After a Navy Minesweeper ran aground on a reef off the coast of the Philippines mid- January, The Ulven Companies provided rapid support in the way of large rigging shackles necessary to remove the grounded mine sweeper. The 224-foot USS Guardian got stuck in the Tubbataha Reef, requiring the evacuation of all 79 of its crew as well as the dismantling and removal of the ship over the next month.

During the initial phase of the removal operation, some of the massive rigging shackles from the USNS SAFEGUARD needed to be replaced. Ulven Forging was immediately called in to provide the replacements. Ulven’s crack Engineering and production crew, led by Gary Renner, immediately swung into action, forming the necessary shackles while determining the fastest shipping method to get the heavy riggings to the Philippines port location. Employees at Ulven worked around the clock to get the job completed and shipped to the Navy to meet their critical mission. Because of the streamlined design and production facilities at Ulven, the shackles arrived at the port four days ahead of schedule. Reducing the days the salvage ships remained in port was critical because it minimized damage to the endangered reef, which is a United Nations World Heritage Site.

Mike Parnell of Industrial Training International said, “It just reinforces what I tell folks all the time about the professionalism and desire to serve that is always at the forefront of Ulven and the highly qualified team that upholds such a sterling reputation.”

The Ulven Companies have been in the forging industry for over 40 years – starting with the creation of Ulven Forging, Inc. in 1971. The Ulven Companies now comprise a group of four different American companies and are privately held. Each company has its unique set of process capabilities in different areas of the industry and is known for bringing high-quality, cost-effective products to its customers with reliability and integrity.