Repair Yard News

The Austal USA Board of Directors has elected Michelle Kruger as Austal USA President. She has been serving as interim president since August 2023.Kruger joined Austal USA in 2022 as the vice president of global services and support. In that role she led Austal USA’s ship repair and warranty efforts including the development of business strategy and strategic alliances. She also oversaw the stand up of Austal USA’s San Diego repair yard including the delivery of a purpose-built 9000-tonne capacity dry dock.

The United States' Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro, on Monday hosted executives from major ship repair companies at the Pentagon for a roundtable discussion focused on surface ship repair and modernization initiatives.Navy and Marine Corps leaders have expressed that repair process improvements are critical to meeting the needs of worldwide combatant commanders.“The maritime industry is a strategic sector critical to our economic and national security,” said Secretary Del Toro.

Gibraltar ship repair yard Gibdock announced the appointment of John Barnard as its new Commercial Director.Barnard brings to the role over 15 years of experience in the shipbuilding and repair business, with a career marked by diverse roles, encompassing technical, commercial and production functions across both defense and commercial markets.A graduate from the University of Southampton with a Masters in Ship Science in 2008, Barnard began his career as a naval architect at Cammell Laird in the U.K.

Analysts and commentators are quick to point out that fossil fuels will power maritime equipment, and indeed dominate the fueling marketplace, well into the future. However, they will do so alongside new fuels, and new technologies, that will be introduced to the maritime sector in the coming years. In its September, 2023 report “Beyond the Horizon: View of the Emerging Energy Value Chains”, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) explains that, “During the recent 80th meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80)…

Taylor Smith Shipyard (TSS), the oldest ship repair yard on Mauritius, has appointed Willy van Niekerk as new General Manager.van Niekerk knows the yard well and was Assistant General Manager since 2022. He has broad experience in the maritime and offshore industries, taking to sea at 14 as a school holiday job on a converted fishing vessel and deciding to study marine engineering as a result.Throughout the years, van Niekerk sailed on container ships and bulk carriers trading worldwide, becoming chief engineer in the process, before embarked on a shore based career.

The Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company (ASRY) held its third annual Raft Race Competition on the ASRY Beach on Saturday, November 18, 2023.More than a hundred contestants from the company’s employees and subcontractors participated. In addition, SULB Bahrain took part in this year’s competition as a new member, with the participation of two teams.This sporting event, which aims to enhance social bonds, witnessed a wide audience, attended by water sports fans who showed their utmost support and encouragement for their favorite team.

Shipyards across the U.S. are investing in new equipment to increase lift capacity, opening up the door for more projects and improved efficiency.Southern California-based Marine Group Boat Works, which performs a mix of yacht, commercial and government vessel repair work, in 2022 repowered its 665-ton Marine Travelift mobile boat hoist—the largest on the West Coast—with a Tier 4 John Deere engine. And earlier this year it was awarded a MARAD Small Shipyard Grant worth more than…

Russian state news agency RIA said overnight Russian strikes on the Ukrainian port of Izmail had hit port and grain infrastructure housing foreign mercenaries and military hardware, as well as a naval ship repair yard.RIA cited Sergei Lebedev, a man it described as a coordinator of an underground group in the Ukrainian port city of Mykolaiv and who it said had sources in Izmail, Ukraine's main inland port across the Danube River from Romania.It quoted Lebedev as saying that there had been eight separate Russian strikes on Izmail and that an oil terminal had been hit…

Singapore's Keppel Corp KPLM.SI on Thursday reported a more than seven-fold jump in its first-half profit boosted by a one-off gain from the sale of its offshore and marine (O&M) unit and strong performance from the infrastructure business.Keppel sold its offshore and marine business in February for S$4.50 billion ($3.40 billion) to Sembcorp Marine, recognising a gain of S$3.3 billion, as it aims to transform into an asset manager overseeing $150 billion by 2030 and focus on green energy.It managed S$53.2 billion in funds as of June 30.In May…

Three people are dead following a shooting incident at a shipyard in Harvey, La., near New Orleans.The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said it is investigating a double homicide at the FMT Shipyard & Repair facility on the West bank of the Mississippi River, and that a suspect was later killed after a shootout with deputies.Around 1 p.m., deputies were dispatched to a report of a shooting at the shipyard. Upon arrival, officials located two unresponsive adult males—both contract employees at the shipyard—who had suffered gunshot wounds.

Everett, Wash. repair yard Everett Ship Repair said it recently completed hull repairs and upgrades of the MV Excellence, a steel-hulled mothership processing vessel built in the 1970s in Japan. The vessel, measuring 367.5 feet in length and 56 feet in width, is undergoing extensive upgrades to the onboard ammonia-based refrigeration system. The modernization of this system will provide additional refrigeration capacity to the vessel, without an increase in power demand.The new refrigeration equipment was installed in a large opening cut below the waterline, necessitating drydocking.

BAE Systems held a groundbreaking ceremony officially kicking off a program to upgrade its ship repair facility in Jacksonville, Fla.As part of the $200 million modernization, the company will add a Pearlson Shiplift and land-level repair complex that will boost flexibility and expand the shipyard’s docking capacity by 300%. Located two miles from the Atlantic Ocean, at the intersection of the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, BAE Systems Jacksonville Ship Repair provides repair…

A Washington State Ferries (WSF) vessel has been repaired after it allided into the Fauntleroy dock in Seattle last summer.Everett, Wash. repair yard Everett Ship Repair (ESR) served as the prime contractor for emergency repairs to WSF's Cathlamet, and it subcontracted sister-company Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB) to construct a new steel pickle fork at its facility on Whidbey Island. A pickle fork is the area of a passenger deck extending above the end of the car decks…

Industry veteran Marco Santoro has taken the helm as chief executive officer at Miami yacht repair yard RMK Merrill-Stevens.A naval architect and marine engineer, Santoro began his career in yachting as part of the technical department at Italy's Rodriquez Yachts. In 2003, he joined Italian yacht builder the Ferretti Group as an intern in the after sales and service department, and over the course of 20 years worked his way up through a number of leadership roles, culminating as the company's vice president of refit and retail works. “My journey in this company was amazing.

Peter Roney has been hired to join the executive management team supporting U.S. West Coast shipyards Nichols Brothers Boat Builders and Everett Ship Repair.The news was announced by Shared Ice Services (SIS) is a subsidiary of Ice Cap Holding, the parent company of Ice Floe, dba Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB) and Everett Ship Repair (ESR). SIS was recently established to support the operations of the two shipyards.NBBB is a newbuild and repair yard in Freeland, Wash., and ESR is a service and repair facility in Everett…

BAE Systems announced it will spend $200 million for upgrades aimed at increasing capacity and flexibility at its Jacksonville, Fla. ship repair yard. The investment covers the preparation, construction, procurement and installation of a modern Pearlson shiplift and land-level ship repair facility, giving the yard the capability to service a greater number of vessels more efficiently.Located two miles from the Atlantic Ocean, at the intersection of the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway…

In the 45 years since the Arab Shipbuilding & Repair Yard (ASRY) opened on reclaimed land in Bahrain, the Middle East has become one of the world’s ship repair hotspots. A broad range of shipyards now service both regional and global markets.Regional yards have a ready market, with hundreds of offshore rigs working across the region together with the service ships that support them. Then there are thousands of tankers and gas carriers that arrive each year to load energy cargoes for far-flung destinations.

North Charleston, S.C. ship repair yard Detyens Shipyards has been awarded a contract for a 75-calendar day shipyard availability for the mid-term availability of Military Sealift Command’s (MSC) fleet replenishment oiler USNS Laramie (T-AO 203). The $10,051,547 firm-fixed-price contract, a small business set-aside, includes a base period and three options which, if exercised would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $10,606,947. Detyens, which services a wide range of vessel types…

Bayonne Dry Dock & Repair Corp held a christening ceremony on December 9 for its new mobile boat hauler, dedicated in honor of Christopher Edward Cranston, a NYPD Detective who died of a 9/11-related illness in July 2019.The late Staten Island native—a first-responder during and in the aftermath of the September 11 World Trade Center attacks—was the brother of the Bayonne, N.J. ship repair yard’s president, Mike Cranston, who said the new lift is a fitting tribute to someone who always prioritized family and service.

German propulsion systems manufacturer SCHOTTEL announced it has added new contractual service partners in Spain and France. The company currently has more than 100 sales and service stations around the globe.Stefan Buch, VP After Sales Service at SCHOTTEL, said, “Today, more than 10,000 vessels of all types and sizes are sailing around the globe thanks to SCHOTTEL propulsion systems. To ensure reliable operation at all times, we offer a wide range of services throughout the vessel’s lifecycle.

Louisiana-based Bollinger Shipyards announced it has completed its acquisition of Pascagoula, Miss. shipbuilder VT Halter Marine and neighboring repair yard ST Engineering Halter Marine Offshore (STEHMO) from parent company ST Engineering North America, the U.S. subsidiary of Singaporean multinational technology, defense and engineering group ST Engineering.The deal, first announced on November 7, is said to be worth $15 million, according to ST Engineering. Bollinger, which operates 14 facilities located throughout Louisiana with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico…

North Charleston, S.C. ship repair yard Detyens Shipyards has been awarded a $21,007,304 contract for a 91-calendar day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul/dry-docking availability of Military Sealift Command's (MSC) fleet replenishment oiler USNS Kanawha (T-AO 196).The firm-fixed-price contract includes a base period and four options which, if exercised would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $22,090,004. The contract was a small business set-aside with proposals solicited via the Government Point of Entry website and three offers received.Work will begin May 18…

Lockport, La. based Bollinger Shipyards announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Pascagoula, Miss. shipbuilder VT Halter Marine, Inc. and neighboring repair yard ST Engineering Halter Marine Offshore (STEHMO) from parent company ST Engineering North America, the U.S. subsidiary of Singaporean multinational technology, defense and engineering group ST Engineering.The transaction, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2022, is said to be worth $15 million, according to ST Engineering.