Port of San Francisco to issue RFP for disposal of its two floating dry docks

Aerial view of Dry Dock 2 and Eureka Dry Dock. [Photo:Port of San Francisco]

The Port of San Francisco says that it anticipates advertising a Request for Proposal (RFP) solicitation for the disposal/removal of its Dry Dock #2 and Eureka Dry Dock (Fall/Winter 2025).

Both of the port-owned dry docks were operated as the former BAE Ship Repair San Francisco Shipyard until January 2017, when its San Francisco operation was taken over Tacoma, Wash., based Puglia Engineering, only to close in May of that year.

Descriptions, specifications, past studies, and reports of the dry docks for informational purposes can be found HERE.

Port staff will not be available to answer specific questions about the drydocks or RFP process until the RFP is advertised. After the RFP is advertised, the port anticipates inviting qualified bidders to attend a joint site visit to inspect the dry docks and participate in a Q&A workshop meeting.

To be added to the RFP notice and distribution list, send your contact information to charles.labitan@sfport.com.

Dry Dock #2

Dry Dock #2 is a single section steel floating dry dock. The structural analysis and design of the dry dock was performed by Earl and Wright, Consulting Engineers of San Francisco and was constructed by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation at their San Francisco Yard in 1970.

This dry dock can best be described as a rigid unit type dock with continuous pontoon and wing walls. An 18-foot wide buoyancy chamber runs full length down the centerline of the pontoon, and a safety deck is located port and starboard at a height of 58′-6” in each wingwall. At 40-foot intervals down the length of the dock is located watertight transverse bulkheads, running from buoyancy chamber to safety deck. These subdivide the pontoon and wingwall into forty (40) ballast compartments, twenty (20) on each side.

Principal characteristics of Dry Dock #2:

• Length overall: 900’-0
• Length of pontoon: 800’-0”
• Breadth overall: 186’-0”
• Width between wing walls: 150’-0”
• Height overall: 86′-0″
• Height of wing deck above pontoon deck: 66’-0”
• Height of pontoon deck at centerline: 20’-0”
• Design draft over pontoon deck: 41’-9”
• Maximum submergence draft1: 59’-6”
• Current maximum draft over pontoon deck1: 39’-6”
• Most recent certification loads: 68 long tons (LT2) per foot or 55,800 LT total

There are four transformers on Dry Dock 2, two on each side in the safety deck. Two (one per side) are for dry dock pumps and machinery (house power) and approx. 1600 amps shore power. Two (one per side) are for 4000-amp 480-volt shore power per side for a total of 8000 amps. These were installed in 2012 at a cost of$5.1 million to accommodate the newer ships which required 8000 amps, additionally the original house/machinery PCB filled transformers were replaced as part of the 2012 shore power upgrade.

Eureka Dry Dock

The port anticipates advertising a separate solicitation for Eureka Dry Dock at a later date.

The “Eureka” dry dock, formerly known as “Steadfast” (AFDM 14), was built by Pollock-Stockton Shipbuilding in Stockton, California. The dock was completed in July of 1945. The dock is a Frederick Harris design three-piece welded steel sectional dock capable of self-docking.

At the time of construction, the dock was designated as YFD 71 and rated capable of lifting a maximum ship of 17,500 long tons. On February 1, 1983, the dock was reclassified as an AFDM. The dock was operated at the Naval Station in San Diego, California before it was obtained by the city of San Francisco in 1998. The dock was previously operated by BAE Systems but has been non-operational as of 2016.

Principal characteristics of Eureka Dry Dock:

• Length over pontoons: 528’-0
• Length overall: 569’-0”
• Breadth overall: 118’-0”
• Width between wing walls (molded): 90’-0”
• Clear width between fenders: 86’-0”
• Height overall: 52′-2″
• Height of wing deck above pontoon deck: 36’-0”
• Height of pontoon deck at centerline: 16’-2”
• Design draft over pontoon deck: 33’-0”
• Lightship draft: 5’-0”
• Current maximum draft over pontoon deck1: 12’-0”