Austal USA placed an order for a new floating dry dock “immediately” after buying a new repair facility in the Port of San Diego, the company said Monday.
Last month, the company announced it won
approval to assume the lease of the Marine Group Boat Works facility, which it plans to establish as a full service ship repair facility for the Navy’s, Military Sealift Command, and the Coast Guard’s small surface combatants, autonomous vehicles and other small- to medium-sized vessels (Defense Daily, Nov. 10).
Austal previously said it would build a new dry dock specifically designed to execute availabilities on Littoral Combat Ships and other smaller combatants.
The dry dock Austal announced this week is set to have a 9,000 light ton lifting capacity, be 531 feet long, 154 feet wide, and have a maximum draft of 36 feet. Austal said construction began on Dec. 20 and it is expected to be fully operational in the San Diego repair facility by August 2023.
The company did not disclose who it is working with on construction or the value of the contract.
“This dry dock will greatly enhance Austal’s ability to provide the Navy and other customers a highly capable full-service repair facility located in the homeport of San Diego. It will be invaluable to our customers, and we are eager to satisfy their growing demand for West Coast repair facilities that include dry docks,” Austal USA President Rusty Murdaugh said in a statement.