|
News For NavArchs
|
Sunday May 20, 2007
Halifax Shipyard to build cruise ship
An American cruise company has strengthened its interests in Halifax that
will generate more employment and revenue for the province.
Pearl Seas
Cruises of Guildford, Conn., an offshore affiliate of American Cruise
Lines, has confirmed on its website that it will have a second cruise ship
built at the
Halifax Shipyard and will use the Port of Halifax on a few occasions as
a home port in 2008.
"Pearl Seas Cruises announced they have signed contracts with Irving
Shipbuilding in Halifax . . . to build two new luxury passenger ships for
world service. These new ships will carry 165 and 210 passengers," a press
release stated.
The Halifax yard, owned by
Irving Shipbuilding Inc., has already started construction on the first
cruise ship, which will be delivered in May of 2008.
Pearl Seas has scheduled four departures for the first new vessel from
the port’s new Cunard Centre. The cruises range from seven nights to 14
nights and will visit ports throughout Eastern Canada and down the U.S.
eastern seaboard.
The size of the vessel will allow cruisers to visit ports not accessible
to the much larger cruise ships. Small ports such as Baddeck, Digby,
Lunenburg and Louisbourg are included in the itineraries.
The Halifax departures in 2008 are scheduled for Aug. 9, Aug. 16, Oct. 1
and Nov. 1.
Having Halifax as a vessel’s home port has been a focus of the Halifax
Port Authority. The port had a brief taste of this last year with
Halifax-based Polar Seas Expeditions.
Authority spokeswoman Michele Peveril said Friday the authority is very
enthused with "the commitment they (Pearl Seas) have shown to the Port of
Halifax and to our abilities locally to both build their ships, plus make
this their home port of call for their cruise activities starting in ’08."
She said the port and its partners have been working toward "attracting
homeport activity because of added economic spinoff."
For every home port passenger there is the potential for additional
expenditures because of the nature of travel with the possible requirements
for hotel accommodations and benefits to local attractions.
The second vessel, which will be slightly larger than the first, will be
delivered in time for the 2009 cruise season.
Pearl Seas says both vessels will be designed for the luxury market with
all the latest in technologies and luxury amenities.
More on the ship...
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Lost contract will cost jobs union spokesman
The federal government’s decision to drop Irving Shipbuilding from the
bid process to build three joint support ships for the navy is "not good,"
says a union spokesman.
And he also warns it could have long-term ramifications for the Halifax
Shipyard.
Jamie Vaslet, business agent for Local 1 of the Canadian Auto Workers
union, representing Halifax marine workers, said he is baffled why Irving
isn’t one of the two finalists to move to the design phase to build the
ships, considering the company’s facilities and expertise.
Public Works Minister Michael Fortier said last Friday that Thyssen Krupp
Marine Systems Canada Inc. and SNC-Lavalin ProFac Inc. will be awarded $12.5
million contracts to complete proposals to design the ships as well as
provide long-term, in-service support.
Construction and maintenance are worth
nearly $3 billion.
[Read
more...]
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Troubled waters; Port Weller Dry Docks seeks bankruptcy protection
The operator of Port
Weller Dry Docks in St. Catharines has filed for bankruptcy protection.
The trustee for Canadian Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd. said Wednesday in
a release the company is in the process of putting together a restructuring
proposal to its creditors.
Robert Kofman, a partner with Toronto bankruptcy trustee RSM Richter
Inc., said CSE has about $8 million in debt to its suppliers, plus "other
obligations which have not yet been quantified."
It has a "number of creditors," he said, adding it is not yet known when the
proposal to its creditors will be completed.
"I think the company is very optimistic it's going to be able to restructure
and it's working diligently to do that," Kofman said.
St. Catharines-based CSE has also negotiated an "arrangement with a party
that is going to fund the business during these proceedings," he said.
While shipbuilding operations are suspended, the dry docks are still open
for business.
Ship repair and maintenance work will continue.
The shipyard is temporarily closed until early August for a seasonal
shutdown.
[Read
more ...]
|
 |
Thursday, June 8, 2006
Davie Shipyard Purchased by
Teco Management Group
The last minute purchase of Canada’s oldest shipyard by a
business consortium has obviated the need for a scheduled auction of assets
that were scheduled for June 12th. Final details are still being worked out,
but the shipyard’s trustee says the deal should close at the end of June.
The specifics of the deal were not disclosed.
Teco is known as a
refurbisher of ballast tanks, usually while ships are still at sea, but the
company now wants to build oil rigs to meet growing worldwide demand. The
Davie Shipyard looks to be a good fit. Teco’s Management reportedly wants to
build five jack-up rigs at $150 million apiece at the Quebec yard, with
construction beginning as early as September, 2006.
Obstacles to the deal were many, including a settlement with the potential
liquidator of the yard’s assets; the repayment of millions of dollars in
debt; and settlement of a pension-squabble with former employees. However,
the potential economic benefits to the local Quebec economy are considered
to outweigh the liquidation of the yard. As many as 1,000 jobs may be
created by Teco’s acquisition. It remains to be seen whether the new
shipyard management can make money where others could not. The Davie
Shipyard has been in bankruptcy since 2001.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Davie on the brink of oblivion
Final Days: Barring a last-minute deal with an international
consortium, the Quebec City shipyard, founded in the colonial era, will be
packed up and crated away in a massive auction
During most of the 38 years that Steve Kack
worked for Davie Shipbuilding, this vast, windswept point of land was a
bustling place.
"It was like a small city," the retired marketing executive recalled during
a tour of the 51-hectare (5.5-million-square-foot) site. "Hundreds of men
worked here every day of the year, building ships. The action never
stopped."
How times have changed.
Bankrupt for the past 41/2 years, Canada's oldest and most illustrious
shipyard is now a ghost town run by a skeleton crew. And barring any
last-minute miracle, Davie, a company that has been synonymous with
shipbuilding since colonial times, will suffer a final ignominy: a massive
six-day public auction to liquidate every moveable asset on the property.
[Read more ...]
Wednesday, January 7, 2003
New contract for Island shipyard
Taxpayers are helping bring some new work to the East Isle Shipyard. The
province is loaning Atlantic Towing Limited $16 million so it can have two
new tugboats built at the Georgetown operation.
At the height of the project it will mean work for 95 people. The
contract will keep the yard busy until 2005, and avoids the need to send
most of the workers home.
Both the shipyard and Atlantic Towing are owned by the Irving family of
Saint John, N.B.
Development Minister Mike Currie, who represents the riding the business is
located in, said the province decided on the loan because Canada does not
have a shipbuilding policy. He said it is the best way to develop and
encourage the shipbuilding sector on the Island.
The loan, with interest, will be paid back to the province over ten years.
[Read more]
Friday, July 25, 2003
Some East Coast ferries may be unsafe: Probe
Some large ferries operating between Nova Scotia and
Newfoundland could become unstable and sink within minutes under certain
conditions, according to an investigation by CBC News.
The warnings appear in federal studies that show the ferries could
capsize quickly if water floods the car and truck deck – either
because of a collision or if a door is left open.
Ottawa has known for more than a decade that the design is potentially dangerous, according to documents. Ferry tragedies abroad have prompted a call for tougher regulations in many countries. Experts suggested a change in overall design of the craft. [Read more]
Friday, June 27, 2003
Irvings announce closure of Saint John shipyard
A 40-year shipbuilding tradition in the Maritimes, is ending. The Irving family is shutting down its Saint John shipyard -- the largest such facility in Canada.[Read more]
Wednesday, April 02, 2003
Retired P.Engs no longer to act as passport applicant guarantors
Recent changes to the Canadian passport application process disallow retired professional engineers to act as guarantors.
The Office of the Registrar General at the Ministry of Consumer and Business Services has made the changes in a move to further safeguard the integrity and security of vital documents. Its birth certificate application process now also requires guarantors. Again, retired professional
engineers do not qualify. [Read more from PEO "Engineering Dimensions" Magazine]
|
Ever wonder what was going on in terms of construction, contracts, work in this field? Then this is the place to look! If you know of any new construction, contracts, work or any other newsworthy item that is public information then please email me, and I will include it here. Please help me to keep this information current via email. Don't have access to email? Use the form on the Contact page.
In addition to this location, the Maritime Reporter is a good place to check for the latest news.
|
 |
