October 28, 2024

St. Johns Ship Building Secures Contract with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Construction of Two (2)-Stop Log Barges

[October 28, 2024; Palatka, Florida] St. Johns Ship Building, Palatka, Fl. — St. Johns Ship Building, owned by Americraft Marine, proudly announces a landmark agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to construct two (2) 140' x 32' x 7' Stop Log Barges. This pivotal contract represents St. Johns Ship Building’s first new construction project for the U.S. Government, marking an exciting new chapter in the shipyard’s history and reinforcing its role as a trusted partner in building essential marine assets.

“We are excited to embark on this project with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and take pride in contributing to their ongoing infrastructure efforts,” said Joe Rella, President of St. Johns Ship Building. “This contract reflects the Corps’ trust in our team and underscores our commitment to delivering high-quality, dependable vessels that meet the unique demands of our government partners. We look forward to a productive and enduring relationship with the Corps as we work together to support their fleet needs.”

“The new Stop-Log Barges will support the Army Corps’ major maintenance fleet working on the navigation system, locks and powerhouses, and the flood control lakes located within the Tulsa District,” according to a USACE statement.

About the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provides essential public engineering services across a wide range of projects, including water infrastructure, flood risk management, and environmental restoration. The Corps plays a critical role in supporting the nation’s navigation and safety infrastructure.

October 17, 2024

St. Johns Ship Building Signs Contract with Mobro Marine, Inc. for Two Spud Barges

[October 17, 2024; Palatka, Florida] St. Johns Ship Building, Palatka, Fl. — St. Johns Ship Building, a premier Jones Act facility owned by Americraft Marine, is pleased to announce the signing of a contract with Mobro Marine, Inc. to construct two (2) 180 x 54 x 12 Spud Barges. The collaboration with Mobro Marine, a trusted name in the marine equipment industry, marks another significant milestone for St. Johns Ship Building as it continues to expand its portfolio of high-quality marine vessels.

The Spud Barges, built to support various marine construction and operations, will serve in Mobro Marine’s extensive fleet, providing critical services across the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. Designed for durability and versatility, these barges will enhance Mobro Marine’s ability to meet the demanding requirements of the marine and construction industries.

“We are excited to partner with Mobro Marine for the construction of these two Spud Barges,” said Joe Rella, President of St. Johns Ship Building. “This contract highlights our commitment to delivering high-quality, dependable vessels that support the maritime industry’s ongoing growth and innovation. The expertise of both teams will ensure the successful completion of this project.”

St. Johns Ship Building has earned a reputation for excellence in the construction of a wide range of vessels, including crew transfer vessels, tugs, and barges. With this new contract, the shipyard continues to demonstrate its capability to produce vessels that meet the needs of the maritime industry, from wind farm support vessels to essential workhorse barges.

“Having St. Johns Ship Building partner with us to build these barges was only natural. We preferred to utilize a local shipbuilder to continue to grow our fleet of rental barges so we can continue to serve our customers with the best fleet of tugboats, barges, and cranes available for use in the Southeastern United States and Caribbean,” said Mobro Marine, Inc.’s President, John Rowland. Mobro Marine is a family-owned company established in 1962. It provides marine equipment utilized in road and bridge construction, port expansions and new construction, dredging, heavy lifts, and salvage operations. They also provide inland and ocean towing services. Their commitment to providing quality equipment to their customers is their reason for selecting St. Johns Ship Building to upgrade their barge fleet.

July 08, 2024

St. Johns Ship Building Delivers the Atlantic Resolute, First of Two Jones Act CTVs for Atlantic Wind Transfers

[July 08, 2024; Palatka, Florida] St. Johns Ship Building, a Palatka, Florida-based Jones Act facility owned by Americraft Marine, proudly announces the delivery of the Atlantic Resolute, the first of two Jones Act-compliant Chartwell Ambitious-Class Crew Transfer Vessels (CTV) ordered by Atlantic Wind Transfers. This achievement marks the third CTV delivered by St. Johns Ship Building within six months. Notably, St. Johns has now built and delivered both Incat and Chartwell-designed CTVs to its customers.

“We are pleased to add the delivery of the Atlantic Resolute to the growing list of CTVs built and delivered by St. Johns Ship Building,” said Joe Rella, President of St. Johns Ship Building. “The completion and delivery of this Chartwell-designed vessel exemplifies the shipyard's versatility in building a wide variety of vessels and designs and is a result of the dedication and hard work of our skilled workforce.”

Over the past two years, St. Johns Ship Building has undergone significant transformation, including the modernization of its shipbuilding capabilities and investment in new talent to allow the efficient concurrent production of multiple vessels.

Committed to delivering innovative assets and facilitating high-tech advancements, St. Johns Ship Building is advancing sustainability by producing CTVs, essential for servicing wind farm turbines at sea. These specialized tenders and support vessels support the future use of modern unmanned craft at sea and barges that can collect vital data to drive energy and transport efficiencies.

June 24, 2024

St. Johns Shipbuilding Continues Commitment to Offshore Wind with Third CTV Delivery

[June 24, 2024; Palatka, Florida] St. Johns Ship Building, a Palatka, Florida-based Jones Act facility owned by Americraft Marine, is pleased to announce the delivery of the Windea Enterprise, the second of three Jones Act-compliant Incat Crowther 30m Crew Transport Vessels (CTV) ordered by WINDEA CTV, LLC, a partnership of Hornblower Wind and MidOcean Wind. This marks the third CTV delivery by St. Johns within six months.

“I’m incredibly proud of all the shipbuilders and support staff who helped bring this vessel to life,” said St. Johns Ship Building President Joe Rella. With three CTV deliveries within the last six months and two more in production to be delivered this year, St. Johns continues to grow its CTV building program. “As we advance our CTVs, barges, and other vessel orders, we are supporting the proud tradition of American shipbuilding, which is the backbone of the U.S. economy, right here in Palatka. We aim to make Putnam County, Florida’s 6th Congressional District, the regional leader in maritime job creation and operational excellence.”

St. Johns Ship Building has a long-term relationship with WINDEA CTV, LLC, a company focused on U.S. Offshore Wind Farm Support, providing crew and cargo transfer services for offshore installations and long-term operations and maintenance.

“St. Johns Shipyard has done an admirable job delivering two out of our three CTVs ordered from their shipyard,” said Bradley Neuberth, Managing Partner of MidOcean Wind and WINDEA CTV. "These projects take a long time and have endured trying macroeconomic conditions. It takes real cooperation and collaboration to successfully complete the construction of a CTV, and WINDEA, MOW, Hornblower Wind, and St. Johns have formed a solid foundation which continues to excel as we progress on our third CTV in Palatka, FL."

St. Johns Ship Building has undergone significant transformation over the past two years, including the modernization of its shipbuilding capabilities and investment in new talent to allow concurrently efficient production of multiple vessels.

Committed to delivering innovative assets and facilitating high-tech advancements, St. Johns Ship Building is working to advance sustainability by producing CTVs, essential for servicing wind farm turbines at sea. These specialized tenders and support vessels support the future use of modern unmanned craft at sea and barges that can collect vital data to drive energy and transport efficiencies.

Feb 02, 2024

St. Johns Shipbuilding Names Joe Rella as President, Continuing a Legacy of Excellence in Ship New Construction and Repair

[Feb 2, 2024; Palatka, Florida] St. Johns Shipbuilding is pleased to announce the appointment of Joe Rella as President of St. Johns Ship Building in Palatka, Florida. In his new role, Joe will lead a highly skilled team of craftsmen and professionals dedicated to the construction and repair of various types of steel and

aluminum vessels. He also continues the new construction momentum building a series of Crew Transfer

Vessels (CTVs) designed to support the offshore wind industry.

Mr. Rella, who received his undergraduate degree in Marine Engineering from the US Merchant Marine

Academy, in Kings Point, NY and an MBA from Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL, brings over four decades

of commercial and US Navy maritime experience to St. Johns Shipbuilding. His impressive career

accomplishments and extensive knowledge of the Jones Act and Military spaces make him an invaluable

addition to the St. Johns for future growth and expansion into new markets.

Edward Sheets, Executive Vice President of Americraft Marine Group, the parent company of St. Johns

Shipbuilding, commented on the appointment, stating, "Joe comes to us with a fantastic list of career

accomplishments and an incredible depth of experience in the Jones Act and Military spaces. Joe will

direct our diversified portfolio of newbuild projects, including barges, passenger vessels, cargo ships,

and wind farm support vessels. His leadership of SJSB will allow us to leverage his industry knowledge

and expertise, ensuring the success of our growing new construction program, particularly in the area of

high-speed aluminum vessels."

While St. Johns Shipbuilding has a storied history of excellence in new vessel construction, it also has a

proud tradition of vessel repair and maintenance. With a commitment to providing top-notch repair

services St. Johns Shipbuilding, utilizing is extensive waterfront and drydocking capabilities, remains

dedicated to meeting the highest industry standards in all aspects of its operations.

January 1, 2024

St Johns Shipbuilding Delivers First of Class Jones Act INCAT 30 CTV

[January 1, 2024; Palatka, Florida] St. Johns Ship Building, Palatka, Fla., announced the delivered the WINDEA Courageous, the first of three Jones Act compliant Incat Crowther 30m Crew Transport Vessels (CTV) ordered by WINDEA CTV, LLC, a partnership of Hornblower Wind and MidOcean Wind. This vessel will

enter service supporting Vineyard Wind 1, and is already onsite in New Bedford, Mass.,

supporting the construction of the project.

The construction of this series of Incat-designed vessels signals the official launch of the NEW

St. Johns Shipbuilding’s dedicated focus on constructing high-speed aluminum vessels. The

groundwork for this focus on supporting the construction of Jones Act-compliant CTVs was laid

more than two years ago through multiple facility modifications and the acquisition of new

production equipment such as the installation of a CNC router for processing of non-ferrous

metals and composite materials.

“This delivery marks a proud moment of validation.” said Ed Sheets, Executive Vice President

and Director of Business Strategy for Americraft Marine Group, the parent company of St Johns

Shipbuilding. “The WINDEA Courageous is a statement vessel for St Johns Shipbuilding and

marks the first measurable accomplishment in what has been a two-year effort to convert the

facility and its many talented and hard working personnel from a history in building primarily

steel vessels, to constructing advanced design, high speed, aluminum vessels. To say we are

simply proud of the accomplishment doesn’t do justice to the hard work and sacrifice of the

SJSB team. They have all risen to the many challenges we have faced during this transition and

at the same time, have raised the bar in this industry segment itself.”

St. John's Shipbuilding achieved a significant milestone with the successful construction

and delivery of this WINDEA CTV LLC crew transfer vessel. Their dedicated efforts and

expertise ensured the completion of the project with precision and adherence to quality

standards," said Junior Volpe, SVP of Vessel Construction and Repair at Hornblower Group.”

St. Johns Shipbuilding (SJSB) is based in Palatka, Florida. SJSB specializes in the new

construction and repair of a wide variety of steel and aluminum vessels, including crew vessels,

ferries, tugs, deck and tank barges, landing crafts, and general cargo vessels. Significantly,

SJSB is also one of the few U.S. shipyards that is currently building vessels that support and

service offshore wind farms. St. Johns’ holding company, Americraft Marine Group, was

launched to support and strengthen the U.S. shipbuilding industry and infrastructure with the

goal to build St. Johns Shipbuilding as a center of excellence in Jones Act ship building.

September 20, 2022

St. Johns Ship Building Announces Keel Laying Ceremony for Atlantic Wind Transfers Offshore Wind Vessels

[Sept 20, 2022; Palatka, Florida] St. Johns Ship Building held a keel laying ceremony on September 8^th for the first of a series of aluminum crew transfer vessels (CTVs) used to service the offshore wind farm industry. The announcement follows the Jones Act shipyard’s acquisition by Americraft Marine earlier this year. The crew transfer vessels will be servicing U.S. offshore wind projects for construction, operations, and maintenance.

The Chartwell 24 aluminum catamarans have the capacity to transport 24 personnel to and from wind turbines with speed, safety, and stability. The vessels were commissioned by the Rhode Island-based Atlantic Wind Transfers (AWT), which participated in the ceremony and marks the first in St. Johns’ partnership with AWT to build future-focused vessels.

“We are proud to be chosen as part of Atlantic Wind Transfers successful CTV operation. St. Johns Ship Building appreciates the trust and confidence that Charlie Donadio, President and Founder of AWT, and his team have placed in our hardworking and dedicated employees,” said Jeff Bukoski, President of St. Johns Ship Building. “We will also continue to make improvements to our facilities that allow us to construct greater numbers of similar, newbuild vessels.”

Charles A. Donadio Jr., Founder of AWT, said: “Our team is excited to be moving forward building with St. Johns, this collaborative design-build strategy will enable AWT to parlay its experience to provide future charter clients with the most reliable multi-purpose crew transfer vessels in the U.S. in the years to come.”

The Ambitious, Chartwell Marine’s flagship CTV design, will be U.S. Jones Act-compliant, certified under United States Coast Guard (USCG) Subchapter L and able to operate at any wind farm under the safety and inspection standards of the USCG. AWT currently operates the only two crew transfer vessels in the U.S. under long-term contracts, servicing the Block Island Wind Farm for Orsted and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Farm (CVOW) for Dominion Energy.

“We are excited for the opportunity to commence building this series of CTVs for Charlie and his team at AWT. With the owner’s choice of a proven vessel design and our dedication to quality craftsmanship and manufacturing, I look forward to an outstanding result as we further bolster our contribution to the growth of renewable energy,” commented Edward Sheets, Executive Vice President of Americraft Marine Group.