Shipbuilders Council of America Tours Shipyard & Hosts NSMV Panel at Fall Meeting in Philadelphia

October 13, 2022

The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), the national trade association representing the U.S. shipyard industry, recently hosted its Fall Meeting on October 12-13 in Philadelphia including a tour of Philly Shipyard, Inc. (PSI) and a panel discussion for PSI and TOTE Services, LLC to discuss the vessel construction manager (VCM) model for shipbuilding.

On Day 2, around 120 industry professionals were able to tour the shipyard from the production lines to the currently occupied building and outfitting dry docks. Following the recent NSMV 1 Launch and NSMV 2 Keel Laying, the yard offered a display of the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) program in its various stages – including prefabrication work on NSMV 3, which celebrated Steel Cutting/Begin of Fabrication in July.

Following the tour, the meeting resumed offsite in Center City with an agenda that included presentations and speakers.

PSI was proud to have John Bond, Project Director and NSMV Program Manager, join Chris Clark, Director of New Construction at TOTE Services, and Paula Zorensky, Vice President of SCA, for a panel discussion on the progress of the NSMV program and the success of the VCM model for shipbuilding. The NSMV program showcases a new model of federal government shipbuilding, in which the U.S. leverages the expertise of commercial owners/operators/shipbuilders with experience building U.S.-flagged vessels. By applying this this new approach to government-owned vessels, the U.S. DOT Maritime Administration (MARAD) benefits from commercial best practices of design standards and construction.

Other speakers included Jay Stefany, Principal Civilian Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, and Joe Barto, Founder & President of Training Modernization Group (TMG), which both support the Pennsylvania Talent Pipeline Project – an integrated partnership between employers and education institutes led by the U.S. Navy and Department of Defense (DoD) aiming to create and sustain a maritime and defense industrial base focused on talent acquisition and retention.

Just a day prior, the PA Talent Pipeline Project and Project MFG hosts the second annual Maritime Career Exploration Day and Welding Competition at the Philly Shipyard Training Academy. PSI is an employer partner of the project, which welcomed its first class of employees in May at the first-ever Signing Day ceremony at the Independence Seaport Museum.

Earlier this year, PSI received SCA’s 2022 “Excellence in Safety” Award, honoring companies for enhancement of operations and promotion of safety and accident prevention.