San Francisco Drydock News

While maritime activity showing renewed signs of life along the entire Pacific Coast, from Prince Rupert to San Diego, shipbuilding is becoming ever-more dependant on the US Navy and Jones Act ships, while ship-repair yards are focused on a broad spectrum of boats and ships. In California, some of that work has focused on re-powering harbor craft to meet the state’s stringent environmental regulations. Along the Columbia River, shipyards remain centered on meeting the on-going demand for ocean-going barges…

A down economy, a disabled drydock and a nation under heightened security measures — not exactly the best position for a ship repair facility to be in — or so one would think. Norfolk Shipbuilding & Drydock Corporation (NORSHIPCO) however has managed to stay on top with its steady stream of government and commercial work coming in into its yard. With 70 percent of NORSHIPCO's work on the government side, the yard has still had a steady stream of commercial work. According to Krekich, the work that was performed on MSC ship M/V SSG Edward A. Carter was successful in terms of schedule, costs and customer satisfaction. The 950-ft. (289.5 m) vessel, which arrived at NORSHIPCO on March 1, 2001, is under a long-term charter to MSC.

Carl Hanson, president and general manager of San Francisco Drydock (SFD), one of seven United States Marine Repair (USMR)ship repair facilities , including Southwest Marine (SWM) and NORSHIPCO on the East Coast, has retired. He had been with the company since 1978. Due to his extensive shipyard knowledge and experience, he will remain involved with the company on a case-by-case consulting basis. Hanson's shipyard career began in San Diego, Calif., at Triple A South ship repair facility, where he gained hands-on knowledge as a ship superintendent. When SWM opened a facility in San Francisco in 1978, Hanson left Triple A and moved north to help with the start-up.

B. Edward Ewing, CEO of Norfolk-based United States Marine Repair (USMR), the largest non-nuclear ship repair, modernization and conversion company in the U.S., announced that Monty Dickinson will head USMR's West and Gulf Coast Shipyards. Dickinson joined USMR last January as president and general manager of the company's San Diego-based shipyard, Southwest Marine. In addition to managing that yard, Dickinson will spearhead leadership and operations of SWM's San Pedro, Calif. and Ingleside, Texas shipyards and San Francisco Drydock in the Bay area. Previously COO Alexander J. Krekich managed all shipyard operations. Under the new structure…

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, in conjunction with San Francisco Drydock, S.F. Maritime National Parks Service and the Port of San Francisco, held a renaming and christening ceremony in January for Eureka - the port's newest floating drydock at Pier 70. With Congresswoman Pelosi's assistance, the port was granted a surplus Navy drydock at a discounted rate of $95,000, which was named in honor of the S.F. Maritime National Parks' Service historic ferry vessel, Eureka. The new mid-sized drydock will be utilized by the San Francisco Drydock to repair various smaller vessels such as ferries, coast guard cutters and small- to-medium-size commercial ships.