New floating drydock completes certification at San Diego

Austal USA has completed certification of its new floating drydock at its San Diego shiprepair facility, with the dock now operational and set to support US Navy maintenance work.
The dock is 162m long and 47m wide. It has a lifting capacity of 9,000 light tonnes, a maximum draft of 11m and cranes with a combined lifting capacity of 16 metric tonnes. Austal USA said it is designed to drydock small surface combatants and similarly sized vessels, providing the company with a full-service repair facility on the US West Coast.
The certification has already been followed by a USD 10.8 million (EUR 9.11 million) US Navy contract for emergent maintenance of the US-flagged USS Oakland. The work will involve replacing the littoral combat ship’s main service diesel generator, including work below the waterline that requires drydocking. Austal USA said the arrangement will allow the vessel to remain in San Diego during the repair, close to its homeport and the Navy’s local maintenance organisation.
“This contract award is a significant milestone for Austal USA and a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team in achieving dry dock certification,” said Gene Miller, president of Austal USA.
The dock’s installation involved dredging and construction work by R.E. Staite Engineering and shore power installation by Chula Vista Electric. Austal USA also worked with PAE Industrial Operations, the Southwest Regional Maintenance Center and Heger Dry Dock during the certification process.
The San Diego facility complements Austal USA’s larger floating drydock under construction for the US Navy in Mobile. AFDM 15 was launched in July and is designed to accommodate Navy destroyers and cruisers.