Contrary to popular opinion, Bollinger Shipyards’ epic $15 million purchase of two Singapore Technologies Engineering LTD (ST Engineering) Mississippi shipyards is a good thing for America.
Page BreakAccording to Craig Hooper, Founder, and CEO of the Themistocles Advisory Group, Analysts worry that the “consolidation” may restrict “the navy’s options at a time when the service is trying to grow its fleet,” but these worries are completely unfounded. The new American owners bring stability, a long-term management perspective, political clout, and substantial financial resources to a company that has a history of producing complex and expensive government research, Polar, and special mission vessels. Bollinger and Chouest may have what it takes to make this acquisition successful, but they will undoubtedly need to request a lot of additional assistance from the United States. They’ll undoubtedly want to get the contract for the next generation of T-AGOS-25 Ocean Surveillance Ships as a supplement for the dangerous icebreaker project.
