Philly Shipyard sued over construction delays on Rock Installation Vessel

Saturday, November 23 2024

General – Unacceptable Timeline Presentation

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company filed suit in the U.S. Eastern District against Philly Shipyard citing construction delays and a disagreement over the construction plan for the company’s rock installation vessel.

The company is asking the court to grant a restraining order and preliminary injunction saying it is suffering harm due to the repeated delays in the delivery date for the vessel.

The court filing cites that Great Lakes Dredge & Dock stipulated that since it began the selection process for a shipyard to build the vessel, time was of the essence.

They report that Philly Shipyard presented an unacceptable timeline during the proposal process, effectively removing itself from the bidding. However, Philly Shipyard later presented a revised construction schedule and was awarded the contract in November 2021, which called for a delivery date of November 15, 2024.

Great Lakes ordered a 461-foot-long fall pipe vessel for subsea rock installation valued at $197 million as part of its efforts to expand to support the offshore wind installation sector.

The company also took an option for a second vessel. The subsea rock installation vessel is designed to carry up to 20,000 MT of rock, transporting and depositing the rocks to the ocean floor. It will lay a foundation for the monopiles which serve as the prevailing support structure for offshore wind turbines.