By the OGJ Online Staff
HOUSTON, Apr. 12 -- Kiewit Offshore Services Ltd., a unit of Peter Kiewit Sons Inc. of Omaha, Neb., is building a fabrication yard in Ingleside, Tex., to tap into anticipated increased drilling activity in the Gulf of Mexico and in deepwater worldwide.
KOS President Myron Rodrigue told a news conference Wednesday, �We have no contracts in place now. � KOS is prepared to accommodate a wide range of offshore structures, from conventional fixed platforms to floating production, storage, and offloading units.�
The yard is being built on a 400-acre tract along the LaQuinta Channel, providing unrestricted deepwater access to the gulf. It is expected to be ready for fabrication services in June, Rodrigue said.
The yard will be built in phases with total capital expenditures of $100 million. Peak employment in 2001 is expected to be 350 workers but total employment in coming years is anticipated to be 1,000, Rodrigue said.
Kiewit has built oil and gas facilities for more than 30 years from the Arctic Circle to West Africa. It has been in the fabrication business in the Corpus Christi, Tex., region since 1984.
It has been part of companies known as Gulf Marine Fabricators Inc., Bullwinkle Constructors, and Aker Gulf Marine. Last year, Aker Maritime AS bought out Kiewit�s interest in Aker Gulf Marine, but 46 employees opted to stay with Kiewit.
The KOS yard, which will include 3,600 ft of bulkhead, will offer customers more than 250,000 sq ft of covered workspace, including four contiguous bays, climate-controlled storage, and automated shape and brace-cutting facilities.
