MARAD 04-05
Contact: Wes Irvin, Tel.: (202) 366-5807
Tuesday, February 08, 2005

USS Neosho Set To Leave James River; Ninth Ship To Go Since June

Tugboats are scheduled to tow the freighter USS Neosho from the James River Reserve Fleet on Wednesday, February 9th, at approximately 11:00 a.m., to International Shipbreaking Limited, in Brownsville, TX, where it will be dismantled. The departure schedule is subject to weather and safety clearances.

The Neosho will be the ninth vessel to leave the James River Fleet for disposal since last June. The disposal contract for the ship was announced December 20th, 2004.

The USS Neosho was built in 1954 at the Bethlehem Steel Shipyard in Quincy, MA, as a U.S. Navy oiler ship. It was decommissioned in 1978 and transferred to Maritime Administration in 1999.

Preparations for towing the Neosho must be made under the scrutiny of the U.S. Coast Guard. Towing can take place only when the preparations are deemed safe and seaworthy, and if weather permits. Maritime Administration (MARAD) officials emphasize that the process is thorough and that safety considerations may delay the towing schedule.

The James River Reserve fleet serves as a reserve of ships for national defense and national emergency purposes. The anchorage site located at Ft. Eustis, Virginia on the James River includes both ships that are slated for disposal and retention ships that are still activated if needed.
from: http://www.dot.gov/affairs/marad0405.htm

A $1 contract with International Shipbreaking Limited of Brownsville, Texas, to dispose of the Neosho, a 50-year-old vessel that transported fuel, freight, mail and personnel during Middle East conflicts in the 1950s and during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Unlike most ships sent to the scrap yard this year, the Neosho requires minimal environmental cleanup and will garner a high price for its steel, so the Maritime Administration was able to get rid of it at a nominal price, said Wes Irvin, an agency spokesman.

By bidding $1 on the Neosho contract, International Shipbreaking is banking on the price of steel remaining high for the next few months, Dunavent said.

"We're getting into a better batch of ships," he said.