Galliano, La.-based Edison Chouest Offshore has acquired Bollinger Shipyards.
In a prepared statement, Bollinger said that Ben Bordelon, who is now chairman, president and chief executive officer of the company, and ECO acquired all assets and stock of Bollinger. It is unknown what the new ownership percentage breakdown is.
Details of the purchase were not disclosed and Bollinger would not comment further. Calls to ECO were not returned.
ECO, founded in 1960, operates a fleet of over 200 vessels, including PSVs, MPSVs, AHTSes, OSRVs, FSVs, and tractor tugs. The company also owns and operates four shipyards in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, one in Brazil, and C-Port in Port Fourchon, La. C-Port is comprised of two terminals and 18 slips that are configured to transfer cargo and provide support services to OSVs.
Donald G. Bollinger founded Lockport, La.-based Bollinger in 1946 and served as its chairman until 1985 when his son Boysie took over. Boysie’s son Chris Bollinger served on the company’s board. Ben Bordelon, Donald Bollinger's grandson, has been a member of the board since 2002 and served as executive vice president of repair and most recently as Bollinger’s chief operating officer.
Bollinger designs and builds OSVs, oceangoing barges, tugs, rigs, liftboats, and inland pushboats and barges. Bollinger also builds fast military patrol boats and other steel and aluminum vessels. Bollinger has 10 shipyards in the Gulf located between New Orleans and Houston and is also the largest vessel repair company in the Gulf with 30 drydocks.
In November, Bollinger delivered the 154’ fast-response cutter William Trump, the 11th vessel in the Coast Guard's Sentinel-class FRC program. The current Coast Guard FRC contract contains options for up to 34 cutters and is worth up to $1.5 billion if all options are exercised. In 2008, the Coast Guard awarded Bollinger an $88 million production contract for the lead FRC, the Bernard C. Webber.
