Thursday, December 19, 2013

Boatbuilding, Repair Company Awarded $22 Million in Contracts

Shipbuilding and repair company Marine Group Boat Works, located on the Port of San Diego waterfront, has been awarded two contracts totaling $22 million for boat repair and refurbishment.

Marine Group successfully competed for two separate contracts to fully refurbish commuter ferries from the San Francisco Bay area: the 97-foot Bay Breeze, owned by the Water Emergency Transportation Authority, and the 180-foot M.S. San Francisco, owned by the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District.

Both vessels were transported to Marine Group’s Chula Vista, California facility in October and docked for refurbishment.

“We’re privileged to be in a port city that has good weather year-round, existing infrastructure and an extensive marine services and supplies network to be able to compete with other port cities nationwide,” Marine Group Boat Works Vice President Todd Roberts said.

The Bay Breeze ferry is receiving a new conventional propeller system, a brand-new interior and systems upgrades, among other refurbishments and a new paint scheme.

The M.S. San Francisco was built in San Diego and delivered in 1977 to the Bay Area for service. After 36 years of transporting passengers, the vessel is receiving all new components: machinery, replacements and upgrades to electrical and auxiliary systems and a new interior and paint job.

The two new projects are expected to create about 50 new jobs in the area, according to Marine Group, which represents a workforce increase for the company of about 45 percent.