New $2.8-Billion Dry Dock To Be Constructed At Pearl Harbor
The US Navy’s engineering systems command has been awarded a whopping $2.8 billion contract for constructing a new concrete dry dock at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF).
The task order worth $2,839,880,250, a firm-fixed-price, falls under a previously awarded multiple-award construction contract put forward by Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Pacific to a joint venture where Dragados, Hawaiian Dredging, and Orion were participants. Four proposals had been received for such a task order.
The contract is part of the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP). This 360-degree plan integrates infrastructure and industrial plant equipment investments at the Navy’s four public shipyards to satisfy the needs of nuclear fleet maintenance.
The five-year project will build a graving dock designated Dry Dock 5 to support PHNSY’s capability to serve the Navy decades into the future by modernizing and maintaining the US Pacific Fleet’s nuclear-powered submarines.
Dry Dock, three at PHNSY & IMF, is expected to become obsolete once the Navy’s LA-class submarines are no more in operation. The dry dock, built in 1942, cannot service Virginia-class submarines or larger surface vessels.
The Navy has been investing heavily in shipyard infrastructure for nuclear-powered warships. The Navy also established SIOP to boost throughput at four public shipyards by updating the physical layouts, modernizing dry docks, and replacing antiquated capital equipment with advanced tools and next-gen technologies.
SIOP is a solid investment plan that, when executed totally, can deliver much-needed dry dock upgrades and repairs to support both current and planned future classes of nuclear-powered aircraft submarines and carriers, optimize workflow in the shipyards via changes to the physical layouts, and recapitalize the industrial plant equipment with modern technologies that will increase safety and productivity.
References: The Defense Post, ENR California