The following is the text of a news release from Vigor:
(SEATTLE) — Building on its ongoing investments in critical infrastructure and fulfilling a promise to customers to expand West Coast dry-dock capacity, Vigor has entered into an agreement to purchase a dry dock from a Korean seller. At 640 feet long with a clear width of 116 feet, the new dock will be the third, and largest, at Vigor’s Harbor Island shipyard.
“The purchase of another dry dock in Seattle allows Vigor to better service valued customers like Washington State Ferries, the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy,” said Adam Beck, Vigor executive vice president of ship repair. “It also further strengthens our market position in commercial ship repair on the West Coast and supports our expansion into new markets.”
Beck and his team had been actively looking for the right dry dock at home and abroad for a number of months. The one selected happened to be in Korea. The team is working to finalize the transaction and have the dock operational in Seattle by late fall. Customer feedback to the news has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Washington State Ferries is greatly relieved and appreciative to hear of Vigor’s important investment in a new dry dock for its Harbor Island/Seattle location. We have been concerned about the shortage of dry-dock availability for the maintenance and repair of our fleet,” said Matt Von Ruden, director of vessel engineering and maintenance, Washington State Ferries. “Regular maintenance is critical to our ability to achieve the expected service life of our vessels and keep them operating well for our customers.”
The dry dock will have a lift capacity of 20,000 long tons.
