The completion of the first new floating dock at the Grand Bahama Shipyard is about to bring about revolutionary changes in the shipbuilding industry in the Bahamas and will also see the shipyard enter a critical stage of transformation.
The floating dock to be completed is called “East End” and is expected to be delivered in November 2025 and put into use in January 2026. “East End” is designed to be 357.39 meters long, a width of 70.0 meters, a dock wall spacing of 59 meters, a dock wall height of 18.0 meters. And the dock is equipped with 44 ballast tanks, four 50t electric mobile gantry cranes and an advanced automatic dock control system, with a designed lifting capacity of 93,500 tons.
Officials at the Grand Bahama Shipyard pointed out that the construction of the new dock will play an important role in promoting local economic development and creating various opportunities for the entire island.
“East End” and another 120,000-ton floating dock “Lucayan” are part of the Grand Bahama Shipyard’s ongoing shipyard revitalization and capacity expansion project. The $600 million project will build two new floating docks and also include supporting marine engineering and infrastructure in Grand Bahama.
The “East End” and “Lucayan” floating docks were all built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation Beihai Shipbuilding. The construction contract was signed on May 9, 2022 and officially took effect in September 2023. Construction started on April 10 and August 19, 2024, respectively.
The 120,000-ton floating dock is expected to be completed in the second half of 2026 and put into use in the fourth quarter of 2026. The dock is designed to be 413.96 meters long and 79 meters wide, with a dock wall spacing of 68 meters and a dock wall height of 18.4 meters. It is equipped with an automatic dock control system that can realize automatic floating or sinking of the dock, with a designed lifting capacity of 120,000 tons.
Upon completion and delivery of the two newly constructed floating docks, Grand Bahama Shipyard will have the largest lifting capacity floating docks in the world, meaning that the yard will be able to service all cruise ships in service and scheduled for construction, as well as a wider range of vessels in the global commercial fleet. Grand Bahama Shipyard will then have the largest cruise ship repair facility in the world and become a global ship repair base.
Dave Skentelbery, CEO of Grand Bahama Shipyards, said, “The construction of the two floating docks will play an important role in re-establishing its position as a leading world-class cruise ship repair facility and will provide a significant boost to the Bahamian economy, providing both direct and indirect employment opportunities. The company has already hired approximately 20 apprentices this year and is also recruiting crane operators to provide training for the new docks.”
Public information shows that the Grand Bahama Shipyard was established in 2000 and mainly provides maintenance services to meet the cruise industry’s demand for shipyard facilities near its operating bases in Florida and the Caribbean. Initially, the shipyard had only one dry dock, which could handle ships with a displacement of up to 27,000 tons. In 2001, a second dry dock was added, which could handle ships with a displacement of up to 50,000 tons. In 2009, a third dry dock was added, which could handle ships with a displacement of up to 82,500 tons. Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Group each hold 40% of the shares of the shipyard, and the remaining 20% is held by the Grand Bahama Port Authority.