Keppel AmFELS is building ships at the Port of Brownsville, introducing a new industry to the state of Texas.
To facilitate the construction of deep-draft vessels at Keppel’s shipyard, the port partnered with the company to build a Public Vessel Assembly and Erection Pad. The project was completed July 31.
The assembly pad, measuring 292 ft. wide and 1,102 ft. long, is used to assemble Jones Act vessels to transport cargo along the U.S. coast from one domestic port to another. The Jones Act is a federal law regulating maritime commerce in the U.S. The law requires goods shipped between U.S. ports to be transported on ships that are built, owned and operated only by U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
The U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration awarded the port a $1.8 million grant for the construction of the pad. The total cost of the project was $5.3
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