Austal USA Inks $128m Deal for Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock
Austal USA won the Detailed Design and Construction (DD&C) contract on June 17 valued at $128 million for the U.S. Navy Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock Medium (AFDM), which marks Austal USA’s second steel vessel program for the U.S. Navy.
The AFDM will be built in Austal’s modern steel panel line in Mobile, Ala. The design incorporates features to improve operability and maintainability based on the company’s experience and lessons learned from owning, operating, and maintaining a similar dry dock at its repair facility at Austal West Campus.
Austal USA President Rusty Murdaugh said. “Combined with our contract for the T-ATS program, the AFDM award is evidence of our expanding capability and focus on delivering a diverse portfolio of solutions to our customers, from combatants to dry docks. We are looking forward to providing the U.S. Navy with an exceptional floating dry dock using our lean manufacturing approach.”
The AFDM is a “Rennie”-type floating dry dock with an 18,000 LT lifting capacity and a clear deck working area of 90,800 square feet. The craft has an overall length of 694 ft., overall pontoon breadth of 157 ft., and a height of 65 ft. from baseline to wing deck.
