Conrad Shipyard LLC has been awarded a $140 million contract by the Navy for the design and construction of up to eight 151'x49'x14' yard, repair, berthing and messing (YRBM) barges.
The YRBM barges provide a temporary home away from home and workplace for service men and women whose vessels are in port for repairs and/or maintenance.
Conrad’s design incorporates functional spaces which allow the sailors to work, sleep and eat comfortably. The fixed-price contract has a potential value of over $140 million.
The YRBM barge is an ABS A1 Accommodation Barge that provides pier side living accommodations capable of berthing 199 mixed gender personnel, messing for 300 personnel, and includes spaces for medical offices, classrooms, workspaces, laundry rooms, storerooms, and lounge areas.
Morgan City, La.-based Conrad expects to deliver the first YRBM barge to the Navy in late 2023. If the Navy exercises options for the additional barges, peak production is expected to occur from 2023 through 2025.
“We are excited to enter into this partnership with the Navy to help modernize its fleet,” Conrad Shipyard CEO Johnny Conrad said in a statement. “Not only will this contract provide an abundance of jobs for our workforce in the Morgan City area, but it will also help to support a multitude of small businesses. I know our dedicated and hardworking men and women at Conrad are proud to work on this project which will ultimately benefit the brave service men and women of the U.S. Navy.”
