Rolls-Royce, Great Lakes Shipyard Sign Services Agreement

Rolls-Royce Commercial Marine Inc. has teamed up with Great Lakes Shipyard, a division of The Great Lakes Towing Company, Cleveland, OH to create a state-of-the-art marine service center to improve and grow their respective vessel repair and overhaul businesses in the Great Lakes Region.

The long-term agreement, effective June 1, 2011 is the latest stage in the development of a global Marine Service Center network, which brings the expertise of Rolls-Royce engineers to customers around the world.  Rolls-Royce has opened seven Marine Service Center in the last two years and the global network now includes facilities in 34 countries.  Rolls-Royce is in the business of manufacturing and selling propulsion systems and machinery, deck machinery, electrical systems and controls, diesel engines and gas turbines worldwide, for the commercial marine industry and the government, and with the growth of its installed base in the Great Lakes Region, wishes to provide more immediate service and support to those customers.  Rolls-Royce’s repair and overhaul services in the Great Lakes Region will be performed by Rolls-Royce in cooperation with Great Lakes Shipyard in Cleveland and Rolls-Royce’s equipment will be stored, maintained, serviced, and repaired in the Shipyard.
 
The Great Lakes Shipyard facility will serve commercial and government vessels operating on the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway.  It will be operated in partnership with Rolls-Royce Service Technicians employed on-site, and located within the shipyard’s main fabrication and service shop in the Port of Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

John Hanzl, Rolls-Royce, Vice President Service Operations – North America, said: “When Rolls-Royce was looking for a strategic partner to establish a new service center for the Great Lakes, Great Lakes Shipyard was the clear choice.  Great Lakes Shipyard is the “Go to” facility for all types of commercial and government vessels.  They have a flawless record of performance, and have proven themselves again and again, to be a major force in the vessel construction and repair market.  Our partnership established by this new Services Agreement will mutually benefit our respective efforts toward further growth.”

“Strategically located in Cleveland, OH, Great Lakes Shipyard is a neighbor to the local American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Office and the U.S. Coast Guard’s 9th District Headquarters. Cleveland is a key port for merchant shipping and is firmly established as a regional hub for ship repair, which makes it an ideal location to provide mission critical support, which will be available to our customers around the clock.” 

Great Lakes Shipyard expects to initially create 5 to 10 jobs at the existing facility.  In addition to on-site repairs, installations and overhaul services, skilled technicians from Great Lakes Shipyard will also carry out off-site servicing and repairs on board vessels throughout the Great Lakes region.

Concurrent with its signing of this Rolls-Royce Services Agreement, the Shipyard is erecting a 770-ton Mobile Boat Hoist manufactured by Marine Travelift to be operational June 27, 2011 – the Boat Hoist is the second largest boat hoist in the Western Hemisphere, the third largest in the World, and the largest on the U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes; all part of a $25 million expansion and modernization project expected to generate an additional 25 jobs.

The 113-year old Great Lakes Towing Company (of which Great Lakes Shipyard is a division) is the largest U.S.-flagged tugboat company on the Great Lakes, serving more than 40 ports with a fleet of more than 35 tugs.

“Great Lakes Shipyard needed to move beyond its less efficient, time-consuming, one-at-a-time drydockings using it’s existing floating drydock.  Now, with its new Marine Travelift, the Shipyard will have a world class solution for lifting vessels out of the water, so that as many as six or more vessels can be accommodated at any one time.  Specifically designed to handle a full range of Great Lakes vessels, the mobile hoist will eliminate scheduling conflicts, accommodate emergency lifts and ensure quick turn-around.  Most importantly, customers will save time and money thanks to the lift’s capability, reliability, versatility, efficiencies,” said Joseph Starck, the Towing Company and Shipyard’s President.

The future relationship with Rolls-Royce and Great Lakes Shipyard bodes well for both companies and Cleveland.