Bollinger’s Coast Guard Work Helping Protect Our Freedom

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BY CASEY GISCLAIR

Bollinger Shipyards has been producing Fast Response Cutters for the United States Coast Guard for a decade now – 28 ships total have been made since the relationship started in 2008.

With several of the vessels now out on the water, the proof is in the pudding: the locally made cutters are making a positive impact and are helping keep our shores safe.

Bollinger Shipyards and the Coast Guard have partnered together over the past year on a long-term contract for the cutters – a deal which has helped the local shipbuilder stay busy during the economic downturn.


In 2016, Bollinger Shipyards won a contract to build 26 more of the ships – an extension of a previous deal with the Coast Guard, which dates back to 2008. By the time the contract is up, the local business leader will produce 58 of the vessels for the government – a project which will cost the federal government nearly $4 billion dollars – a price tag of $65 million per cutter.

Bollinger Shipyards President and CEO Ben Bordelon said he’s proud of the project, touting that it feels good to know that your work is making a difference.

At the launch of the latest cutter, the ‘USCGC Nathan Bruckenthal’, he touted the success of previous cutters in doing quality work for the Coast Guard.


The ‘Nathan Bruckenthal’ will be commissioned this July in Washington D.C.

“We are proud to announce the delivery of the latest FRC, the USCGC Nathan Bruckenthal,” Bordelon said in a press release issued by the company to announce the ship’s creation. “This FRC built by Bollinger Shipyards will be the second FRC to be stationed in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. Previous cutters have been stationed around the nation, including Alaska and Hawaii. FRCs already in commission have protected our country by seizing tons of narcotics, interdicted thousands of illegal aliens and saved hundreds of lives. The FRC program is a model program for government acquisition and has surpassed all historical quality benchmarks for vessels of this type and complexity. The results are the delivery of truly extraordinary Coast Guard cutters that will serve our nation for decades to come.”

The cutters will serve our country for decades to come, yes. But Bollinger Shipyards has served our community for even longer than that.


Donald G. Bollinger started the company in 1946 as a small-town, family-run shipyard in Lockport – a business that no one ever dreamed would become anywhere near as big as it now is today. Donald Bollinger was an optimist by nature, according to a company-written bio on Bollinger’s website.

He had to be. He was raised in the Great Depression.

Together with his brothers, who were servicemen, the company boomed as the oilfield did locally after World War II, blossoming further into the 1970s and 1980s. Through all the growth, the business had some leadership and executive shuffles along the way while always remaining family-owned.


That changed when the Chouest purchase took place, though with Bordelon as CEO, a man with Bollinger blood is still at the helm of day-to-day operations.

Competition and business savvy are also in his blood, too.

A former LSU football player who had a short run in the NFL, Bordelon took over as president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards with loads of expertise in how the company is run. Bordelon had been a high-ranking official with Bollinger Shipyards for several years at the time of his appointment. He was the company’s chief operating officer at the time of the sale. Bordelon had also been a member of the Bollinger board of directors since 2002, and was the company’s executive vice president of repair.


When the sale was announced, Bordelon, a Central Lafourche High School graduate, said he shared the same vision as his grandfather, and couldn’t wait to bring that vision into action for the shipbuilding company that’s generated billions of dollars worth of contracts since its existence.

“Fishing with my grandfather near the family marsh near Leeville gave me a lot of time to hear stories about his vision, as well as his personal and business life,” Bordelon said. “I look forward to building on the values set out by my grandfather all those years ago. With a commitment to our customers, a deep appreciation for our workers, a strong focus on safety, the clean environment and quality service, we will grow this company as we build on a great base.”

He’s done that so far.


Bollinger Shipyards has continued on without a hitch with Bordelon at the controls and the Coast Guard contract is proof that business continues to chug along.

The cutters are a huge coup to Bollinger’s successes. The ship is slender, but powerful – a 154-foot patrol craft that was named after a Coast Guard hero who distinguished himself in the line of duty. The vessel has top speeds of 28 knots and is loaded with a state-of-the-art command center, control communications and computer technology.

“It’s a game changer,” a high-ranking official with the Coast Guard said in a news release.


For Bollinger Shipyards, it is, too – a sign that the company’s commitment to excellence is still on full display, even while positions at the top have shuffled around.

That, and their commitment to safety, too.

Bollinger Shipyards has earned the Shipbuilders Council of America Award for Excellence in Safety for more than a decade straight – an honor given to only the safest companies in the field.


Bordelon said to be given the honor is among the most fulfilling honors the business has received.

“This recognition of exceptional safety performance by the shipbuilding and repair industry is realized only through the continued efforts of Bollinger employees who have made safety a priority,” Bordelon said. “Bollinger remains committed to attaining the highest level of safety and supports future safety innovations in the maritime industry.” •