Guam Shipyard News

Ship repair yard Guam Shipyard will pay nearly $70,000 and take measures to improve its facilities following multiple pollution violations discovered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2018.The EPA said on Tuesday its settlement with Guam Industrial Services, Inc., doing business as Guam Shipyard, includes a $68,388 penalty as well as mandatory installation of preventative measures to reduce the discharge of stormwater pollutants into Apra Harbor.Guam Shipyard operates a ship repair facility on Cabras Island in Piti…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered Guam Shipyard to obtain a stormwater discharge permit and to achieve compliance with the Clean Water Act for discharges of pollutants into Apra Harbor, Guam.“Ship repair facilities must have stormwater pollution controls to protect coastal ecosystems,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker. “This order will prevent pollution from reaching Apra Harbor.”Guam Shipyard operates a ship repair facility on Cabras Island in Piti, Guam. It has operated industrial activities, including boat repair, sandblasting, high pressure washing, painting and material storage since at least January 2016.EPA inspected the facility on September 2018 and found multiple violations of the Clean Water Act.

President & CEO Mathews Pothen of Guam Shipyard advises its 280 workers they will not benefit by joining a union. Guam Shipyard employees are shortly to make an important decision for their future –  either to remain status quo or to be represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. For he past 16 years, Guam Shipyard has supported its employees and treated them as family. Guam Shipyard and its employees have joined together in good and lean times. Guam Shipyard firmly believes that its employees will not benefit from joining the Union especially during these economic hard times. Shipyard employees should expend their monies on their families vice paying union dues. Therefore, Guam Shipyard opposes Union Representation for its employees.

Resolve Marine Group has successfully raised and refloated the “Machinist” drydock at Guam Shipyard in Apra Harbor, Guam. The 825-ft drydock sank on January 2, 2011 during a rough weather event. Resolve began the salvage job on January 31 and successfully refloated the drydock on March 3. Resolve’s Salvage Master, Salvage Engineer, and salvage divers first conducted a comprehensive casualty assessment to determine the structural and watertight conditions of the drydock and to ascertain the status of drydock systems.

Guam Shipyard has finalized plans to recover the floating dry dock Machinist, or Big Blue, which took on water and became partially submerged Jan. 3. The Coast Guard has established a unified command with Guam Environmental Protection Agency and Guam Shipyard to manage the recovery process. Coast Guard Sector Guam reviewed the shipyard’s plans, which outline the shipyard’s commitment to work with oil recovery contractor Gresco under the supervision of the Coast Guard and Guam EPA, to prevent pollution spills during salvage operations associated with the recovery. “The primary concerns at this point are the safety of responders and mitigating the pollution threat,” said Capt. Thomas M. Sparks, commander of Sector Guam.

According to a report from Pacific News Daily, the Guam Shipyard Dry Dock, Big Blue, is partially submerged after taking on water early Jan. 3, flooding unmanned spaces and causing the vessel to sink at the pier. The cause of the sinking is unknown and the incident is currently under investigation by the Coast Guard. (Source: Pacific News Daily)

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.

Guam Shipyard, Santa Rita, , is being awarded a $11.5m firm-fixed-price contract for a 55-calendar-day regular overhaul of Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS John Ericsson (T-AO 194). Ericsson is one of Military Sealift Command's 14 fleet replenishment oilers that provide underway replenishment of fuel to Navy combat ships at sea. The contract includes options that, if exercised, would bring the total value to $14,070,253. Work will be performed in Santa Rita, , and is expected to be completed by October 15, 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a sole source procurement. The U.S.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently reached a settlement that requires the Guam Shipyard to spend $25,000 to create an environmental management system and pay a fine for hazardous waste violations. The shipyard will pay $19,534 for storage of hazardous waste without a permit, and for its failure to close hazardous waste containers. The environmental management system will improve on management of hazardous waste by encouraging pollution prevention and requiring regular employee training. The shipyard will also conduct a yearly review and certification of its waste management efforts. The waste has since been shipped for disposal to a proper hazardous waste disposal facility as required by the EPA's hazardous waste regulations.

Guam Shipyard, Santa Rita, Guam, is being awarded a $5,200,592 firm-fixed-price for the regular overhaul of USNS Concord (T-AFS 5). USNS Concord (T-AFS 5) is a Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force ship owned and operated by Military Sealift Command. This contract contains options which, if exercised, will bring the total cumulative value of the contract to $7,046,851. Work will be performed in Santa Rita, Guam, and is expected to be completed by November 2005. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a sole source procurement. The U.S. Navy's Sealift Logistics Command Far East is the contracting activity (N62404-05-C-0014).