That’s Not a Ferryboat, That’s a Paradigm

The outlook for US shipyards remains uncertain, despite a number of recent orders and proposals to build commercial ships. Work from the US Navy, which has sustained most yards over the past decade, is beginning to dry up. Jim McCaul, president of IMA Associates Inc., a Washington, DC-based consulting firm that studies the shipbuilding industry, notes that Navy orders are expected to be halved over the next decade: about 11 ships ordered annually compared to 22 per year during the 1980s. “It’s a very dismal market when you come right down to it,” says Mr. McCaul.

Commercial Orders

Only one large oceangoing vessel is currently under construction in the US – a new containership for Matson Navigation being built by National Steel and Shipbuilding Co.

The Marine Spill Response Corp. (MSRC) earlier this month awarded contracts with a total value of about $185 million to build 16 workboats that will be used to clean up oil spills. A dozen of the boats, which cost about $11.5 million a copy, will be built by the Halter Marine Inc. subsidiary of Trinity Industries Inc. The remaining four will be built by Bender Shipbuilding and Repair.

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