Shipyard Facility News

Optimizing Blast and Paint Processes in New Construction Shipbuilding

The efficacy of surface preparation and coating application in the new construction shipbuilding industry is fundamentally anchored in a well-coordinated, integrated approach. This intricate process, essential for achieving top-tier corrosion control, is methodically segmented into five crucial stages:Raw material entryPainting the modulesSmall partsPainting of erection joints at the module levelFinal paint and ship's completion. Each stage is crucial in its own right but achieves…

Harland & Wolff's US Subsidiary Secures Maiden Contract

UK-based Harland & Wolff Group said Tuesday that its recently opened Miami-based office had been awarded its first contract for circa $1.5 million.Under the contract, the company will support TampaShip - part of the Edison Chouest Group, based in Tampa, Florida - in the completion of the construction of a floating dock for the Bollinger shipyard facility in the Gulf of Mexico.Fabrication work has started and is expected to be completed within the next three months."The company is very active in building its pipeline of opportunities in the USA.

US Shipyards Investing to Add Serious Lifting Power

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…

New Hybrid-electric Ferry Being Built for New York City

New York City is set to receive its first public hybrid-electric ferry, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Wednesday.The first-of-its-kind vessel—currently under construction at Conrad Shipyard’s facility in Morgan City, La.— will begin transporting passengers to Governors Island in summer of 2024. It will replace the diesel-powered Lt. Samuel S. Coursen, the Trust for Governors Island’s current vehicle and passenger ferry, which was commissioned by the U.S. Army in 1956 and has been…

Strategic Marine Opens New Shipyard in Singapore

Strategic Marine unveiled a new shipyard facility located on JTC’s waterfront site at 5 Benoi Road in western Singapore. The ceremony also saw the delivery of Southeast Asia’s first hybrid crew transfer vessel (CTV), and the unveiling of Strategic Marine’s fourth-generation fast crew boat (FCB).The new facility features a 5,000-DWT dry dock measuring 105m in length, 18.5m in width, and 8m in depth as well as a 6,000 DWT slipway.As part of the opening ceremony, the hybrid CTV, HST Swansea, was delivered to its new owner, UK-based HST Marine, along with its sistervessel, HST Tynemouth.

St. Johns Ship Building Promotes Nelson to HSE Officer

Palatka, Fla. shipbuilder St. Johns Ship Building announced it has appointed Nick Nelson as its first HSE officer.Nelson has more than a decade of service with St Johns Ship Building, most recently acting as yard safety manager.“I expect to participate in an increased effort to protect our employees from the hazards of the industry by implementing additional new policies and procedures as well as increased oversight and training,” Nelson said. “As we continue to grow as a company, so will our efforts and commitment to protect our employees and our environment.

Chief of Naval Operations Visits Austal USA

Austal USA welcomed U.S. Navy Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral Michael Gilday at the company’s Mobile, Ala. shipyard. The CNO toured the shipyard’s facility and discussed the company’s growing diversity of design and shipbuilding contracts. During his tour, the CNO witnessed the production of both steel and aluminum ships in the company’s 867,000-sq. ft. module manufacturing facility, including operations supporting the submarine industrial base.Austal USA leadership briefed the CNO on the company’s involvement in several autonomous surface vessel programs…

MMA Offshore Sells Batam Shipyard

Australian offshore vessel operator MMA Offshore has completed the sale of its shipyard in Batam, Indonesia.The planned sale was first announced back in May when MMA Offshore said it would sell its shipyard facility to Wasco Engineering Group."The final installment of the US$15 million purchase price has been received with the total proceeds from the sale to be used to make a voluntary prepayment of amortization on the company’s debt facility," MMA Offshore said Friday.MMA Offshore…

MST Launches First in a Series of 18 New Patrol Boats

Marine Specialised Technology Group has launched the first in a series of new Police Patrol Craft being built for the UK Ministry of Defense Police (MDP) and the Gibraltar Ministry of Defense Police (GDP)Awarded in March 2021, The Police Patrol Craft (PPC) contract is a six-year program that will see delivery of 18 patrol craft to various Police units around the UK and Gibraltar. The Patrol Craft will be used to ensure protection of major Royal Naval Assets, including capital ships and submarines…

Marine Travelift Delivers New Boat Lift to Stevens Towing

The recent delivery of a Marine Travelift 820CII (820 metric ton/1,804,000 lbs. capacity) Mobile Boat Hoist to the Stevens Towing Company, Inc. shipyard located on Yonges Island in South Carolina will transform marine services by alleviating overwhelmed dry dock schedules in the region.Founded in the late 1800s as Stevens Brothers with a single boat, Joseph Stanyarne Stevens and William Yates Stevens transported produce and supplies from Edisto Island to Charleston and many points in between.

Portable Laser Shock Peening System Demonstrated for the US Navy

For the first time, a portable laser shock peening system has been developed for and demonstrated in a shipyard environment and on board a U.S. Navy warship to combat aluminum cracking.On June 24, 2022, through a 2020 National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) Research Announcement Project, Hepburn and Sons LLC, teamed with LSP Technologies, Vigor Industries and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) was able to demonstrate for the first time ever the use of a portable Procudo LSP system both in a shipyard facility and onboard USS Cape St. George (CG-71).

MARAD Awards $19.6 Million in Small Shipyard Grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced $19.6 million in grant awards to 24 small shipyards in 19 states through the Small Shipyard Grant Program.The funds will help awardees—many of which being family-run businesses—modernize, increase productivity and expand local employment opportunities while competing in the global marketplace, MARAD said.“Small businesses are the lifeblood of the American economy, and small shipyards play a critical role in America’s maritime industry, helping us get the goods we depend on every day,” said U.S.

Winners of Student Ferry Design Competition Announced

Following the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association’s (WFSA) Professional Program (held virtually on May 18, 2022), Awards were presented to finalist teams in the WFSA’s Ferry Design Competition, now in its ninth year.Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, WFSA’s Executive Director, said the specifications for the design ferry were crafted to be ever more challenging from year to year, but that this year’s objective creating a safe and affordable ferry for transiting India’s Brahmaputra River, “that…

US Navy Christens Submarine Hyman G. Rickover

The U.S. Navy’s newest Virginia-class attack submarine, future USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 795), was christened during a ceremony at General Dynamics’ Electric Boat shipyard facility in Groton, Conn., July 31.“This submarine is a fitting tribute to Admiral Rickover, who truly transformed our Navy,” said Adm. James Caldwell, director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, during his remarks at the celebration.Caldwell credited Rickover – who served for 63 years in the Navy and is credited…

Cheoy Lee Building WFSV Pair for Japanese Wind Farms

Currently under construction at Cheoy Lee Shipyards' Hin Lee (Zhuhai) Shipyard facility are two 27-meter wind farm support vessels (WFSV) to support operations and maintenance of the Akita and Noshiro offshore wind farms, in the Akita Prefecture region of Japan.The first WFSV is set to be launched in December this year, with the delivery to the operator Akita Offshore Wind Corporation (AOW) in early 2021.AOW's Akita Noshiro Offshore Wind Farm Project is the first large-scale commercial…

CNO Michael Gilday Visits Ingalls Shipbuilding

America’s largest military shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls Industries announced that Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday visited the company’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division.During his visit, Gilday toured the shipyard facility and received an overview of infrastructure improvements as well as an update on shipbuilding programs. Adm. Gilday, who was sworn in as the Nation’s 32nd chief of naval operations in August 2019, also met with crew-members of ships currently under construction or modernization at Ingalls.“Along with Mississippi’s two U.S. Senators, Sen. Roger Wicker and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, the CNO got a firsthand look at all four classes of ships we are building for the Navy and Coast Guard.

A Second Damen FCS 2610 for MMS Offshore

MMS Offshore Renewable Services Ltd has taken delivery of a Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 2610 from Damen Shipyards Group. The new vessel – to be called MMS Superior – will be deployed in a variety of roles in the offshore renewables, oil & gas and marine civil engineering sectors.MMS Offshore Renewable Services is located on the banks of the River Humber in Hull and Grimsby, UK. The company operates a modern fleet that consists of workboats and multi-purpose wind farm support vessels…

Nakilat Profits Rise 7%

Nakilat said for the first half of the year ended June 30, 2019 that it achieved a net profit of $130 million compared to $122 million during the same period in 2018, an increase of 7%.Nakilat’s financial performance is driven by the acquisition of two additional Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carriers and one Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) in 2018 is among the main attributes to the positive financial results, as well as the increased volume of projects at Nakilat’s…

Bouchard Takes Delivery of Yet another ATB Unit

Bouchard Transportation Co. announced the delivery of ATB unit M/V Evening Breeze and Barge No. 252 (B. No. 252), respectively, from VT Halter Marine Inc. (VT Halter Marine) and Bollinger Shipyards.M/V Evening Breeze left VT Halter Marine’s Pascagoula Shipyard facility on Tuesday, March 12, 2019, and will meet and pair up with B. No. 252 before sailing to join Bouchard’s fleet service in New York.The Evening Breeze is 4,000hp meeting U.S. EPA-Tier 4 requirements, measuring 112 feet by 35 feet by 17 feet, and equipped with an Intercon Coupler System.

Boskalis Floating Dock to Fix Carnival Vista

Florida-headquartered Carnival Cruise Line has contracted the Dutch marine engineering company Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. to lift its cruise ship Carnival Vista out of the water onto the world’s largest heavy lift ship, Boka Vanguard, and transport it to Grand Bahama shipyard for a dry docking operation.The operation, the first of its kind in the world, will take place in the coming weeks in Freeport, Bahamas. The BOKA Vanguard is the world’s largest semi-submersible ship uniquely positioned to lift and transport extremely heavy cargoes in a dry and safe manner.Carnival Vista is the second largest cruise ship in the Carnival fleet with a capacity of nearly 4,000 passengers and a length in excess of 300 meters.

Halifax Assembles HMCS Margaret Brooke

The Royal Canadian Navy's second Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS), the future HMCS Margaret Brooke, is now structurally assembled at Irving Shipbuilding's Halifax Shipyard.On Friday, May 3, the bow section of the second AOPS was transported on heavy lift transporters from inside the Halifax Shipyard's indoor shipbuilding facility outside to land level. Work will continue over the coming weeks to fully join the bow mega-block and its components to the centre and stern mega-blocks, which were transported to land level in September 2018.With all three sections of the second AOPS joined, further outfitting of the ship will continue.

SPECIAL REPORT: GREAT LAKES BUSINESS and The Great Lakes Group

Embracing and spanning the full breadth of Great Lakes geography and business mix, GLG’s Joe Starck has his multi-missioned firm looking to the future – in more ways than one.The Great Lakes Group (GLG) takes its beginnings from its 1899 incorporation by industrial icon John D. Rockefeller, who formed the Great Lakes Towing to satisfy the demands of a Midwest industrial revolution that brought bigger ships to the region. Existing vessels, unable to keep up with demand, were supplemented and replaced by a fleet of as many as 100 tugboats; the first steel tugs in the region. GLG still has a tug that was part of that original operation.

Avondale Yard to Be Repurposed as a Multimodal Hub

The former Avondale Shipyard facility in Louisiana will be redeveloped into a logistics and intermodal hub under a joint venture group that took ownership of the shuttered shipyard today.The Avondale site, located just upriver from New Orleans, built and repaired commercial and military vessels for more than 75 years, most recently as part of Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division, until the facility ceased operations in December 2014.New development plans announced today will see the 254-acre site repurposed as a multimodal…