Austal USA wins contract for auxiliary floating dry dock

Mobile, Ala. – Austal USA was awarded the Detailed Design and Construction (DD&C) contract on June 17 valued at $128 million for the U.S. Navy Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock Medium (AFDM). The competitively awarded contract marks Austal USA’s second steel vessel program for the U.S. Navy and demonstrates the shipyard’s growing capability to meet the Navy’s needs for aluminum and steel vessels. 

The AFDM will be constructed in Austal’s modern steel panel line in Mobile, Ala. The design incorporates features to improve operability and maintainability based on the company’s experience and lessons learned from owning, operating, and maintaining a similar dry dock at its repair facility at Austal West Campus.

“I am proud of our Austal USA team for developing a winning proposal,” Austal USA President Rusty Murdaugh said. “Combined with our contract for the T-ATS program, the AFDM award is evidence of our expanding capability and focus on delivering a diverse portfolio of solutions to our customers, from combatants to dry docks.  We are looking forward to providing the U.S. Navy with an exceptional floating dry dock using our lean manufacturing approach.”

The AFDM is a “Rennie”-type floating dry dock with an 18,000 LT lifting capacity and a clear deck working area of 90,800 square feet. The craft has an overall length of 694 feet, overall pontoon breadth of 157 feet, and a height of 65 feet from baseline to wing deck.