Everett Shipyard News

ESY In-water cleanup area Everett, Wash. – Last month, the Port of Everett began soliciting bids for the final phase of its Everett Shipyard Cleanup project, located along West Marine View Drive between 15th and 14th Street. The mostly in-water cleanup project has a price tag of between $5.2 million and $6 million. The cleanup, which is being done in partnership with the state’s Department of Ecology, will be a catalyst establishing the environmental health and economic prosperity to this highly visible section of the marina. The project represents the final phase of the Everett Shipyard Cleanup and the first phase of the Central Docks Improvement project.

Build-In-Washington Team announced for Washington State's next new ferry. Multi-company approach means 500 jobs across the region. Major members of the build-in-Washington subcontracting team that will build the state’s new 144-car ferry are now set, as prime contractor US Fab today announced final subcontracting agreements with companies, including Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Whidbey Island, Jesse Engineering of Tacoma, Vigor Marine of Everett and Eltech Electric of Seattle. The multi-company, multi-town approach supports more than 500 direct jobs around Puget Sound, including many new hires, and will support an estimated 2,000 additional indirect jobs in the state.

Third 64-car ferry joins state fleet three months ahead of schedule. There must be something magic about the number three. Today, Vigor Industrial and its U.S. Fab shipbuilding division delivered the third of three new Washington state ferries, the 64-car Kennewick, three months ahead of schedule. “This is a major milestone in our vessel replacement program,” said Assistant Secretary David Moseley. “The Kwa-di Tabil class is now complete. The Kwa-di Tabil construction supported more than 360 family-wage jobs during the past two years at Seattle’s Harbor Island shipyard…

Kevin Quigley, who built VIGOR’s Everett Shipyard into one of the largest dockside repair centers in the Pacific Northwest, has been named president of VIGOR’s US Fab division. Quigley will oversee all of VIGOR’s new ship construction including ferries, advanced Coast Guard cutters, barges, fishing and cargo vessels. As US Fab president, he also will direct the company’s growing land-based and alternative energy fabrication projects. “The people who’ve built this company have been building ships for nearly a hundred years,” Quigley said.

Crews will test the Kennewick in coming weeks. If you happen to be in the right place at the right time, you may catch a glimpse of the newest state ferry sailing around Puget Sound in the next couple weeks. Builder Vigor Shipyards plans to start testing the ferry Kennewick this week before delivering it to Washington State Ferries. “We’re looking forward to Vigor really putting the Kennewick to the test in sea trials before we add it to our fleet,” said Captain George Capacci, deputy chief of construction and operations. The first two days of sea trials are scheduled for Oct. 6-7.

Washington’s second new Kwa-di Tabil Class ferry, the Salish, will make an initial journey under tow on Monday, Feb. 7. Todd Pacific Shipyards is moving the Salish to Everett Shipyard for final outfitting and system testing prior to conducting dock and sea trials.

Construction of the state’s second Kwa-di Tabil Class (64-car) ferry officially got underway April 19 at Todd Pacific Shipyards (Todd) in Seattle. Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Secretary Paula Hammond and Assistant Secretary for Washington State Ferries (WSF) David Moseley were on hand to help Todd officials commemorate the event. Secretary Hammond struck the first arc weld on the keel signifying the start of construction of the second vessel of the class. “These new ferries represent progress toward a more reliable ferry system, which is critical for the economic prosperity of ferry communities,” said Paula Hammond, Washington Transportation Secretary.

The Department of Transportation has announced 70 grants totaling $98m in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds that will be used to improve small shipyards throughout the United States. The funds, awarded through the Maritime Administration’s Assistance to Small Shipyards program, will help create and preserve jobs, provide valuable employment training and make much needed improvements to shipyards across the country. The Small Shipyards Grant program provides up to 75 percent in ARRA funds for a project and requires the remainder be matched by the shipyard. A detailed list of the grantees is as follows. •    Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Inc.,  Philadelphia, PA: $2,312,614, for the first year of training program.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration announced $9.8m in grants to 19 small shipyards in the . The grants are part of the new Assistance to Small Shipyards program, set up under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006. “Small shipyards are vitally important for the health of the maritime industry, and for the economy of the Nation,” said Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton. The purpose of the grants is to make capital and infrastructure improvements that facilitate the efficiency, cost-effectiveness and quality of domestic ship construction, conversion or repair for commercial and federal government use. The grants cover a maximum of 75-percent of the estimated cost of improvements. The companies are responsible for the remainder.