Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc.

In existence for over 75 years, Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc. is located in Mobile, Alabama, on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. It has an outlet for the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, which connects with a major river source giving Bender access to both the ocean and the river systems. Bender has deepwater frontage of 7000 feet, depths of 42 feet, and lifting capacity of 24,000 tons. It also has four steel floating drydocks of 24,350-ton, 18,000-ton, 6000-ton, and 4000-ton capacities; a 64-ton floating derrick crane; eleven overhead cranes with up to 80 tons lifting capacity; and other equipment and services for construction and repair. With all this equipment Bender is capable of building vessels, crabbers, offshore supply vessels, push boats, shrimp boats, factory trawlers, riverboats, passenger vessels, tuna seiners, and tugboats. The yard is headed by president T. B. Bender, Jr. and vice president Robert Beckmann.

On December 1997 Bender was awarded a contract for work on two 632-foot roll-on/roll-off vessels Cape Vincent and Cape Victory. These vessels are part of the outported ready reserve fleet for the Maritime Administration. The work totals around $10.8 million and has employed at its peak efforts 130 people. Many of Bender's projects involve commercial contracts. One company with which Bender has had consecutive business endeavors is Otto Candies, Inc. On January 15, 1999, Bender delivered the Juanita Candies to Otto Candies, Inc. This vessel is involved in the company's deepwater drilling program as is the previously delivered Agnes Candies. This model of offshore oilfield service vessel, named Bender 220, can unload in conditions that other vessels can not. Bender has been involved in the engineering, scheduling, planning, support, and production of the Bender 220 model. Bender and Otto Candies, Inc. continued their association with an order of four PSV's with an option for four more. On February 11, 1999 Otto Candies, Inc. opted for the fifth PSV. This vessel was planned to be delivered January 2000. On June 21, 1999, Bender and Otto Candies, Inc. signed a contract for three 150-foot Anchor Handling Tugs with an option of five more identical vessels. The first of three was planned to be delivered in 2000. The dimensions of these vessels are 150ft by 50ft by 21ft with 10,000 HP capacity and a triple screw propulsion system (from Stewart and Stevenson Services, Inc.).