Floating Dry Dock News

Mobile, AL-based Blakeley BoatWorks has announced the completion and delivery of Hull 107, formally named M/V Claire Ellen, to Cooper Marine’s Louisiana operations.Designed by Farrell and Norton and built by Blakeley BoatWorks, the 70-foot long, 28-foot wide, 1,600 horsepower vessel is fully compliant with the latest United States Coast Guard Subchapter M regulatory requirements. The new pushboat is the sixth 70 foot workboat delivered by Blakeley to to Cooper Marine-Louisiana.

Faced with an aging fleet, the Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority has turned to converted offshore support vessels (OSV) to breathe new life into its ferry operations.The operator announced its purchase of the OSVs HOS Shooting Star and HOS Lode Star from Hornbeck Offshore Services in 2022, to replace its open-deck freight vessels Gay Head and Katama, and several months later, the operator exercised an option to acquire a third OSV, HOS North Star…

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Miss. on Saturday launched the first LPD Flight II, San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship Harrisburg (LPD 30), marking one of the first major milestones in the ship’s journey towards operational readiness.The Ingalls team translated Harrisburg from land to the company’s floating dry dock using translation railcars to support the ship’s movement across the pier. While in the dry dock, the Ingalls team completed final prep work needed for launch.“We view this launch as a significant step toward fielding capability to our U.S.

Specialist provider of offshore support services, Interocean Marine Services is supporting a floating dock ship project at the port of Takoradi in Ghana, Africa.Interocean is working in partnership with Prime Meridian Docks Ghana to build and operate the dock, and the project has already secured full financial backing of $137 million.When finished, it will feature a 13,500-tonne lift capacity floating dry dock, 18,000 square meters of reclaimed land, a 200-meter jetty, modern workshops…

Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA launched USNS Point Loma (EPF 15), the U.S. Navy’s 15th Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF).The ship was christened in the beginning of August and is now docked pier side for final outfitting and system activation in preparation for sea trials later this year.During the launch process, self-propelled modular transporters (SPMT) lifted the ship almost three feet and moved it approximately 400 feet onto a deck barge moored adjacent to the final assembly bay.

On August 8, BLRT Repair Yards' Tallinn Shipyard in Estonia on Thursday commissioned a new floating dry dock, enabling it to maintain, repair and modernize larger vessels.Built to accommodate Handysize vessels, ranging from tankers to passenger ships, the new floating dock measures 180 meters in length, 30 meters in width, and has a lifting capacity of 10,000 tons. It replaces an older floating dock, which measured 155 meters in length and 27 meters in width.The FD22 was completed at the HAT-SAN Shipyard in Turkey in May 2024.

Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA has launched the future USS Pierre (LCS 38), the last ship of the U.S. Navy’s Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program.Following launch, Austal USA’s test and activation team will spend the next several months preparing her for sea trials later this year.Pierre, christened in May, is the Navy’s 19th and final Independence-variant LCS, and will be deployed to the Pacific fleet area of responsibility supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence. She is the second U.S.

Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA on Wednesday held a keel laying ceremony for LCU 1710, marking the official start of construction on the first of three Landing Craft Utility (LCU) vessels for the U.S. Navy.Austal USA was awarded a $91.5 million contract in September 2023 that includes three LCU and associated support efforts.LCU are carried aboard amphibious assault ships to the objective area and used across a range of military operations to deliver vehicles, personnel and cargo from sea-to-shore and back.

Austal USA earlier this month celebrated the start of construction on the first of three LCU 1710 Landing Craft Utility vessels for the U.S. Navy at the company’s Mobile, Ala. shipyard.Austal USA, a subsidiary if the Australian shipbuilding group Austal, was awarded a US$91.5 million (A$143.4 million) contract in September 2023 that includes three LCU 1710 vessels and associated support efforts.Austal CEO Paddy Gregg said the start of construction on Austal USA’s latest steel…

HII announced that Virginia-class submarine Massachusetts (SSN 798) was recently launched into the James River at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division.Shipbuilders transferred the submarine from a construction facility to the floating dry dock, where it was later submerged and moved by tugboats to a submarine pier at the shipyard for final outfitting, testing and crew certification.“Following the christening of this mighty submarine in May, witnessing Massachusetts launch into the river is a source of immense pride for our shipbuilding team…

Last week, on January 31, the future USS Kingsville (LCS 36) returned pier side after successfully completing acceptance trials in the Gulf of Mexico for the U.S. Navy, Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA announced.During acceptance trials, comprehensive testing is conducted on the ship’s major systems and equipment in order to demonstrate their successful operation and mission readiness. The U.S. Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey participates throughout the trials to validate…

Blake Powell, president at JMS Naval Architects, discusses his career, company and latest trends in naval architecture and marine engineering.Please give a brief professional bio, including education, experience and overview of current duties as president of JMS Naval Architects.I earned my degree in Naval Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley where I attended on a Navy ROTC scholarship and was commissioned as a Diving and Salvage Officer after I graduated.

Seattle based Manson Construction Co. announced it has been selected as the contractor for the P-508 Floating Dry Dock Mooring Facility project.Awarded by Naval Facilities Command Southwest (NAVFAC SW), this $106.9 million project at Naval Base San Diego (NBSD) includes a new ramp pier, retrofitting the mooring wharf, and support facilities for Southwest Regional Maintenance Center (SWRMC) to directly support the operations and maintenance of a new floating dry dock.

UK-based company Tugdock has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Salamander floating offshore wind farm to collaborate on innovation for floating offshore wind energy in Scotland.Tugdock, based in Cornwall, UK, has patented marine buoyancy technology that enables heavy marine structures to be built or assembled and loaded-out in ports with water depth or space restrictions.Salamander Offshore Wind is a joint venture development project between Simply Blue Group, Ørsted and Subsea7, which is developing a floiating wind farm to be located offshore from Peterhead in North-East Scotland.

German Ship Repair Jamaica Limited (GSRJ), a private joint venture of German, Turkish and Jamaican investors, has welcomed its first floating dock to Jamaica as part of plans to open a new shipyard later this year. The 215 meter-long Panamax-size dock was towed across the Atlantic by the deep-sea tug Titan from its previous home port in Bremerhaven, Germany. The dock arrived in Kingston on August 24 and is now moored at its new home port at the GSRJ Shipyard in Kingston Harbor…

AD Ports Group and Premier Marine Engineering Services LLC formed a new joint venture, SAFEEN Drydocks, owned 51% by AD Ports Group, 49% by Premier Marine.The new enterprise will offer a broad range of vital services including drydocking, afloat repairs, ship building and refurbishment. The hub of SAFEEN Drydocks’ operations will be located at Khalifa Port and encompass a 45,000 sq. m. shipyard and repair facility, 350m quay wall for vessel afloat repair, and a floating dry dock for vessel maintenance and refurbishment.

Austal USA began construction on the Navy’s Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock Medium (AFDM) at the company’s Gulf Coast ship manufacturing facility last week. AFDM is the third program to begin construction on Austal USA’s steel assembly line following T-ATS 11 and 12 - the first two of four U.S. Navy Towing, Salvage, and Rescue (T-ATS) ships the company is under contract to build. The AFDM is a “Rennie”-type floating dry dock which means it has continuous wing walls and several sectional…

Not every vessel in the U.S. Navy is built for major combat operations on the high seas. There are large numbers of boats and service craft that provide essential services to the sea services, the nation and its partners.The U.S. Navy procures about 100 small boats per year. Some of these boats are based on commercial designs, procured to a Navy developed specification that tailors the requirements to the end user needs. They are procured and managed by two Naval Sea Systems Command program offices—PMS 300 and PMS 325.Compared to warships and auxiliaries…

U.S.-based maritime logistics and offshore services firm Crowley on Wednesday announced a new investment in Tugdock. Tugdock has developed "the world’s first road-transportable floating dry dock" known as the Tugdock Submersible Platform (TSP), to help advance offshore wind energy in the U.S.Crowley and Tugdock will explore the potential use of the platforms in locations such as the U.S. West Coast, where depth and conventional dry docks may be ill-suited for the logistics required.“This…

Austal USA celebrated the opening of its new San Diego waterfront ship repair facility.The shipyard, located adjacent to Naval Base San Diego, will provide full-service repair, maintenance and modernization services for small surface combatants, unmanned and autonomous vessels, and auxiliary ships.Since finalizing an agreement for the property over a year ago, Austal USA has invested more than $100 million in facility upgrades and a new floating dry dock to transform the facility. The 15-acre site now provides 678 ft. of improved San Diego Bay shoreline, 80,000 sq. ft.

Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. (BHGI) won an Indefinite Delivery Contract (IDC) for naval architecture and marine engineering services for the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Philadelphia District, Marine Design Center. This contract continues BHGI’s partnership with the Marine Design Center (MDC). Some of the projects BHGI has worked on for the USACE include, but are not limited to, retrofits, finite element analyses, electric load analyses, vibration analyses, computational fluid dynamics analyses, as well as barge, towboat and dredge design.In partnership since 2010, BHGI and the MDC team have worked on a wide variety of projects both for the USACE and other federal agencies, including the United States Coast Guard, NASA, and the National Park Service.

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.

Born in 1998 and celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2023, Heger Dry Dock holds a unique position as one of the few engineering firms in the world dedicated to the design and lifecycle engineering of drydocks, primarily floating dry docks. Premal Shah, P.E., President and Principal Engineer, discussed some of the company’s recent contract wins with Maritime Reporter & Engineering News.Specializing in the design and lifecycle maintenance of floating dry docks, Heger Dry Docks was founded 25 years ago, and still run today by one of its co-founders, Bob Heger.