Workers changing over the old Atlantic Marine sign on the shipyard crane to the new BAE Systems logo on July 16, 2010 in Mobile, Ala. BAE plans to add as many as 400 jobs at the shipyard to complete the construction of an oil tanker.
(Press-Register/John David Mercer)
MOBILE -- The Mobile facility of BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards will add as many as 400 workers to complete construction of an oil tanker, a company official said.
The shipyard on the east bank of Mobile River employs 600 workers and another 200 to 250 contractors, BAE spokesman Joe Chopek said. They do mostly repair and standard upkeep work, Chopek said.
The company plans to hire another 150 to 200 employees and another 200 contractors, he said.
The extra workforce is needed to finish a tanker for Mid-Ocean Tanker Co. LLC of South Norwalk, Conn., a joint venture between private equity firm Alterna Capital Partners and Mid-Ocean Marine, a shipping company also based in South Norwalk.
The tanker is partially finished. Construction began in 2007 by Atlantic Marine, the previous owner of BAE's Mobile shipyard. Mid-Ocean bought the tanker in January for $12.65 million through a New Orleans-based bankruptcy court.
Chopek said BAE will hold a job fair at the shipyard sometime in May for all trades.
"Ship-fitters, pipe-fitters, welders, electricians -- we're looking for a whole gamut of folks," he said.
Chopek said that while the work on the oil tanker is supposed to be complete by the end of this year or early 2012, BAE is hoping to add enough additional business that the new jobs are permenent.
"Our product that we sell is the skilled labor of our talented employees, so we're always trying to find more master craftsmen," he said.