THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 19, 1995 TAG: 9505190613
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHRISTOPHER DINSMORE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 35 lines
Colonna's Shipyard Inc. has won its second repair contract on a Navy warship in as many months, a yard executive said Thursday.
The 90-day overhaul and drydocking of the guided-missile frigate Klakring is worth up to $4.5 million for the small Elizabeth River shipyard, said Doug Forrest, Colonna's vice president.
The Klakring will be the second Navy warship to enter Colonna's since the yard emerged from bankruptcy in 1991. The first warship is the Estocin, which arrived at the end of March for a similar overhaul.
``The Klakring is a great thing for us and it sends a very clear message that we're back in the Navy business.'' Forrest said.
Colonna's survived the tough ship-repair market of the past few years by scrapping for jobs from the Coast Guard, the Maritime Administration, the Military Sealift Command, and commercial ship, barge and tug owners.
The Klakring should help keep Colonna's more than 300 employees busy through the summer. It should arrive in the yard in mid-June, shortly after the Estocin leaves.
The transfer of the Navy's Atlantic fleet frigates to Norfolk from the Charleston Naval Base and other closing naval bases has meant new opportunities for local shipyards such as Colonna's.
Colonna, which is in Norfolk's Berkley section, won the job with a bid of about $4.1 million. Anticipated modifications could push the value up to $4.5 million. by CNB