The Maritime Minute
News from the American Maritime Partnership, August 19, 2011
U.S. MARITIME ADMINISTRATION AWARDS GRANTS TO SMALL SHIPYARDS:
On August 15, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced $9.89
million in grants to 13 small shipyards in as many states. These grants will
help improve our ability to build and repair ships in the United States,
strengthen our economy, and help position these small businesses and
shipyards to be better prepared to win in the future, said S ecretary
LaHood. More than 50,000 Americans are employed by small shipyards in 30
states. The grants will help fund projects such as new drydocks, large cranes,
and advanced welding systems. Click here to read more.
WISCONSIN SALUTES PORT INDUSTRY: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker declared August 15-21 as
Wisconsin Ports Week. His proclamation noted that the Badger S tate has 20 commercial ports
that each year handle more than 40 million tons of cargo such as farm products, coal, cement,
limestone, and much more. Those 40 million tons are the equivalent of 7 tons for each Wisconsinite
and are valued at more than $8 billion. The state is also home to three major shipyards: Bay
Shipbuilding Company in Sturgeon Bay, Marinette Marine in Marinette, and Fraser Shipyards in
Superior.
MISSISSIPPI SHIPYARD BEGINS CONSTRUCTION OF NEW CAR CARRIER: Shipyard workers in
Pascagoula, Miss., are now busy building their second car carrier for service between the West
Coast and Hawaii. The vessel, to be christened the MARJORIE C, is scheduled for delivery in the fall
of 2013. The 692-foot-long ship will cost $144 million. Its owner, Pasha Hawaii, also has another
option for a third car carrier depending on demand in the future.
Meet A Member: Bay Shipbuilding Co. in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, is the largest shipyard on the
Great Lakes. More than 760 vessels have been built at the facility since 1918, including many of the
1,000-foot-long supercarriers that transformed Great Lakes shipping. A division of Fincantieri
Marine Group, the yard features a 1,154 x 140 graving dock and a 78,000-square-foot fully
enclosed fabrication shop. The yard is ramping up to begin construction of two Platform Supply
Vessels. Those projects, coupled with maintenance and modernization of the Lakes fleet during the
winter, will push Bay s workforce to almost 800.
American Maritime Partnership ("AMP") is the voice of the U.S. domestic maritime industry, a pillar of our nation s
economic, national, and homeland security. More than 40,000 American vessels built in American shipyards, crewed by
American mariners, and owned by American companies, ply our waters 24/7, and this commerce sustains nearly 500,000
jobs, $29 billion in labor compensation, and more than $100 billion in annual economic output according to a study by
PricewaterhouseCoopers for the Transportation Institute. So efficient are these vessels that they carry a quarter of the
nation s cargo for only 2 percent of the national freight bill, and being American owned, built and crewed helps make
America more secure.