ST. CROIX — A Christiansted marine company has been awarded $763,401 by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration to acquire a heavy-duty vessel lift capable of handling boats weighing as much as 165,000 pounds.
Dirty Bottom LLC, which does business as St. Croix Marine Center, was the sole U.S. Virgin Islands recipient in the Maritime Administration's fiscal year 2026 Small Shipyard Grant Program. Federal records identify the company's project as the purchase of a 75-ton Model 75BFMII variable-width Marine Travelift.
The equipment is designed to lift vessels from the water and move them within a shipyard for maintenance, repair and storage. At a rated capacity of 75 tons, or 165,000 pounds, the new Travelift would expand the range of vessels that can be hauled and serviced locally.
The St. Croix award was part of $35.18 million distributed to 45 shipyards across 24 states and the Virgin Islands. The Maritime Administration said the grants are intended to modernize small shipyards, increase productivity and expand employment opportunities while strengthening the nation's maritime industrial base.
The Small Shipyard Grant Program provides funding for capital improvements and worker training associated with shipbuilding, ship repair and related maritime industries. Under the program, federal grants generally may cover no more than 75 percent of an eligible project's estimated cost, meaning recipients are required to contribute toward the remaining project expense.
Federal officials announced the 2026 awards in August after Congress provided $35 million for the program earlier this year. The Maritime Administration said the program received a significant funding increase in 2026 as part of a broader federal push to expand domestic maritime capacity.
St. Croix Marine Center operates in Christiansted. Public procurement records also show the company has performed vessel repair work for the federal government.
Most recently, the company received a separate $25,000 federal purchase order in September for marine vessel repair and maintenance services on St. Croix. That contract, awarded through the Department of the Interior's Southeast Region, has a performance period extending through September 2027.
The $763,401 shipyard grant, however, represents a substantially larger federal investment in the company's physical marine-service capacity.
MARAD describes small shipyards as an important component of the nation's maritime economy, supporting vessel construction, repair and maintenance while providing jobs in coastal communities. The agency says its grant program is intended to help smaller facilities make equipment and infrastructure investments that could otherwise be difficult to finance independently.
Federal award records do not specify when the new St. Croix Travelift will be delivered or placed into service, nor do they identify the company's total project cost beyond the federal contribution. They also do not state how many additional vessels, jobs or repair projects the investment is expected to generate.
The acquisition could nevertheless increase St. Croix's ability to accommodate larger vessels for haul-out work, repairs and maintenance without requiring those vessels to seek those services outside the territory.
