Washington State Ferries Awards Vigor Contract to Convert Its Largest Vessels to Hybrid-electric Power
Washington State Ferries has tapped local shipyard Vigor to convert up to three of its Jumbo Mark II class ferries to low-emission hybrid-electric power.Vigor's $150 million winning bid for the contract came in about $16 million under the second place bid from another Washington shipyard, but was still approximately $30 million above the state’s $120 million estimate for the project. Vigor has been awarded approximately $100 million for the conversion of two vessels, with a fixed-price option to convert the third vessel in 2025.WSF…
Vigor to Add Third Drydock in Seattle
Vigor said it has entered into an agreement to purchase a drydock from a Korean seller, continuing the shipbuilder’s ongoing infrastructure investments and expansion of U.S. West Coast drydock capacity. At 640 feet long with a clear width of 116 feet, the new dock will be the third, and largest, at Vigor’s Harbor Island shipyard. “The purchase of another drydock in Seattle allows Vigor to better service valued customers like Washington State Ferries, the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy,” said Adam Beck, Vigor Executive Vice President of Ship Repair. Beck and his team had been actively looking for the right drydock at home and abroad for a number of months. The one selected happened to be in Korea.
Keel Laid for Washington's New Ferry Suquamish
The Washington State Department of Transportation continues to grow its Olympic Class ferry fleet with a keel laying ceremony marking the beginning of construction of its newest vessel, Suquamish. On Tuesday, May 10, Gov. Jay Inslee, state Sen. Christine Rolfes, and Suquamish Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman struck ceremonial welds on the keel of the Suquamish, at Vigor’s Harbor Island Shipyard in Seattle. Inslee welded his granddaughter’s initials, Rolfes, an orca whale, and Forsman, a circle with a dot, the ancient design element found at “Old Man House” in the early Suquamish winter village. The Suquamish’s keel laying ceremony comes only weeks after significant progress was made on the third Olympic Class vessel, Chimacum.
Proceeding Quietly with Vigor
In a climate of both seemingly fat backlogs and at the same time uncertainty for domestic shipyards, Vigor Industrial is one company that continues to make news in the shipbuilding and repair merger and acquisition markets. After acquiring Todd Pacific Shipyards in 2011 for $130 million, Vigor also diversified its geographic offerings when it scooped up Alaska Ship and Drydock in Ketchikan after raising $75 million through private equity firm Endeavour Capital. Vigor CEO Frank Foti continues to build scale through acquisitions, while diversifying the company’s construction and repair capabilities to include cargo fleets, barges and workboats, ferries, and US Navy and Coast Guard vessels, among others.
The OPC Race
Vigor Shipyard’s unique entry into the ongoing U.S. Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Cutter Competition turns heads now, but ultimately may change how we look at Homeland Security on the water – for good. The U.S. Coast Guard’s well-publicized, although clearly flawed recapitalization campaign is alive and well. Spurred by the need to replace as many as 25 medium endurance cutters, the nation’s primary homeland security provider on the water has domestic shipbuilders queuing up to design and build its next generation vessel – the so-called offshore patrol cutter (OPC). At least three shipyards can be considered serious candidates for the first installment, but only one – to date – has succeeded in generating genuine excitement with an innovative design proposal.
