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Austal USA has added Michael Pruitt, Michael Oberdorf and Andrew Hinkebein to its senior leadership team. Pruitt will serve as vice president of surface ship programs, Oberdorf as vice president of submarine programs, and Hinkebein as director of state and local government relations.
Bollinger Shipyards said it has received the Shipbuilders Council of America’s Excellence in Safety Award for the 21st straight year. The yard said the run, which began in 2005, is unmatched by any other U.S. shipbuilder.
Bollinger Shipyards christened the USNS Robert Ballard (T-AGS 67), a Pathfinder-class oceanographic survey ship, at its Mississippi Shipbuilding yard in Pascagoula on 28 February. The vessel will be operated by Military Sealift Command when delivered and is named for oceanographer Robert Ballard.
Bollinger Shipyards and U.S. Coast Guard officials commissioned USCGC Olivia Hooker in Pascagoula, Mississippi, on 22 January. The cutter will be homeported there, and Bollinger said it took delivery of the vessel at Coast Guard Sector Key West in October 2025.
Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan visited Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding in Pascagoula on January 8, his first official visit in the role. He was joined by Adm. Daryl Caudle, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John J. Perryman and Jason L. Potter, and the group toured the yard and met with workers and management.