St. Johns Ship Building wins its first U.S. Navy shipbuilding contract

St. Johns Ship Building logo

St. Johns Ship Building in Palatka, Fla., a subsidiary of Americraft Marine, has been awarded its first U.S. Navy shipbuilding contract. It covers construction of a dive support vessel (DSV) that will serve roles including support for specialized diving and underwater support, operations, and training.

“Securing our first contract with the U.S. Navy is a tremendous achievement and reflects the dedication, talent, and hard work of our entire team,” said St. Johns Ship Building president Joe Rella. “This milestone not only highlights our shipyard’s capacity to meet the demanding standards required by the Navy but also aligns with the broader vision of Americraft Marine. We’re proud to support the objectives in the SHIPS for America Act to expand and revitalize the U.S. shipbuilding industry.”

St. Johns Ship Building (SJSB), a HUBZone certified small business, specializes in constructing and repairing Jones Act-compliant aluminum and steel vessels. Its project range includes crew transfer vessels, ferries, tugboats, landing craft, and barges.

The yard was acquired by Americraft Marine, a maritime subsidiary of the Logothetis family’s Libra Group, in June 2022 and since then has undergone substantial upgrades and recently delivered the third of three crew transfer vessels for for WINDEA CTV LLC, a partnership between MidOcean Wind and Hornblower Wind, with support from WINDEA Offshore GmbH & Co. KG..