...Although 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.
...The Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration tracks the shipbuilding sector in
five regions: The East Coast, West Coast, Gulf Coast, Great Lakes and non-CONUS areas.
...Figures show that between 1982 and 2005, the number of major shipyards and repair facilities
nationwide declined 25.4 percent – from 110 to 82 – while the number of workers tumbled by
58.8 percent – from 112,500 to 46,300. The biggest losses were in the East and West coasts.
...The East Coast in 1982 had 41 shipyards, but by 2005 that figure had dropped to 27, 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 loss of 96.9 percent.
...The West Coast also took a huge hit, going from 27 shipyards in 1982 to 15 in 2005, a 44.4
percent drop. The work force slid as well, going from 23,700 workers in 1982 to 7,700 in 2005,
a 67.5 percent decrease.
...By contrast, the losses on the Gulf Coast were smaller. In 1982 the Gulf Coast had 33 yards
and in 2005 it had 31, a loss of some 6 percent. The work force slipped from 22,900 in 1982 to
18,200 in 2005, a drop of 20.5 percent.
...Those changes made the Gulf Coast 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 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 spans an area between south Texas and Florida. Within
that crescent most of the major shipbuilding operations are concentrated 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 VT-Halter
Marine Pascagoula, both in Pascagoula, Miss., and Northrop Grumman Ship Systems’ Avondale
Operations in New Orleans.
...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.
...When Hurricane Katrina plowed into South Mississippi Aug. 29, 2005, the shipyards were at
the very front of the assault. It caused considerable damage to every yard and the displacement
of workers. Recovery was costly, and even now shipbuilders are coping with a worker shortage.
...Still, South Mississippi got more shipbuilders.
...Trinity Yachts, which specializes in megayachts, opted to move to Gulfport along the industrial
canal of Bernard Bayou Industrial District. United States Marine, which builds boats for special
operations, also moved to Gulfport at a site along the canal. Then Gulf Ship set up operations at
a 31-acre site along the waterway to build ships for Louisiana’s 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 a leading center for research in the use of
advanced materials for the shipbuilding industry. It will also work to build a cadre of scientists,
technicians and workers who will create future generations of military and commercial vessels.
Members 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. - Condensed from Mississippi Gulf Coast Shipbuilding
Corridor 2007
April 2007
Shipbuilding
A bigger slice of a smaller pie