and injuries. An average of 141 shipyard workers are injured each year from falls to a lower level. To prevent falls from occurring, employers must assess work activities to determine where fall hazards exist and implement protective measures.
CLICK HERE to download the updated OSHA Fact Sheet
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Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Releases Roadmap for Revitalizing U.S. Maritime
Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Representative Mike Waltz (R.-Fla.) along with Senator Marco Rubio (R.-Fla,) and Representative John Garamendi (D-Calif.), have released a roadmap for revitalizing the U.S. maritime sector, entitled “Congressional Guidance for a National Maritime Strategy.” The publication is designed to provide a comprehensive vision for planning guidance, strategic objectives, and actionable steps to revitalize the U.S. maritime sector.
The report sets out ten things Congress can do now to help boost the United States’ maritime prowess. These include; developing a long-term National Maritime Strategy, expanding and protecting the domestic maritime workforce, growing domestic shipbuilding and U.S.-flagged shipping capacity, investing in the Maritime Transportation System, creating innovation incubator programs, assessing threats in Polar Regions, ensuring Naval forces can defend freedom of the seas, de-risking the U.S. maritime sector, and advancing the rule of law, allies, trade, quality of life, and universal access to global commons.
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Judge to Decide Whether to Delay Construction of Dominion’s Offshore Wind Project
A federal judge will soon decide whether Dominion Energy obtained necessary federal approvals for its Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, a 176-turbine wind farm environmental groups are backing as a critical source of renewable energy needed to combat climate change. Judge Loren L. AliKhan is expected to make a decision on a request for a preliminary injunction as part of a lawsuit against Dominion and U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration officials, who are overseeing construction of the offshore wind project.
The judge’s forthcoming decision on whether the project will be delayed or not comes after an April 29 hearing where attorneys representing Dominion and the federal government were “vague in their answers” when AliKhan asked if approvals for the biological opinion were obtained. The $9.8 billion CVOW project is expected to be completed in 2026 with the ability to generate enough power for up to 660,000 homes.
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Bollinger Awarded Contract for ULA Rocket Transport Ship
United Launch Alliance (ULA) recently announced that it has signed agreements with Bollinger Shipyards and Bristol Harbor Group Inc. to design, oversee, and build a new ship to transport Vulcan rockets from the factory in Decatur, Alabama to the launch sites at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. ULA awarded Bollinger Shipyards a contract to build a second roll-on/roll-off vessel classed for both ocean-going and river service. Construction has just begun on the 356’ vessel, Spaceship, at Bollinger’s shipyard located in Amelia, LA. Delivery to ULA is expected in January 2026. “We’re proud to continue our partnership with ULA in support of their increasing capabilities and launch capacity,” said Ben Bordelon, President and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards.
Eastern Launches Long Island ferry
Eastern Shipbuilding Group Inc. (ESG) successfully launched the ferry, Long Island, at its Allanton Shipyard in Panama City, FL, last Friday. The new passenger and auto ferry is destined to operate between Bridgeport, CT, and Port Jefferson, NY, traversing the Long Island Sound. The 302' ferry is designed to accommodate both vehicles and passengers and is designed with several enhancements, including Tier IV main engines, increased crew capacity, and an upgraded furniture package. Scheduled for delivery later this year, the vessel will join a fleet that includes two other Eastern-built ferries: the P.T. Barnum (1999) and the Grand Republic (2003).
U.S. Imports Expected to Remain Strong According to NRF
Monthly inbound cargo volume at the nation’s major container ports should consistently be above two million TEUs through this summer and into early fall, according to the latest forecast from the National Retail Federation. The trade association for retailers highlights the strong continued consumer spending and retailers’ efforts to maintain inventory levels in the summer selling season.
“We haven’t seen numbers this high for this many months in almost two years,” said Jonathan Gold, Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy at the NRF. “Regardless of what headlines about the economy might say, consumers are shopping and retailers are making sure they have merchandise on hand to meet demand.”
The group highlights strong year-over-year gains in the first quarter of 2024 with a total TEU volume at more than a dozen major U.S. container ports topping 5.8 million TEU. The first quarter volume was up 17 percent over 2023.
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If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the SCA staff.
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