Newport News Shipbuilding has been awarded two separate contracts for ship repair work.
The first award is for the M/V 1st Lt. Alex Bonnyman, a Military Sealift Command (MSC) pre-positioning ship chartered through Maersk Lines. Work being performed on the ship includes hull blasting and painting; tank blasting and painting; overhaul of deck cranes; survey and repair of main propulsion equipment; repair of machinery components; cargo equipment refurbishment; and deck equipment survey and repair. The ship is 755 ft. long with a beam of 90 ft.
Bonnyman arrived at NNS on Oct. 1 and will remain at the company for approximately a month. NNS also performed work on this ship in 1995 and 1997.
The second contract is for the SS Cape Nome. A MARAD cargo ship, Cape Nome arrived at Newport News on Oct. 4. Managed by American Overseas Marine Corp. (AMSEA). The ship is part of the James River Reserve Fleet. The ship is 602 ft. long with a beam of 90 ft.
Work on Cape Nome includes removal of hull blanks (steel blanks installed on MARAD Ready Reserve inactive ships to prevent flooding), inspection of sea valves and testing for structural integrity will be performed. Cape Nome will remain at Newport News for six days.