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Plans Announced for LNG Export Facility in U.S. Gulf of Mexico
Grand Isle LNG is proposing to build an LNG export facility, thirteen miles south of Grand Isle, Louisiana, in Plaquemines Parish, promising significant economic benefits to the region. The proposed deepwater port is a platform-based modular design; its pipeline access, and its nearshore location will result in one of the least expensive and safest operations on the market today. Additionally, all platforms and many components of the facility will be Louisiana made by Louisiana energy workers.
South Korean Yards Turn to Guest Workers but Have Trouble Retaining Them
In a scramble to fill vacant positions and build a slew of new shipbuilding orders, South Korea's Big Three have been hiring yard workers in from Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and other countries in Southeast Asia. The ranks of foreign guest workers in the yard, but there is one problem: a small number of them are walking away once they arrive in the country. Nonetheless, the Big Three have reported some disappearances from the ranks of the newly recruited workers. In April, seven Thai workers departed the HD Hyundai yard after just a week on the job.
The reason for the departures, according to the shipbuilders' union at HD Hyundai, is relatively low pay and difficult work - and under the circumstances, "the desertions are not surprising," the union said in a recent newsletter edition.
Foreign workers are an increasing share of the Korean shipyard workforce. Most of the large yards source 10-20 percent of their outsourced (contract) workforce from foreign countries, according to BusinessKorea. Given the growing role of workers from Southeast Asia in the Korean shipbuilding industries, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) metalworkers' union has decided to switch its policy from opposing migrant labor to organizing migrant labor. As a practical matter, one union leader told BusinessKorea, "the metal workers' union should not give them the cold shoulder but embrace them."
The importance of guest workers may grow further with time. With the ongoing shipbuilding boom, South Korean yards are short about 2,000 workers, according to Korea JoongAng Daily. The working conditions are challenging, and the wages are "not particularly high," explained researcher Lee Kyung-woo of the Ulsan Research Institute. The tens of thousands of workers who were laid off during the downturn in 2016-18 are largely staying away and seeking other options, and it may take up to five years to return to stability and full staffing for the yards.
MetalCraft Awarded USCG Patrol Boat Contract
MetalCraft Marine Inc. (MCM) recently announced it has been awarded a $31 million contract from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) as part of the Long-Range Interceptor (LRI) III program. This is the second contract MCM has received for the design and build of their high-speed Interceptor patrol boat. The LRI is produced in sizes from 23-65 feet, and has had great success with other military and police forces across North America and is used for several operations including drug interception, Search and Rescue, and crew transfer.
Maryland Pilots Order Another Launch from Gladding-Hearn
The Association of Maryland Pilots has ordered a new pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding. The high-speed vessel is a sistership to its first Baltimore Class launch, delivered less than two years ago. Delivery is scheduled for 2024.
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