PORT ANGELES — Platypus Marine Inc. will receive more than $73,000 in federal funds to upgrade equipment.
The Port Angeles shipyard — which employs 48 to 62 people, depending upon the season — is one of 10 in Washington state to be awarded a total of more than $7 million through the Maritime Administration’s Supplemental Grants for Assistance to Small Shipyards program, which is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Platypus Marine will use the $73,780 grant to upgrade its boiler, “so we don’t have an outdated heating system for the employees, and to make it more fuel-efficient,” said Paula Howell, finance manager, who wrote the grant application in April with the help of Sandy Macias, accounting assistant, and Patti Morris, a professional grant writer.
The remainder of the grant money will fund a server and IT system, Howell said.
The federal program released 70 grants earlier this week that totaled $98,000,000 for small shipyards across the country, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Freeland, announced in a prepared statement.
10 more shipyards
The money granted to Washington state’s 10 projects — $7,384,481 — were the most won by any state, the statement said.
As the chairman of the Transportation and Housing Appropriations subcommittee, Murray included $100 million in the Recovery Act, which President Obama signed Feb. 17, to improve small shipyards and create jobs, the statement said.
“I’m thrilled that 10 more Washington state shipyards will get this crucial financial boost to help them create jobs and make vital capital improvements,” Murray said in the statement.
“Our small shipyards are a critical piece of our domestic maritime industry – and of Washington state’s economy. Especially while our economy is struggling, these grants are important to help our domestic shipping industry stay strong and competitive.”
Grants awarded to Seattle shipyards were Todd Pacific Shipyards Corp. Inc., $1,945,981; Kvichak Marine Industries Inc., $1,138,602; Foss Marine Co. Seattle yard, $621,761; Lake Union Drydock Co., $184,217.
Other grants went to SAFE Boats International LLC of Port Orchard, $1,097,495; ICE FLOE LLC doing business as Nichols Brothers Boat Builder, in Freeland, $841,077; Marine Fluid Systems Inc., in Eastonville, $744,244; Everett Shipyard Inc., $439,497; and All American Marine Inc. in Bellingham, $297,827.
