Galliano, Louisiana-based offshore energy service and supply company Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) announced on Monday it will locate its latest shipbuilding operation TopShip in Gulfport, Mississippi.
The project, an investment of $68m, should bring around 1,000 jobs to the Gulfport area.
On Friday Mississippi lawmakers voted for an $11m incentive package of grants and funding for workforce training. A further $25m in infrastructure improvements will be provided by the Port of Gulfport from Community Development Block Grant Funds linked to the Hurricane Katrina recovery.
The shipyard will be located at the Port of Gulfport’s new inland port, formerly a Huntington Ingalls facility.
ECO is one of the largest offshore support vessel operators in the world. It already has five shipyards in the Americas, four along the US Gulf of Mexico and one in Brazil. The company makes a variety of offshore support vessels including light construction ships, anchor-handling, towing and oil-spill response vessels.
