N o r f o l k Ship Orders 950-Foot Drydock From Brazilian Yard

Norfolk Shipbuilding & Drydock Corp., Norfolk, Va., has ordered a 950-foot floating drydock to help fulfill a long-term contract involving the annual drydocking and repair of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers. This will be one of the largest drydocks of its kind in the world.

Ishikawajima do Brasil Estaleiros S.A. (Ishibras) will build the drydock with delivery scheduled for late December 1978, according to John L. Roper III, president and chief executive officer of Norfolk Shipbuilding.

The drydock will be moored alongside a new 1,030-foot pier the company is building at its Berkley, Va., plant, situated on the southern branch of the Elizabeth River.

The LNG vessel servicing contract is with El Paso Marine Co., which has nine of the carriers under construction in U.S. and French shipyards.

The ships will be used to carry LNG from Algeria to terminals in Maryland and Georgia. The vessels will be about 940 feet in length.

It is expected that each of the nine El Paso vessels will be in the shipyard for approximately a month each year starting in the spring of 1979, according to Mr. Roper. He also stated that the contract with El Paso will commence in January or February 1979 and continue for six years.

According to Mr. Roper, the drydock will have a lifting capacity of 54,250 tons, and will be fitted with automatic cleaning and painting arms along with a system of sensing and deflection instrumentation. The keel for the drydock will be laid in June. J.J.

Henry Co., Inc., New York, N.Y., naval architects, has designed the facility.

Mr. Roper stated that the drydock's construction is expected to take about 15 months, with the towing time from the Ishibras yard, Rio de Janeiro to Norfolk taking about 45 days.

Other stories from May 1977 issue

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