Damen Shipyards Group and the Government of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas have signed contracts for a comprehensive refit programme covering four Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) vessels, restoring and extending the operational readiness of the fleet so the RBDF can continue to protect Bahamian waters without interruption. Programme scope The programme covers the refit of four… Read More
By Carlos Albero Rojas Manson Construction delivered its new hopper dredge Frederick Paup into service in January 2026, making it the largest self-propelled trailing suction hopper dredge ever built in the United States. Shipbuilder Seatrium AmFELS, Brownsville, Texas, completed the vessel and handed it over to Manson Construction Co., Seattle. The Frederick Paup measures 420 feet long… Read More
By Mike Schuler The Republic of Korea and the United States have officially launched the Korea–U.S. Shipbuilding Partnership Center (KUSPC) in Washington, D.C., establishing a new hub intended to accelerate joint efforts to rebuild the U.S. shipbuilding industry through investment, technology transfer, workforce development, and research collaboration. The center was inaugurated on last week by… Read More
In 2025, facing tough tariff negotiations with the United States, Japan seized on shipbuilding as a powerful bargaining chip. But the government’s roadmap for revitalizing the domestic shipping and shipbuilding industry leaves critical questions unanswered. Not long ago, I published a study of the political and administrative processes surrounding Japan’s use of subsidies to rebuild… Read More
This expansion builds on the proven success achieved through distributed shipbuilding in HII’s destroyer program, further strengthening the company’s commitment to increasing throughput and supporting the national industrial base. “Expanding distributed shipbuilding into the LPD program is a critical step in scaling capacity to meet rising fleet demand,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Blanchette said. “By shifting selected… Read More
