Page 32: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2020)

SHIPYARDS

Detyens

Shipyard facility. Port St. Joe will eventually become a fully functional graving dock, a U.S. Navy-certi? ed drydock, and lifting ca- repair shipyard. Investing at Eastern’s current facilities, it has pacity to meet the most demanding requirements. Erection constructed two large metal production buildings, several buildings are climate-controlled and equipped with sophisti- smaller buildings, expanded of? ce spaces, added new auto- cated computer-aided manufacturing equipment. Fincantieri’s mated fabrication equipment, is conducting facility dredging workforce has an average of more than 20 years of shipyard operations and will continue to invest in expanding each facil- construction experience.

ity supporting the future needs of the marine industry. In 2020, FBS laid the keel for a bulk carrier for Interlake

Steamship Company, the ? rst new U.S. ? ag Great Lakes bulk

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding carrier built in nearly four decades. Among other newbuild

Tracing its history back to 1918, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuild- projects, FBS recently delivered the Washington Island ferry, ing in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. is a leader in the construction, Madonna, for the Washington Island ? eet, and it is building a conversion and repair of commercial and government ships. 5,400 cubic meter LNG barge for NorthStar Midstream for its

In terms of new construction, the diversi? ed FBS portfolio East Coast route as well as a 740-foot self-unloading barge for includes all types of vessels including articulated tug-barge VanEnkevort Tug & Barge, Inc.

units, dredges and dredging support equipment, self-unload- Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding is an operating unit of Fincant- ing carriers, ferries and offshore support vessels. On the repair ieri Marine Group (FMG), the United States division of global side, FBS is expert at managing critical deadlines in the repair shipbuilding giant Fincantieri. and sustainment of bulk carriers and other ships of the Great

Lakes ? eet. While the split between newbuild and repair work Halter Marine varies from year to year, generally 30-40% of FBS’ annual Bob Merchent, President and CEO, took the top spot at sales are repair driven Halter Marine in June 2020, new to this role but an industry

Shipbuilding facilities at the 68-acre plant include a large veteran with much of his career spent at Ingalls Shipbuilding,

Eastern

Shipbuilding

SHIPYARDS

Group, Inc. 32 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • August 2020

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