Inland, Great Lakes Shipyards Recognized In Safety Awards

Several inland and Great Lakes shipyards were among those honored by the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) — the national association representing the U.S. shipbuilding, maintenance and repair industry — in its annual member safety awards. The awards were announced May 18 for the 2025 calendar year. In all, 21 shipyards across Alabama, California, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin were recognized for safety achievements.

Inland Yards

Conrad Shipyard (Morgan City, La.), Bollinger Shipyards (Lockport, La.) and Southwest Shipyard L.P. (Channelview, Texas) were among the inland yards recognized.

“Safety is not just a regulatory requirement. It’s the fundamental pillar of operational success in the shipbuilding and ship repair industry,” said Matthew Paxton, president of the Shipbuilders Council of America. “Our workforce is the industry’s greatest asset, and prioritizing their safety ensures we continue delivering for our national security, commercial needs and economic resilience. Conrad Shipyard’s recognition reflects the leadership and accountability that not only strengthens individual shipyards but also elevates safety standards across the entire industry.”

“Earning these prestigious safety awards year-over-year is a reflection of the commitment to our focus on Goal Zero, which is demonstrated daily by our team,” said Johnny Conrad, executive chairman of Conrad Industries, Inc. “Our strong safety culture is rooted in our core values that go back over 75 years and focuses on every individual taking ownership of their own safety and that of their colleagues. We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting our workforce and the environment and truly believe achieving zero incidents or impact is possible.”

Over the past decade, the shipbuilding industry has consistently reduced recordable injuries, reflecting a strong commitment to workplace safety. This focus has enabled U.S. shipyards to remain resilient and responsive in the face of ongoing challenges, maintaining operations without compromising employee well-being.

To qualify for an annual SCA Safety Award, member shipyards must submit injury and illness data for all four quarters, report zero fatalities within the year and either achieve a total recordable incident rate (TRIR) below the SCA average or reduce their TRIR by at least 10% compared to the previous year.

The following shipyards and repair facilities were recognized for their safety practices for 2025.

Award for Excellence in Safety (for a TRIR below the Shipbuilders Council of America industry average):

Alabama Shipyard (Mobile, Ala.), Austal USA (Mobile, Ala.), BAE Systems Maritime Solutions San Diego (San Diego, Calif.), Bayonne Drydock and Repair Corp. (Bayonne, N.J.), Bollinger Shipyards (Lockport, La.).

Colonna’s Shipyard, Inc. (Norfolk, Va.), Conrad Shipyard (Morgan City, La.), Detyens Shipyards, Inc. (Charleston, S.C.), Fincantieri Ace Marine (Green Bay, Wis.), Fincantieri Marine Repair (Jacksonville, Fla.)

Pacific Shipyards International (Honolulu, H.I.), Southwest Shipyard (Channelview, Texas), Vigor Marine MHI Norfolk (Norfolk, Va.), Vigor Marine Portland (Portland, Ore.), Vigor Marine Seattle (Seattle, Wash.), Vigor Marine Fabrication Vancouver (Vancouver, Wash.)

Award for Improvement in Safety (for shipyards that achieved a 10% or greater reduction in TRIR compared to the previous year):

Austal USA (Mobile, Ala.), Boston Ship Repair (Boston, Mass.), Colonna’s Shipyard, Inc. (Norfolk, Va.), Conrad Shipyard (Morgan City, La.), Eastern Shipbuilding Group (Panama City, Fla.)

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (Sturgeon Bay, Wis.), Fincantieri Marine Repair (Jacksonville, Fla.), Pacific Shipyards International (Honolulu, H.I.), Sause Bros. (Coos Bay, Ore.), St. Johns Shipbuilding, Inc. (Palatka, Fla.)

Vigor Marine MHI Norfolk (Norfolk, Va.), Vigor Marine Portland (Portland, Ore.), Vigor Marine Seattle (Seattle, Wash.), Vigor Marine Fabrication (Vancouver, Wash.)

Award for Significant Safety Achievement (for shipyards that maintain a TRIR below 1.0.):

Bayonne Drydock and Repair Corp. (Bayonne, N.J.), Conrad Shipyard (Morgan City, La.), Fincantieri Ace Marine (Green Bay, Wis.)

Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) members constitute the shipyard industrial base that builds, repairs, maintains and modernizes U.S. Navy ships and craft, U.S. Coast Guard vessels of all sizes and vessels for other U.S. government agencies.

In addition, SCA members build, repair and service America’s fleet of commercial vessels. The council represents 40 companies that own and operate more than 82 shipyards, with facilities on all three U.S. coasts, the Great Lakes, the inland waterways system, Alaska and Hawaii. SCA also represents 87 partner members that provide goods and services to the shipyard industry. You can learn more by visiting https://shipbuildersusa.org.