Grant helps pay for 400-ton mobile boat hoist at Seacraft Shipyard

Seacraft Shipyard workers are putting the finishing touches on constructing a 400-ton mobile boat hoist partly paid for with a more than $1 million federal grant, said Monty Cornes, project manager for Seacraft Shipyard in Amelia.
The hoist will allow workers to move any crew boat being used in the Gulf of Mexico, Cornes said.
Chad Cherney, of Marine Travelift, the manufacturer of the boat hoist, said the lift can hold up to 880,000 pounds. Workers were load testing the crane Wednesday.
Seacraft received a $1.1 million grant in July 2013 from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration and was one of 12 grantees. Seacraft received the largest individual grant among the group.
Seacraft was the only grantee to receive more than $1 million.
Seacraft Shipyard operates 24 hours a day and 365 days a year with more than 35 years of experience in repairing, re-powering, refurbishing and converting all types of aluminum and steel vessels, according to its website.
The machine will mainly be used to lift crew boats, he said. The boat hoist should be operational by next week, Cornes said. The 400-ton lift will replace Seacraft’s 150-ton lift.
Cherney said the machine is operated entirely by remote control, which can move a boat anywhere in Seacraft’s yard in Amelia.
On Wednesday, workers were load testing the crane using the Mr. Evan, a 150-foot long vessel owned by Iberia Marine. The lift can also be used to take vessels in and out of the water, Cornes said.
“It allows us to lift a lot heavier boats than we could before. We were limited to boats 150 tons or less,” Cornes said. “Now, we’ll be able to pick up any crew boat in the Gulf.”
Shipyard workers can now lift the largest crew boat in use in the Gulf of Mexico, which is 225 feet long, Cornes said. Before getting its new crane the largest boat Seacraft could lift was 145 feet, he said.
The company will also be able to lift tugboats and utility boats, which could not be done with Seacraft’s 150-ton boat hoist, he said. Previously, Seacraft could only lift heavier vessels using a dry dock, Cornes said.
A dry dock is a dock that can be drained of water to allow the inspection and repair of a ship’s hull.
“It creates a safer work environment, plus we’re able to do things quicker, faster because we’ve got all the equipment around us,” Cornes said.
Cornes said the $1.1 million grant made buying the $2.8 million possible for the company and is the first grant of this kind it has received.