Posted on 02/22/2006 11:23:59 PM PST by demlosers
June 24, 1997, ABU DHABI, U.A.E. -- Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) has completed repairs on the U.S. military transport ship USNS Gordon, its first contract for work on a U.S. Navy vessel since the shipyard was established approximately one year ago.
ADSB received the contract from Newport News Shipbuilding (NYSE: NNS), Newport News, Virginia, USA, a major shareholder in ADSB. The Gordon repair project involved completion of warranty work for the U.S. Military Sealift Command vessel during its recent visit to the Arabian Gulf.
The USNS Gordon recently underwent a major conversion by Newport News from a standard container ship to a sophisticated, roll-on roll-off vessel for use by the U.S. Military Sealift Command. The converted ship was delivered in August, 1996 at the Newport News facilities in the U.S. and is presently in the Gulf on its maiden voyage. Like any newly delivered vessel, a number of machinery and equipment items needed adjustment or maintenance after their initial operating period. Since Newport News personnel provide both the executive and technical management services for ADSB, the Abu Dhabi company was a logical choice to complete this warranty work.
ADSB completed the repairs while the ship was docked in Jebel Ali Port, about 50 miles north of Abu Dhabi. A team of ADSB specialists and supervisors was dispatched to Jebel Ali from the company’s Abu Dhabi location and worked for several weeks to complete the required work on the vessel.
"We believe the U.S. Navy personnel on the Gordon were well pleased with our work and we intend to pursue additional opportunities with this particular customer in the future," said Rocky Holliday, ADSB’s managing director.
The work involved a number of electrical, machinery and welding-related items discovered during the ship’s initial deployment. NNS sent a technical representative to the Jebel Ali Port where he stayed during the entire job to coordinate between the two companies and interface with the U.S. Navy customer. ADSB’s knowledge of U.S. Navy equipment and procedures greatly facilitated the work and reduced the expected repair time.
Besides the actual warranty work, ADSB also coordinated the receipt of materials provided by Newport News, provided access to the port, and supervised several subcontractors. ADSB was also able to procure additional required materials from its local vendor list. The ADSB team worked closely with the ship’s crew to provide maintenance services on a number of different systems, often while they were still operating, to avoid shutting down main electrical power and critical equipment.
ADSB began operations in mid-1996 after a very successful public stock offering in the United Arab Emirates. In July of last year, ADSB bought an existing, small shipyard just outside of Abu Dhabi. The company is currently building, refitting, and repairing vessels at this existing site while a new, much larger shipyard facility is being designed and constructed at a location nearby. Newport News currently has a team of 16 employees permanently located in Abu Dhabi providing both executive and technical management for the new company.
"This was ADSB’s first opportunity to provide support for U.S. Navy ships in the Gulf," said Holliday. "Now that the U.S. Navy has worked with us and seen what our local NNS personnel are able to do, I’m hopeful that ADSB will be able to provide repair and maintenance services for other U.S. Navy ships deployed in the region."
Newport News Shipbuilding is America's largest ship design and construction company. It has produced approximately 800 ships during its 111 years of operations - including Navy aircraft carriers, submarines, and cruisers. The company is currently building the nuclear-powered aircraft carriers Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) and Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and has begun work in preparation for construction of the Navy's New Attack Submarine. It is also building nine Double Eagle product tankers. Its 1996 revenues totaled $1.87 billion, with earnings before interest and taxes of $140 million. The current backlog is approximately $3.3 billion. The workforce numbers 18,000, making it Virginia's largest private employer.
dickseski_jf@nns.com
"any person with known ties to any Arab, should be held until such time that the Islamofascists no longer pose a threat"
Does that include anyone who has done business with Arabs and enjoyed their hospitality. They better be big holding pens as half the CEOs of US global companies along with half the government (including the Bush family) will be in there along with the many thousands of US citizens who have lived and worked in Saudi, Kuwait etc.
At least I'll have plenty of people to talk to!
I'm one who's always tried to be a voice of reason; to do things like point out instances where I think people are being a little extreme, even if I know I'll get flamed mightily for it! One area where I've sensed a little not-so-subtle bigotry is when people lump together all Muslims with the terrorists. I traditionally argue for discriminating between Islamofascists and good Muslims. While I've never really bought into the view that Islam is a religion of peace, it seemed the gracious and prudent thing to give those Muslims who insist that "terrorists are not true Muslims" yada, yada, the benefit of the doubt.
However, after what I just heard on the news (47 Sunnis found shot in the head in south Baghdad,) and everything that's been going on since the 'toon riots I think it would be too much of a stretch to agree with that proposition anymore. Mainstream Muslims celebrate, or at least raise no objection when terrorists kill Jews and Christians. Mainstream Muslims kill each other in sectarian violence. Hundreds die regularly during religious observances. Islam a religion of peace? I don't think so.
. . . then again, it does look like Zarqawi is behind the Samarra shrine bombing, and his intention is to foment civil war. I guess it's the fact that he's nearly succeeded that makes it difficult to view Islam as a religion of peace. Too many of them are rioting, lynching and executing the other side when they should be mourning, praying, and rebuilding.
"UAE is a kingdom..........EVERTHING is owned by the king, thus, is owned by the govenment....including the shipyards, port business, local grocer, etc., etc..........."Actually, it's not a kingdom per se, it is a cabal of 7 or 8 sheiks who rule their separate families. The UAE was formulated so that they could garner more influence in matters of international trade and politics. The government (and I use that term loosely) structure is still subject to the vagaries of family politics and beliefs - which, despite their modern approach to business, is still firmly lodged in the 7th century.
Anyone care to explain how the COLE bombers knew exactly where to hit the ship? One of the best Naval Training Schools to learn the general construction and workings of a Navy ship is in a Naval Shipyard. Some one messed up big time putting that yard there.Mastermind Of USS Cole Bombing Was Living In the UAE
kinda like the longshoremen?I dunno, you tell me. What's the official religion of the longshoremen, and are they trying to take over the world? :D
However, after what I just heard on the news (47 Sunnis found shot in the head in south Baghdad,) and everything that's been going on since the 'toon riots I think it would be too much of a stretch to agree with that proposition anymore. Mainstream Muslims celebrate, or at least raise no objection when terrorists kill Jews and Christians. Mainstream Muslims kill each other in sectarian violence. Hundreds die regularly during religious observances. Islam a religion of peace? I don't think so.
The M.E. is a unique place to deal with and the most dangerous place in the world. When I first got to my ship in 77 some guys were telling me of their two previous MED Cruises. One involved riots on Cyprus in 74 the other involved evacuation of Lebanon in 76. I was still in when we went on alert for possible deployment to Iran in 79. Another carrier was deployed instead due to our needed overhaul we were fixing to get.
The world situation has indeed changed. In the 1970's Filipino nationals were many in the Navy and were entering the critical ratings. Three were in my shop and very good men. PI now has an Islamic problem. That is due in part to our bad move of shutting down much of our presence there. From WW2- most of the 1980's PI enjoyed peace.
The main thing is in Arabic nations the leadership is subject to change literally on a moments notice. One of the main causes of M.E. terrorism has came from a very stupid E.O. put in place by Gerald Ford prohibiting assassinations of foreign heads of state. You go back to about 1974- present counting the number of significant attacks it's easy to see what a policy of no threat of death to heads of state supporting terrorism got us. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/pubs/fs/5902.htm shows this.
There is no such thing as a reasonably safe M.E. port anymore. They were rapidly disappearing in the early 1980's. Our leaders have a bad history of underestimating and mis-judging those risk. One morning a Navy ship pulled into a port it should have not gone into for refueling and was attacked. The point I make about that is arrogance in the Pentagon and State Department put the ship there. Virtually all rules of long established Naval Protocols were violated. We has a ship two days out from fleet underway alone. That ship had it been with fleet could have if needed topped off with a ship in company. But the ship didn't need the fuel to start with the refueling was a diplomatic move.
Yemen borders the UAE and even after the COLE attack our government remains friendly to them. What did we get in return? Escaped terrorist who helped blow up our ship last news I heard.
Our M.E. recklessness started in 1981 with carriers once again going through the Suez. What was a low risk then is much higher now. We also abandoned the two MED SEA Carrier posture which was another invite for problems.
I don't know but used to be security actually meant something. In 1980 if you tried to get on base in NORVA you had to have military ID or be escorted by someone with ID. You did not walk up to the D&S piers to snap a picture or two even if you were a squid. We never parked 5 carriers at NOB Norfolk. The place only held three actually and even at a Cold War Strength it was not done. One recent thread showed such a picture and if NNSY or Norfolk Naval Shipyard had a carrier in their docks that meant at least half of our carrier fleet was at risk and could have been taken out in a Pearl Harbor type attack. The base and both yards are within strike range of each other. Poppy Bush did it and Clinton did this as well. That also is part of the problem. We have too many of the ones who took us into bad policies still running things now.
This is an old press release but it's news that's relevant today.
Don't take this the wrong way, but that's ridiculous. What one does on a ship can be inspected and is easily visible and overseen.
Running an entire port I'm sure enables one running things to "slide a few things through the 'loop holes'" as it were.
Your point is made, but there's a world of difference here.
Why is it that those in favor of this thing, and this doesn't necessarily pertain to you, have already made up their mind on it and appear to be averse to learning more about it? That's what libs do. Conservatives are supposed to think through things, expose the facts, educate people, and then make a reasoned out and well informed decision. It seems as if the opposite is happening with conservatives in this.
I'm sayin' it now, this has the potential to come back and bite us to the extent that it will override everything else about W's legacy. It may not, but if it were to, then lookout!
Good point.
Ridiculous? I think not.
Not only do foreign nationals in the UAE fix our naval ships, they have access to our US military assets and US naval personnel. Since they have access to our military, they could spy for terrorists, cause sabatoge, or kill US citizens, but none of those possible events mentioned has happened there that we know. And since the US military has been there for many years in the UAE without a terrorist incedent against US, I can therefore come to the plausable conclusion that they can be trusted to have access to our shipping terminals. Not to mentions all the other places around the world that Dubai Ports World runs, which do directly ships goods to the US.
Is that plain enough?
See below:
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It appears that everybody owns a piece of everybody. Maybe that is the key to stability.
I understand USS Cole is due for upkeep...
Yes, it's certainly a factor.
A logical person weighs the pros and cons.
Insulting the most friendly and western like nation on the Arabian peninsula, where it could be less cooperative in the war on terror if we decide to alienate them would be very costly to us. The UAE is in a strategic position for the US in a very possible conflict with Iran where we have major military installations.
The cons is that they could have a larger propensity for their terminal operations to be infiltrated by terrorists. But since Dubai Ports World track record is, from what I can see, is spotless, the risk factor is negligible.
As long as it doesn't get fueled in Yemen.
You utterly missed my point.
As well, so what, a bunch of sailors had a port call in a UAE city. Big deal.
Let's not discuss this further you and I. ; )
The “hauling up” ceremony for the Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS) and Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist (EAWS) pennants occurred shortly after Vinson moored pierside in the United Arab Emirates’ port of Jebel Ali near the city of Dubai.
In my 4 years on board a United States Navy Aircraft Carrier we moored in only one foreign port one time and that nation was a member of NATO. If people can't understand how blatant foolish this was then they very well deserve the leaders they so blindly follow. Some of us prefer erroring on the side of caution and remember mistakes of the past. Others simply think oh well things happen I guess.
I'm betting their's a direct connection between the UAE and Walmart!
Right?
I thought of that as well but quickly discarded it. I'd say former Brit owners had the same likelyhood of infiltration....given their PC "must kiss terrorist butt" general attitudes, as this particular company.
If they want to kill us, there are easier and far cheaper ways. This is about making money, that's all.
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