Hornblower expands at Bridgeport to create full-service Steelpointe Shipyard

Photo: Hornblower

Hornblower Group has announced the expansion of its one-acre Bridgeport, Conn., waterfront location to 17 acres. Offering services across vessel classes and specializations, the full service shipyard is now named Steelpointe Shipyard by Hornblower.

“Hornblower is excited to extensively expand our Bridgeport, Conn., footprint and community impact by pairing our 100-year history in the maritime industry with the unique features and benefits of such an historic port,” said Shull Autin, chief maritime officer at Hornblower Group. “With this tremendous expansion in available facility space and equipment capabilities, Steelpointe Shipyard by Hornblower will serve as the East Coast’s new hub for maritime expertise and service across commercial, government, and private vessel operators.”

With its expansion, Steelpointe Shipyard by Hornblower now includes 45,000 square feet of indoor space, three large-scale Marine Travel Lifts capable of hauling vessels up to 700 tons, a 220-foot service dock, and an a team of skilled tradespeople across welding and metal fabrication, joinery and outfitting, piping, mechanics, electrical, and painting.

“This unique array of equipment, expert staff across specializations, and deep-water access to Long Island Sound makes Steelpointe Shipyard by Hornblower the industry’s premier facility capable of leveraging integrated, onsite vessel design and engineering teams to execute complex projects on time and on budget, says the company. “Across the site, Hornblower Marine will continue to provide simultaneous vessel servicing, pre-scheduled overhauls and maintenance, emergency repairs, and complex projects for Hornblower’s clientele of high-profile public and private third-party clients, as well as yacht owners, captains, and operators.”

“As our crew has grown since the local launch of Hornblower Marine in 2021, Bridgeport and the surrounding communities have been a pivotal component in our shared successes developing the industry’s premier facilities and capabilities for innovative maritime projects from across the country,” said Junior Volpe, senior vice president of vessel construction & repair, Hornblower Marine. “Today’s announcement builds on this strong foundation to establish the next phase of maritime innovation and careers in Bridgeport while offering premier, industry-leading services to vessel owners of all backgrounds and sizes.”

“This expansion represents a big step forward in Hornblower’s ability to deliver a truly integrated maritime service offering at one of the east coast’s premier deep-water ports, centrally located in some of the country’s largest maritime markets,” said Timothy O’Brien, SVP of ferries & concessions operations, Hornblower Group. “We are proud to work with property owners RCI and the Christoph family to maximize the use of this premier facility.”

Within Steelpointe Shipyard, Hornblower Marine offers services through six specialized divisions to provide each client with project- and vessel-specific solutions. These divisions include Hornblower Marine Construction, Propulsion, Management, Consulting, Services, and Yachts.

Hornblower Marine Construction builds on the organization’s history of designing, building, retrofitting, and maintaining vessels across sizes, types, and use cases to support the needs of each partner.

Hornblower Marine Propulsion offers trained in-house diagnostics and propulsion specialists providing repair and repower solutions, system integration, and engine sales, commissioning, and services support. Hornblower Marine Propulsion is the official Northeast Distributor for Baudouin Marine Engines.

Hornblower Marine Management offers third-party support and owners’ representation for newbuild programs and services for fleet expansions, technical specification development, shipyard selection, and construction oversight.

Hornblower Marine Consulting offers strategic advisory services to vessel owners and operators to support vessel operational and route planning, technical feasibility analysis, financial navigation, and approaches to fleet expansion.

Hornblower Marine Services provides operational and technical support across the full lifecycle of vessel ownership, including inspections, maintenance program development, and regulatory compliance to support long-term vessel performance.

Hornblower Marine Yachts is a new division that will build on Steelpointe Shipyards’ expanded space and scope of services to provide yachting and recreational partners and clients top-tier yacht maintenance programs, refit services, seasonal haul-outs, and indoor/outdoor storage previously only available to larger commercial operators. The integration of service and maintenance specializing in these vessels makes Hornblower Marine Yachts especially suited to serve the yachting and recreational craft communities.

“The leadership, expertise, and capabilities of the nation’s largest shipyards shouldn’t be inaccessible to yacht and recreational vessel owners,” said Volpe. “Thanks to this expansion, Hornblower Marine will be able to offer its top-level service to this new class of partners and clientele while providing the customer service that would be expected of smaller, boutique service facilities. We look forward to bringing these services to the yachting market.”