State of Louisiana appoints Shaw to oversee construction of sand berms

BATON ROUGE, LA. — The Shaw Group Inc. announced it has been awarded a contract by the state of Louisiana’s Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration for overall project management and construction of sand berms in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Shaw will assist the state with permit compliance and monitoring activities in addition to providing personnel, materials, and equipment to build these sand berms. Construction of the berms in accordance with the emergency permit issued to the state will require mobilization, front-end planning, material testing and analysis, dredging and alignment surveys, as well as coordination with state and federal agencies.

"In this time of crisis, we are mobilizing available resources both locally and internationally to help protect our coastline," said J.M. Bernhard Jr., Shaw’s chairman, president and CEO. "With our corporate headquarters in Baton Rouge and more than 5,000 Louisiana-based employees, our roots are firmly planted in this state. Shaw has a deep personal interest in the protection of our state’s coastal resources."

Shaw has extensive experience in disaster response, program management, and environmental remediation. Immediately following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Shaw unwatered 50 billion gallons of water from the city of New Orleans in 17 days, when projected estimates were as many as 90 days. For the U.S. Coast Guard, Shaw performed removal of wrecked vessels and associated debris in Gulf Coast waterways.

As the project manager for the largest design-build civil works project ever awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Shaw is constructing the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Surge Barrier. When completed, the two-mile floodwall will be part of a system providing 100-year storm protection to the city of New Orleans and surrounding areas. Shaw also assisted the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority in developing Louisiana’s Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast — the guide for all coastal restoration and protection efforts in the state.

The amount to be included in Shaw’s Environmental & Infrastructure segment’s backlog of unfilled orders in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2010 was undisclosed.

For more information, visit www.shawgrp.com.