USA: Gibbs & Cox Confirms Award of Contract for New Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger

Gibbs & Cox, one of the world’s leading independent naval architecture and marine engineering firms, announced the award of a contract to support BAE Systems, Southeast Shipyards Alabama, by providing functional engineering and detailed production support during the design and construction of a hopper dredge.

The dredge will be a self-propelled trailing suction hopper dredge built for Weeks Marine, Inc. in Covington, Louisiana. Weeks Marine, Inc. is one of the largest providers of dredging services in the United States and is the largest provider of these services in the Gulf region. This state-of-the-art dredge is based on an original dredge design by IHC Merwede, located in the Netherlands.

Gibbs & Cox will provide functional engineering, detail design, production and test and trial support to BAE Ship Repair. The dredge will be built in the BAE facilities in Mobile, Alabama. Gibbs & Cox will perform the work in its recently established Gulf Coast Operations, located in New Orleans, Louisiana, coordinating with its other offices as needed.

Elected Chief Executive of Gibbs & Cox in August 2010, Rick Biben promptly launched an ambitious path to expand its growth revenue by 50 percent in the next five years. The firm’s Gulf Coast Operations and commercial offerings are an integral component of this plan.

“We are extremely proud to have been selected to support BAE on this dredge project,” said Mr. Biben. “This is a key opportunity for our Gulf Coast Operations to develop the design of a complex commercial vessel for a major shipbuilder in the Gulf. We are fortunate that in the last six months we have been selected by a number of our partners at the shipyards to assist them on commercial projects. This project is both a fulfillment of a corporate objective to enhance our capabilities in the Gulf, as well as a continuation of our growing relationship with BAE.”

About Gibbs & Cox, Inc.

Gibbs & Cox is a privately held, independent engineering and design firm specializing in naval architecture, marine engineering, management support and engineering consulting. Founded in 1929, Gibbs & Cox’s mission is to help customers in the U.S. and international government sectors and global marine industry meet the most challenging issues during all phases of design, construction, and life cycle support. The company is headquartered in Arlington, Va., with offices in New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., New Orleans and Hampton.

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Source: businesswire, August 22, 2011;