By KERI CHAMPION

Staff Reporter

ST. ROSE-Speculation and hopes of Bollinger Shipyards building a new shipyard in the River Regions area can be put to rest.

Chris Bollinger, executive vice president of new construction, said, &#8220We have no plans to expand operations into the area at this time.”

There had been hopes that the company was planning to expand into the region after the company’s engineering offices relocated to St. Rose in Oct. 2004.

Plans to expand the company fell through when federal funding to build the vessels needed to construct the shipyard was cut.

The shipyard would have provided about 750 jobs when first put in operation with the potential to create nearly 2000 jobs later.

Bollinger said that government funding was a major factor in deciding not to expand the shipyard to other areas.

The St. Charles Parish Department of Economic Development and the Port of South Louisiana had been working diligently to persuade Bollinger to build the new facility in St. Charles Parish.

Bollinger Shipyards had been looking for a new location at up to 60 potential sites.