Page 62: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 1994)

REGIONAL REPORT

WEST COAST

YARD REVIEW

By

Kathleen Gleaves, contributing editor

Consisting mainly of small to medium-size yards, the West Coast is a specialty market.

But specializing has its rewards, as

West Coast yards have earned a reputation for quality workmanship, innovative design and construction methods, and the flexibility to change with the marketplace.

The group of yards included in this report vary widely, from giant

National Steel & Shipbuilding Co. (NASSCO) to mid-sized Todd to the smaller Westport. However, the shared goal among all is continued strong business of ship and boat building and repair.

Todd Shipyards, Seattle, Wash.:

New manager, Roland Webb came to Todd from a three-year stint as project director for Integrated Ferry

Constructors, Inc., where he over- saw the modular construction of B. C.

Ferry's newest Spirit class vessels.

Stockholders charged Mr. Webb with the task of reorganizing a cum- bersome, outdated facility and streamlining it to compete in the lean marketplace of the '90s.

Consultants from Maritech En- gineering Japan (MEJ) are assist- ing in the restructuring efforts which include updating equipment and downsizing staff.

Todd recently converted two

Matson containerships to the new open-top design, and completed renovations to theTillicum, a Wash- ington State ferry, and the U.S.

Coast Guard (USCG) icebreaker,

Polar Star. They currently have an off-site crew working on the USS

Nimitz at the Naval Shipyard in

Bremerton. Future work includes a second icebreaker and a major overhaul of the USS Camden, a

Navy AOE.

Todd runs three drydocks rang- ing in size from 412 ft. x 66 ft. (125.5 m x 20.1 m) to 873 ft. x 137 ft. (266 m x 41.7 m) with a maximum capac- ity of 40,000 long-tons. In answer to local environmental concerns, Todd is in the process of replacing its sandblasting equipment with waterblasting technology. "We can offer a more strategic location," says Mr. Webb of Todd's

Port of Seattle dock, "and a full- service yard."

Crews can be dispatched directly to the unloading docks, many times facilitating repairs without inter- rupting shipping schedules.

Although primarily a repair and conversion yard, Todd is currently preparing a construction bid for the

Jumbo Mark II ferries, a proposed $210 million, three-vessel project for the Washington State Ferry

System.

Nichols Bros. Boat Builders, Whidbey Island, Wash.: Located on an island in Puget Sound, Nichols

Bros, can currently accommodate 430-ft. (131-m) vessels on-site. Its involvement with a local consor- tium known as the Evergreen State

Shipbuilders will increase that ca- pacity into the 500-ft. (152.4-m) range by utilizing modular construc- tion methods.

Nichols and the consortium hope to exhibit their joint capabilities on the 468 ft. x 90 ft. (142.6 m x 27.4 m)

Jumbo Mark II ferries and are ag- gressively pursuing that contract.

Completing the consortium triad are

Dakota Creek Industries, Anacortes,

Wash., and JM Martinac Shipbuild- ing Corp. of Tacoma, Wash.

Seventy-five percent of Nichols

Bros.' work is new construction, with the majority of that in the passenger boat area: gaming and dinner boats, mini cruise ships, and fast-ferry cata- marans.

Most significant is its relation- ship with International Catamaran.

Nichols is currently working on its 21st custom-designed InCat hull, a boat featuring the new Z-bow de- sign.

Also underway is a SWATH-de- sign gaming boat. According to

Bryan Nichols, the gas turbine driven, all-aluminum hull is capable of 28-knot speeds.

A recently signed contract withl

Yacht Ship Cruises in Seattle calls

Todd Shipyard, pictured below, recently con-| verted two Matson containerships to the new open-l top design, and completed renovations to thef Tillicum, a Washington State ferry, 42 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News