U.S. Maritime Administration Releases Small Shipyard Grant Program

The Maritime Administration has released a program that is going to provide grants for small shipyards. Under the Small Shipyard Grant program, there is currently $9,980,000 available for grants for capital and related improvements for qualified shipyard facilities that will be effective in fostering efficiency, competitive operations, and quality ship construction, repair, and reconfiguration.

Grant funds may also be used for maritime training programs to foster technical skills and operational productivity in communities whose economies are related to or dependent upon the maritime industry. Grants for such training programs may only be awarded to “Eligible Applicants”, but training programs can be established through vendors to such applicants. Grant funds may not be used to construct buildings or other physical facilities or to acquire land unless such use is specifically approved by the Maritime Administration as being consistent with and supplemental to capital and related infrastructure improvements.

The Maritime Administration intends to award the full amount of the available funding through grants to the extent that there are worthy applications. No more than 25 percent of the funds available will be awarded to shipyard facilities in one geographic location that have more than 600 production employees. The Maritime Administration will seek to obtain the maximum benefit from the available funding by awarding grants for as many of the most worthy projects as possible. The Maritime Administration may partially fund applications by selecting parts of the total project. The start date and period of performance for each award will depend on the specific project and must be agreed to by the Maritime Administration.

The period for submitting grant applications, as mandated by statute, commenced on November 18, 2011. The applications must be received by the Maritime Administration by 5 p.m. EST on January 17, 2012. Applications received later than this time will not be considered. The Maritime Administration intends to award grants no later than March 18, 2012.

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Shipbuilding Tribune Staff, December 12, 2011; Image: marad