Colonna’s awarded nearly $800K in ‘Small Shipyard Grant’

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Colonna’s Shipyard in Norfolk will receive a nearly $800,000 federal grant to buy welding machines.

Colonna’s Shipyard Inc. received the $799,996 grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration’s Small Shipyard Grant Program. Colonna’s is one of 24 small shipyards that will receive a total of $19.6 million in federal funding throughout the United States and in Guam, according to a press release.

“The $19.6 million federal government investment into the nation’s small shipyards will help maintain the U.S. shipyard infrastructure of our country,” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao wrote in a press release.

Colonna’s is the only small shipyard in Virginia to receive the grant. Colonna’s shipyard workers perform ship repair, machining and steel fabrication to commercial and government vessels. Their projects include work on the USNS Apache, the Staten Island Ferry, and the Tug Chesapeake Coast, according to the company’s website.

Across America, shipyards support nearly 400,000 jobs and create $25.1 billion in income.

The shipyard business is a big one in Virginia, too. Virginia shipyards contributed to more than 65,000 jobs and more than $4.3 billion in labor income in 2013, according to a press release.

“Small shipyard grants play a significant role in supporting local communities by creating jobs for working families,” Maritime Administrator Mark H. Buzby wrote in a press release. “These shipyards are a tangible investment in our nation’s maritime infrastructure and the future of our maritime workforce.”

Other states that will receive funding include Alabama, California, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Cabras Marine Corporation in Guam will also receive funding to buy a 275-ton truck crane.

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