Senator Collins Joins Secretary of the Navy at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
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Kittery, ME — U.S. Senator Susan Collins joined Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) today to participate in a Command Brief, an All Hands Call, a tour of the facilities, and a meet and greet with shipyard and submarine crews’ senior military leadership and the Sailors of the Year.
Senators Angus King (I-ME), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Chris Pappas (D-NH) also participated in today’s event at PNSY.
“Maine’s Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is the gold standard for all public shipyards in this country due to its efficient, high-quality work for more than 200 years,” said Senator Collins. “What a pleasure it was to have Secretary Spencer tour our wonderful shipyard today. We saw the extraordinary work that is done here each and every day, as well as the important modernization projects and training that is underway at PNSY. We also met with many of the dedicated men and women who are working to keep our nation’s submarines at sea for years to come.”
According to a February report by the Seacoast Shipyard Association, PNSY had a total economic impact of $882.6 million in 2018 and employed 6,972 employees, the majority of whom reside in Maine.
As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins helped secure $162 million for three critical infrastructure projects at PNSY. At a hearing last month , she questioned the U.S. Navy’s Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Fleet Readiness and Logistics about the status of these projects, and he assured her that the Department of Defense was on track to award contracts for all three this summer. The projects include:
- $110 million for the Dry Dock #1 Superflood Basin Improvement
- $40 million to extend Dry Dock #1’s Portal Crane Rail
- $12 million for DLA’s Consolidated Warehouse Addition
Tomorrow, Senator Collins will introduce Secretary Spencer when he delivers the commencement address to the graduates at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine.
