Pearl Harbor to gain new drydock under USD 6.5 billion upgrade
Aerial view of drydock excavation works (Source: Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard)
Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility is constructing a new drydock as part of the US Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimisation Program (SIOP), a USD 6.5 billion investment across the nation’s four public shipyards.
Dry Dock 5 will expand capacity at Pearl Harbor, which has been in operation since 1908 and remains the only facility of its kind in the Pacific able to undertake complex submarine and surface-ship maintenance. The new dock is intended to accommodate the Navy’s latest classes of submarines and to relieve pressure on existing facilities.
The SIOP initiative was launched to modernise shipyard infrastructure, much of which dates back to the early 20th century. The programme covers upgrades to utilities, equipment and digital planning systems alongside construction of new drydocks. The Navy has stated the investment is critical to sustaining fleet availability in the decades ahead.
Pearl Harbor’s facility currently supports both scheduled overhauls and emergent repairs for submarines deployed across the Indo-Pacific. Officials say that additional drydock capacity will improve resilience, reduce delays and ensure that the yard can continue to meet operational requirements into the future.
