In August, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced $9.98 million in grants to 13 small shipyards throughout the United States to modernize facilities, increase productivity and help make the country’s small shipyards more competitive in the global marketplace.
Alameda’s Bay Ship & Yacht received a $400,000 grant that will be used for an air compressor and various electrical upgrades. Photo courtesy of Bay Ship & Yacht
Published: September, 2011
In August, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced $9.98 million in grants to 13 small shipyards throughout the United States to modernize facilities, increase productivity and help make the country’s small shipyards more competitive in the global marketplace. In the Bay Area, Alameda’s Bay Ship & Yacht received a $400,000 grant that will be used for an air compressor and various electrical upgrades.
We are extremely pleased with the award of this U.S. Maritime Administration [MARAD] Small Shipyard Grant to Bay Ship & Yacht, which gives us additional resources to improve our operations to better service our customers, said Alan Cameron, Bay Ship & Yacht’s general manager.
Over 50,000 Americans are employed by small shipyards in more than 30 states. The facilities vary in size, from family-owned businesses employing a few dozen workers to state-of-the-art facilities with hundreds of employees. These grants will help improve our ability to build and repair ships in the United States, strengthening our economy and helping position these small businesses and shipyard workers to be better prepared to win the future, said Secretary LaHood.
MARAD’s Small Shipyard Grants Program provides money to help this vital segment of America’s maritime industry invest in production equipment, provide technical skills training for employees, and maintain and create well-paying jobs by keeping these businesses competitive.
Over the course of the last few years, we have embarked on an aggressive program to develop BS&Y as the premier 21st century shipyard, said Bay Ship & Yacht’s Cameron. Activities have including instituting a number of physical yard improvements and upgrades, state of the art tooling additions and skills training for our craftsman and project management teams. This MARAD Grant further supplements our efforts to be our customer’s first choice for planned and emergent work ranging from a quick pierside repair to a major retrofit and refurbishment. Our programs continue into 2012 with a major emphasis on safe work practices through employee training and education.
Speaking more generally, U.S. Maritime Administrator David Matsuda noted, This money will help train workers and buy new tools and equipment. Having these essential needs taken care of will help these small shipyards be more productive, efficient, and able to sustain good jobs for American workers well into the future.
MARAD received over 118 grant applications requesting $105 million in assistance. The grants fund a variety of projects, including infrastructure improvements and modernizing equipment to increase the efficiency, competitive operations, and quality construction of vessels in U.S. shipyards.
