05.01.23

Cantwell Announces $2 Million to Support Small Shipyard Infrastructure

Sen. Cantwell wrote a letter of support for Everett Ship Repair to receive grant

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, announced a total of $2,084,779 in grant funding for Everett Ship Repair in Everett and All American Marine in Bellingham from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Small Shipyard Grant Program. Sen. Cantwell championed the funding for these competitive grants by authorizing $30 million for the Small Shipyard Grant Program in the 2022 U.S. Marine Administration (MARAD) Reauthorization Act.

“Small shipyards are the backbone of the State of Washington’s booming maritime economy. These smart investments will allow Everett Ship Repair to service more vessels — keeping barges, fishing, and other vessels moving,” said Sen. Cantwell. “With this funding, All American Marine will double the size of a key piece of equipment, which will increase their manufacturing capacity, allow them to build more hydrogen-powered vessels to create more jobs, and make progress in decarbonizing the maritime sector.”

$1,168,613 for Everett Ship Repair, LLC – Everett, WA

The funding will help Everett Ship Repair (ESR) purchase a 140-ton Telescopic Crawler Crane to improve ship repair efficiency and support two drydocks used by the Washington State Ferry system, municipal ferry systems, and the fishing industry. The drydocks are also used to hold towing vessels during U.S. Coast Guard safety inspections, a critical piece of keeping our waterways safe and our maritime economy growing. With the purchase of this crane, ESR is one step closer to being able to service Naval Station Everett vessels. Everett Ship Repair has approximately 100 employees.

Sen. Cantwell wrote a letter to DOT’s MARAD Administrator to support the grant application.

“The new crane will give us a 100% reach capacity across our large dock (135’ beam), improving the efficiency of service work on the dock and utilization of labor. It will also almost double our current lift capacity reducing the need for land and water-based rentals. This benefits our customers on cost and turn around time.  The crane is powered with a tier 4 diesel, lowering the facilities emissions.”  Gavin Higgins, CEO Everett Ship Repair LLC

$916,166 for All American Marine, Inc. – Bellingham, WA

The grant funding will help All American Marine (AAM) purchase a CNC dual head router table and CNC press break. All American Marine designs and manufacturers world-class aluminum vessels, including passenger ferries, government research vessels, and other boats. The new CNC dual head router table will be twice the size of their current equipment, allowing AAM to manufacture both metal and hydrofoil vessels at the same time. AAM currently has 62 employees – the new increased capacity will allow AAM to hire more workers and speed up production. AAM recently produced the first U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) approved commercial hydrogen-powered passenger ferry in North America. The Sea Change is expected to begin operations in the San Francisco Bay area this summer. AAM also built the hybrid-electric powered boat Waterman for Kitsap Transit. The Waterman is the first hybrid-electric ferry to operate commercial passenger service in Puget Sound.

“All American Marine has seen a dramatic increase in customer demand for hydrofoil equipped vessels and this MARAD grant will allow us to build more of these environmentally-friendly vessels. Our company is proud of the Low and Zero emission boats we have constructed. With this grant funding All American Marine will continue to modernize and expand, creating new jobs and continuing to deliver state-of-the-art, highly efficient vessels,” Ron Willie, President and COO, All American Marine.

Sen. Cantwell has been a consistent champion for Washington’s maritime economy. The Small Shipyard Grant Program is authorized by the annual Marine Administration (MARAD) reauthorization legislation, which Sen. Cantwell co-authored in 2019 and 2020, and led in 2021 and 2022. Sen. Cantwell successfully fought to authorize $30 million for the program in the 2022 MARAD bill, a 50% increase from the currently appropriated level of $20 million.

As Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Sen. Cantwell worked to include a record $2.25 billion for the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). In 2022, Sen. Cantwell championed $71.4 million in PIDP funding to five ports in Washington state. Along with securing more PIDP funding, Sen. Cantwell was instrumental in passing the Ocean Shipping Reform Act to strengthen maritime supply chains and protect Washington farmers and exporters from shipping companies’ unfair practices. Last December, Sen. Cantwell successfully secured major investments for Washington state’s shipyards and ports in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, including the Maritime Administration Reauthorization Act, the Coast Guard Authorization Act, and numerous provisions within the Water Resources and Development Act.

According to the Washington State Department of Commerce, Washington’s maritime industry supports nearly 70,000 jobs across 2,300 companies. The industry also generates a combined annual impact of $30 billion to Washington state’s economy. Of the 117 shipyards in the United States, almost a quarter are located in the State of Washington.

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