Newport News Shipbuilding Christens Tugboat Named

Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII), today christened Capt. Ambrose, a tugboat named in honor of Capt. Marvin L. Ambrose, a former tugboat master and docking pilot who retired from the shipyard in 1973 after 44 years of service. The ceremonial christening was held behind the Virginia Advanced Shipbuilding and Carrier Integration Center in Newport News.

Shirley Langston, the shipyard's longest-serving female master shipbuilder, served as the ship's sponsor. At 53 years service, Langston has supported work on USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, USS Carl Vinson and USS Enterprise. She is currently working on the overhaul of USS Theodore Roosevelt. Photo by Ricky Thompson Matt Mulherin (left), corporate vice president and president, Newport News Shipbuilding, and Danny Hunley (right), vice president of operations, Newport News Shipbuilding, presented Langston with the bottle used during the christening ceremony. Photo by Ricky Thompson

"Though we're no longer building tugboats here along the banks of the James River, we still feel that same sense of pride and ownership for our modern-day tugs as if we had built them ourselves, and it's why we name them for shipbuilding legends," said Matt Mulherin, HII corporate vice president and president of Newport News Shipbuilding."Our tugboats, their captains and crews, and the work they perform are vitally important to the work we do for the U.S. Navy. They push, pull, navigate and turn the largest and most complex nuclear-powered ships in the world, and they make it look effortless, even though we all know it requires skill, experience and hard work."

Capt. Ambrose was hired by the shipyard in March 1929 as a deck hand. The Mathews County native was a member of the original crew on Huntington, a tugboat that was placed in service on Nov. 18, 1933. Capt. Ambrose eventually became tugboat master on Huntington, a position he held along with his responsibilities as docking pilot until his retirement. It is estimated that Huntington, under Capt. Ambrose's leadership, assisted 30,000 vessels during her service.

Shirley Langston, the shipyard's longest-serving female master shipbuilder, served as the ship's sponsor and performed the traditional honor of breaking a bottle of American sparkling wine across the tugboat's hull. Langston was joined by Mulherin; Danny Hunley, Newport News Shipbuilding vice president of operations; and members of Capt. Ambrose's family, including Bobby Hudgins, Capt. Ambrose's nephew and retired Newport News Shipbuilding employee.

"I am really honored to have been chosen for this great opportunity to christen this beautiful tug," Langston said. "What an honor this is for almost 53 years with the shipyard. The tugs here in Newport News Shipbuilding play a major role when it comes to getting our ships out of the dry docks and the piers."

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) designs, builds and maintains nuclear and non-nuclear ships for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard and provides after-market services for military ships around the globe. For more than a century, HII has built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. Employing nearly 38,000 in Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana and California, its primary business divisions are Newport News Shipbuilding and Ingalls Shipbuilding.

Posted on 4/28/2011 / 0 comments / Read More

Polarcus receives Letter of Intent for 3D seismic acquisition

Polarcus Limited (OAX: PLCS) is pleased to announce that the Company has received a Letter of Intent for a 3D offshore seismic acquisition project for an undisclosed client. The project, subject to the execution of a service contract, will commence in Q2 2011 and is expected to run for approximately 100 days. As a result of this announcement the Company's backlog at date has increased to 23 vessel months in total.
Source: Polarcus 

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Carnival Cruise Lines Takes Delivery of New 130,000-Ton Carnival Magic

Carnival Cruise Lines, a brand of global cruise operator Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), today accepted delivery of the corporation’s 100^th ship, the Carnival Magic, in ceremonies at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, where the vessel was built.         

In recognition of this achievement, on April 29 all guests sailing aboard Carnival Corporation & plc’s 100 ships will enjoy a complimentary champagne toast at dinner to commemorate this historic and unprecedented milestone.  All told, more than 227,000 guests across the company’s 10 cruise brands will participate in the toast, believed to be the largest celebration of its kind at sea.

Following the traditional maritime handover ceremony in Italy, Carnival Magic will debut on May 1 with a nine-day Mediterranean cruise from Venice to Barcelona.

Prior to the departure of its inaugural voyage, the 130,000-ton vessel will be named by its godmother, Lindsey Wilkerson, a former patient of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital who now serves as an employee and ambassador of the organization. The choice of Wilkerson as godmother is a tribute to Carnival’s ongoing partnership with St. Jude, one of the world’s premier centers for the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other catastrophic diseases.             

As the line’s newest ship, Carnival Magic will introduce a host of innovations, including the RedFrog Pub, a colorful Caribbean-inspired watering hole featuring its own private label draught beer; Cucina del Capitano, a family-style Italian restaurant that brings the heritage of Carnival’s captains to the table; and SportSquare, an expansive open-air recreation complex with the first ropes course and outdoor fitness area at sea.

Other features include a WaterWorks aqua park with a 312-foot-long spiral water slide and other attractions; The Lanai, a wraparound promenade with an outdoor barbeque area and whirlpools that extend out over the ship’s sides; and Ocean Plaza, a stunning indoor/outdoor café and live entertainment venue.

“With a combination of exciting new features such as the RedFrog Pub, SportSquare and Cucina del Capitano and other popular ‘Fun Ship’ amenities, Carnival Magic epitomizes our company’s continued commitment to providing our guests with fun, memorable vacations at an incredible value,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival Cruise Lines’ president and CEO.

Added Micky Arison, Carnival Corporation & plc’s chairman and CEO, “The delivery of a new cruise ship to one of our brands is always a proud and exciting moment,” said Micky Arison, chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc.  “It is particularly meaningful that delivery of Carnival Corporation & plc’s 100^th ship is for the Carnival Cruise Lines brand, which provided the foundation upon which Carnival Corporation & plc was established and, ultimately, grew into the largest cruise operator in the world with 10 global brands.”             

Following the May 1 inaugural voyage from Venice, Carnival Magic will sail a series of seven- to 12-day Mediterranean departures from Barcelona through Oct. 16, then reposition to Galveston, Texas, for year-round seven-day Caribbean departures beginning Nov. 14, becoming the largest ship ever based at the port year-round.
Source: Carnival

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