Five MarAd Reserve Fleet ships head for the scrap yard

Five MarAd Reserve Fleet ships head for the scrap yard    The U.S. Maritime Administration announced contracts to remove and scrap five ships from the National Defense Reserve Fleet.
   The ships scheduled for scrapping include the “Vulcan,” a 1941-built Navy repair ship, which will leave the James River site in Virginia for dismantling at Bay Bridge Enterprises of Chesapeake, Va. The value of the contract is $494,000.
   Two ships from MarAd's Reserve Fleet site in Suisun Bay, Calif., will be removed for breaking. The “Queens Victory,” a 1945-vintage Victory ship, is destined to go to Esco Marine of Brownsville, Texas, under a contract valued at $1.18 million. The “Jason,” a Navy repair vessel built in 1943, will go to Marine Metal, also of Brownsville, at a cost of $1,426,035.
   In addition, MarAd will get rid of two ships from its Reserve Fleet site in Beaumont, Texas. The 1956-built tanker “Maumee” will be scrapped by Esco Marine at a cost of $405,726. Esco Marine will also dismantle the 1963-built containership “Maryland” for $400,000.
   The scrap yards have up to 45 days to remove the ships from the fleet sites.
   Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton said Congress called for the removal of at least 13 obsolete ships from the Reserve Fleet sites in 2006. MarAd has nearly doubled that number by removing 25 so far this year, he said.