Thursday, September 01, 2011

Heading For Gulf of Mexico

A small fishing boat foreground, is dwarfed by a LeTourneau drilling rig on the Mississippi River this past Monday night as it began its trek downriver to the Gulf of Mexico.  Photo by David Jackson-The Vicksburg Post


I would loved to have seen this going downriver but LeTourneau, Inc., is located south of town and I live north of the I-20 bridge towards town.  It looks like it would be very difficult to see where you're going pushing this huge rig down the river.  

This was a departure of a $150 million Joe Douglas 240-C class shallow-water-rig, now on its way to Sabine Pass, Texas, where more support legs will be added. Its first assignment is in the Gulf of Mexico, according to former parent company Rowan Companies.  

Recently, LeTourneau Technologies was purchased for $1.1 billion by Joy Global of Milwaukee. 

Joy has said 250 people are employed at the plant and the same number is expected to continue. The company previously employed up to 600 jobs as big rig after big rig was manufactured and floated downriver for eventual oil and gas exploration in the world's waters.

LeTourneau Technologies began in Vicksburg as a munitions plant in 1944 and began building jackup rigs afer World War II.  Rowan had owned LeTourneau since 1994.

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