The Port Alberni Port Authority is stepping up efforts towards building a floating drydock after receiving a positive economic study.
The proposed drydock will be in three 100-metre sections and would be able to service all Coast Guard and Navy ships as well as the current BC Ferries fleet.
Port CEO Zoran Knezevic says everything is in place to take local ship building services to the next level.
“This is a great opportunity in a community that can do, and needs to do,” he said. “I think it’s a perfect match.”
The floating drydock is a partnership between the Port Authority and Canadian Maritime Engineering, and will make Port Alberni a hub for shipbuilding, ship repair, and the scrapping of old naval ships and ferries.
Knezevic says the report from MMK Consulting shows a $1.2 billion economic output from the project, and plans can now be sent to the federal and provincial governments for grants and funding.
Comments