VT Halter build third NOAA vessel

VT Halter Marine Inc. (VTHM), a subsidiary of Vision Technologies Systems Inc., will build another Fisheries Survey Vessel for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which organised their option for the third of four planned vessels under an existing contract. This vessel is valued at approximately $38 million and construction will begin later this year with delivery planned during the second half of 2007.

VTHM designed the 64 metre FSVs in accordance with strict guidelines for acoustic quieting set by the International Council for Exploration of the Seas. The first ship in the class, Oscar Dyson, was delivered to NOAA earlier this month and is one of the most technologically advanced fisheries ships in the world. When completed, the newbuilding will be based at the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Mississippi Laboratory in Pascagoula.