Mississippi shipyard receives $41M contract for Navy barge July 31, 2021 GMT PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) — A shipbuilding company on the Mississippi Gulf Coast is getting a $41 million contract to build another barge for U.S. Navy crews to live aboard. The Navy awarded VT Halter Marine a contract to build a fifth Auxiliary Personnel Lighter berthing and messing barge, the company said in a news release Friday. The vessel will include offices, classrooms, medical treatment areas, a barbershop and a fitness center and will be able to accommodate 611 people. Construction is to begin in August. In September 2018, Halter Marine received a contract to design and build two units for $78 million. The contract was extended to include two more units.