MarAd to scrap three ships

MarAd to scrap three ships The U.S. Maritime Administration said it has signed contracts to scrap three obsolete ships.
   The Hattiesburg Victory and Pioneer Contractor are from the Beaumont Reserve Fleet in Texas, and the oiler Savannah is from the James River Reserve Fleet in Virginia.
   MarAd has moved 118 ships out of its National Defense Reserve Fleet sites since 2001. With the contracts announced Monday, there are only 24 ships left in the James River awaiting disposal, and 10 ships at the Beaumont site.
   The Hattiesburg Victory is one of the few remaining Victory ships built during World War II. It will be recycled at ESCO Marine of Brownsville, Texas, at a cost of $1.02 million to the federal government.
   The Savannah is a 1970s-vintage ex-Navy oil replenishment (AOR4) ship, not to be confused with the former nuclear-powered ship Savannah moored in Baltimore. The oiler Savannah is moored at the James River site and will be recycled at ESCO at a cost of $515,726.
   The Pioneer Contractor was originally constructed in 1963 as the American Contractor, a breakbulk ship. It's moored at Beaumont and will be recycled by Marine Metal of Brownsville for $321,000.