Huntington Ingalls eyes possible oil and gas orders for Avondale

WASHINGTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc on Tuesday said it is actively pursuing infrastructure orders from the oil and natural gas industry for its Avondale, Louisiana, shipyard, which had been slated to close at the end of 2013.

The U.S. Navy shipbuilder said it is opening an office in Houston to go after orders, and is already in active discussions with various companies in the oil and gas sector.

Chris Kastner, corporate vice president and general manager of corporate development, told Reuters the company would reevaluate plans to close the Avondale facility, or lay off additional workers, depending on how the new business area did this year.