Ship Company Leaves Philadelphia

A Norfolk, Va.-based ship repair company, which once promised enterprise and hundreds of jobs for Chester and Philadelphia, will close the last of its Philadelphia operations in July. For the past six years, Metro Machine Corp. had contracts with the U.S. Navy to dismantle inactive ships. Its latest solicitation in April turned up zero work orders, forcing the company to cease its work at the Philadelphia Naval Yard and leave about 100 workers jobless. Metro expects to complete its final disassembly on the USS Stark by the end of June, and then remove its equipment from dry dock 2 and dry dock 3 by July 14. The Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp., the city’s economic development agency which leases the property at the naval yard, said it has already begun its search for Metro’s replacement. (Source: The Delaware County Times)