Mackinac Marine Services (MMS), located in Saint Ignace, Mich., has been awarded a $752,933 shipyard matching grant from the US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration’s ((MARAD) Small Shipyard Grant Program. The grant, developed in part to increase the US capacity for ship building and maintenance, will be matched by Star Line Mackinac Island Hydro-Jet® Ferry. The new update to the Mackinac Marine Services shipyard will have the capacity to lift a ship or boat up to 200-tons in or out of the water for maintenance, repairs, inspections (including commercial boats, luxury yacht maintenance and boat winterizing). Work on the travel lift is expected to be completed by summer 2021. For photos of the current MMS shipyard, click here.
“This important grant will not only help us grow the shipyard capacity but will also take steps to provide additional year round jobs in our area that would otherwise be in another state,” said Jerry Fetty, CEO of Star Line Mackinac Island Hydro-Jet® Ferry and Mackinac Marine Services. “Up to this point, ships and boats larger than 80-tons had to go elsewhere sometimes outside of Michigan to be lifted out of the water for maintenance, repair and inspection. For vessels to travel long distances like that, can be extremely expensive and time consuming.”
The US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded $19.6 million in discretionary grants in fiscal year 2020 to 24 US small shipyards through the Small Shipyard Grant Program. The overall funding will help modernize America’s small shipyards, making them more efficient in constructing and servicing commercial vessels. US Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao made the announcement, click here for details.
About Mackinac Marine Services
Located in St. Ignace, Mich., Mackinac Marine Services (formerly known as the Mill Slip) provides boatyard and services for commercial and recreational boat needs. Mackinac Marine Services currently has an 80-ton lift, winter and summer boat storage, fiberglass repair, fabricating and mechanical work, welding, power washing and shrink-wrapping services. Mackinac Marine Services is owned and operated by Star Line Mackinac Island Hydro-Jet® Ferry.
