MARAD 08-08
Contact: Shannon Russell, Tel.:  (202) 366-5807
Thursday, April 24, 2008

Maritime Administration Awards $9.8 Million in Shipyard Grants
New Program Encourages, Strengthens Small Shipyards

            The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration today announced $9.8 million in grants to 19 small shipyards in the United States.  

            The grants are part of the new Assistance to Small Shipyards program, set up under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006.   

“Small shipyards are vitally important for the health of the maritime industry, and for the economy of the Nation,” said Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton.   

The purpose of the grants is to make capital and infrastructure improvements that facilitate the efficiency, cost-effectiveness and quality of domestic ship construction, conversion or repair for commercial and federal government use.  The grants cover a maximum of 75percent of the estimated cost of improvements.  The companies are responsible for the remainder. 

            The Maritime Administration is the agency in the Department of Transportation dealing with waterborne transportation.  Its mission is to improve and strengthen the U.S. marine transportation system, including infrastructure, industry and labor, to meet the economic and security needs of the United States.   

            Recipients, amounts, and purposes of grants are as follows:

• Alaska Ship and Drydock of Ketchikan, Alaska, was awarded $615,805 to upgrade its metal equipment, machine shop, and painting equipment.
• All American Marine, Inc., of Bellingham, Washington, was awarded $285,000 for the acquisition of metal cutting machinery and boat transfer equipment.
• Brownsville Marine Products, LLC, of Brownsville, Pennsylvania, was awarded $532,226 for hydraulic buggies, winches, mobile crane, jib and overhead cranes.
• Colonna’s Shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia, was awarded $825,000 for a 1,000-ton travelift.
• Conrad Shipyard, LLC, of Morgan City, Louisiana, was awarded $648,648 for welding equipment and a range of tools.
• Derecktor Shipyards Conn., LLC, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, was awarded $863,515 for a welding tank, welding machines, air casters, and hydraulic bender.
• Duclos Corporation of Somerset, Massachusetts, was awarded $628,300, for railway assembly, upgrading and extending capacity of railway and dock extension.
• Eastern Shipbuilding Group of Panama City, Florida, was awarded $436,274 for metal cutting equipment and a computer system.
• Everett Shipyard, Inc., of Everett, Washington, was awarded $297,036 for work stations and an overhead crane.
• Great Lakes Shipyard of Cleveland, Ohio, was awarded $546,000 for an 80-ton mobile crane, a man lift and automated welding equipment.
• Gulf Marine Repair Corp. of Tampa, Florida, was awarded $487,630 for four cranes, two electric plate rollers, and other manufacturing equipment.
• Horizon Shipbuilding, Inc., of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, was awarded $277,500 for a computerized plasma cutting table used to cut metal according to ship construction drawings and specifications.
• Leevac Shipyards, LLC, of Jennings, Louisiana, was awarded $66,068, for software to expand its engineering capability.
• Master Marine of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, was awarded $450,000 for a travelift.
• Pacific Shipyards International, LLC, of Honolulu, Hawaii, was awarded $869,977 for a water blast system and a mobile crane.
• R&R Marine Shipbuilding of Port Arthur, Texas, was awarded $400,000 for acquisition and installation of a stiffener fitting gantry, facility electrical upgrades and the cost to install a panel line fabrication facility.
• Safe Boats of Port Orchard, Washington, was awarded $579,084 for the acquisition and installation of router tables, information technology system upgrades and other machinery and equipment.
• Todd Shipyards Corporation of Seattle, Washington, was awarded $358,515 to enlarge and renovate their main assembly building.
• Washburn & Doughty Associates of East Boothbay, Maine, was awarded $633,422 for the acquisition and installation of pipe benders, inverter welding machines, hydraulic press brake, plus other equipment and machinery.

# # #