Conrad agrees to build 4 vessels

Conrad Industries Inc. says it has signed new contracts that more than double its backlog of shipbuilding work.

Morgan City-based Conrad says it has agreed to build three hauling barges for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a passenger-vehicle ferry for the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Conrad says it now has a backlog of $86 million in work, up from $41 million at the end of the second quarter of 2010.