Inland, Gulf Shipyards Receive $7.25 Million In MarAd Grants
Nine inland and Gulf Coast shipyards will receive a combined $7.25 million through the Maritime Administration’s 2026 Small Shipyard Grant Program, part of $35.18 million awarded to 45 shipyards nationwide.
MarAd announced the awards August 13. The grants support capital improvements, equipment purchases and workforce development intended to improve productivity and competitiveness at small U.S. shipyards. Grants may cover up to 75 percent of a project’s estimated cost and are available to facilities with fewer than 1,200 production employees.
Two Alabama shipyards received awards. Blakeley BoatWorks Inc. in Mobile was awarded $736,544 for an ironworker, CNC machine, 45 welding machines, 20 wire boxes and an air compressor. Steiner Construction Co. Inc. in Bayou La Batre received $300,988 for a hydraulic press brake, semi-automatic band saw, magnetic sheet-handling system and rotary draw bender.
In Indiana, Corn Island Shipyard Inc. of Grandview received $1.175 million for plasma-cutting, stiffener-welding, material-handling and welding equipment.
Two Kentucky shipyards also received grants. Carlisle & Bray’s Hebron Shipyard was awarded $991,565 toward a 60- by 70-foot floating drydock. James Marine Inc. in Wickliffe received $699,433 for a 65-ton rough-terrain crane and a 12,000-pound telehandler.
LAD Services of Louisiana LLC in Morgan City was awarded just over $1.04 million for a 165-ton crawler crane, while Signet Maritime Corporation in Pascagoula, Miss., received $387,745 for a CNC plasma-cutting table, bandsaw, welding tractors and pipe-bending equipment.
NABRICO Marine plant in Caruthersville, Mo., received $911,171 to modernize a 600-ton tandem hydraulic press with an adjustable die system and die holder. Gulf Marine Repair Corporation in Tampa, Fla., was awarded slightly more than $1 million for berth utility improvements, two wheel loaders, a telehandler and equipment for its worker-training center.
