Bollinger Shipyards won a contract from General Dynamics
’ Electric Boat [GD] to build a new floating dry dock to support construction of the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), Bollinger said Wednesday.
The floating dry dock is planned to be 618 by 140 feet and is scheduled to be delivered to Electric Boat’s shipyard in Groton, Conn., in 2024.
Bollinger did not disclose the value of the contract.
The concept and contract design was performed by the Bristol Harbor Group while detail design engineering will occur at Bollinger’s facility in Lockport, La.
Bollinger noted this is their second contract from Electric Boat. In November 2019 it was chosen to build a 395 by 100-foot Ocean Transport Barge for Electric Boat, which is scheduled to be delivered in 2021. The barge will be used to transport submarine modules to the Groton shipyard for final assembly and test.
“Bollinger Shipyards is pleased to expand our current relationship with Electric Boat and to play a critical role in increasing the number of U.S. built dry docks to meet the expanding need to modernize and refurbish our nation’s aging fleet,” Bollinger president and C.E.O. Ben Bordelon said in a statement.
“We’re honored to have been selected to build this dry dock, which will be a national asset, to meet the complex needs of our Navy’s fleet modernization plans,” he added.
GD Electric Boat is the prime contractor to build the 12 Columbia-class SSBNs, which are due to replace the Ohio-class SSBNs reaching the end of their service lives.
The Navy plans to procure the first new submarine in fiscal year 2021, the second in FY ’24, and the other 12 one per year from FY ’26 to FY ’35. The service projects the first vessel will be delivered in FY ’28, the second in FY ’31, and the other 10 one per year from FY ’23 to FY ’42.