WLOX.com - The News for South MississippiHundreds of new jobs could be coming to VT Halter Marine

By early next year, VT Halter Marine in Pascagoula could be well on the way to hiring hundreds of new workers. The company has applied for a $20 million Katrina recovery grant from the Mississippi Development Authority. Jackson County supervisors and the county port commission have also signed off on the proposal.

If the money comes though, VT Halter will chip in another $12 million to begin an ambitious expansion project. In addition to the 1,800 employees already working, 400 more would be hired under the plan.

The shipyards' mission would also change at times, from building new to servicing used.  Norm Ballinger is the chief financial officer for VT Halter.  

"In the down cycle of new construction, we expect ship repair and rig repair to expand dramatically," Ballinger said. 

Expansion of the shipyard could help a struggling economy. Cordell Tyrone owns and operates Paradise Pools.  Business has been anything but a paradise for the past two years.  Tyrone said new jobs could bring a new outlook.  

"It's bound to help.  I don't know if it's going to help right away, but eventually it will help," Tyrone said.  "Because once people get settled and they buy stuff for their house, groceries and all that other stuff, it's bound to help everybody."  

In a county where the unemployment rate is approaching 10 percent, Jackson County supervisors say this type of program is badly needed, and wanted.  Melton Harris is the board president.

"It would be a major boost for the county," Harris said.  "Any jobs that we can fill in Jackson County would be a plus for us and we're looking forward to... those individuals who will be moving here to fill those positions. That's a plus for the county." 

It would also be a plus for the shipyard, and the future stability of its skilled workforce. 

Before the expansion at VT Halter takes place, several permits will have to be issued. That process should be complete by the end of the year. Company officials say they hope to have the MDA grant money in hand by January so construction on the project can begin. 

As part of the grant agreement, at least half of the people hired would have to come from low and moderate income families on the coast, and all the new workers would have to be on board within three years.

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