Shipbreaking revival in Philly. (Scrap Industry News).The Philadelphia ship repair yard of Metro Machine Corp. has reportedly won a contract to dismantle and scrap two U.S. Navy warships. Metro Machine, an employee-owned ship repair firm based in Norfolk, Va., has leased a pair of dry docks in the Philadelphia Shipyard with the intention of winning contracts under a pilot project sponsored by the Navy. The goal of that project has been to steer Naval shipbreaking work toward approved U.S. facilities. The federal government mulled using overseas yards to scrap warships, but re-considered after reports concerning the inability of foreign facilities to safely work with hazardous materials found on old ships. Metro's latest winning bid came just as work on the dismantling of a Navy cruiser was winding down, saving many of the yard's 175 workers from being laid off. Metro Philadelphia yard superintendent John Strem told the Philadelphia Inquirer Philadelphia Inquirer Morning newspaper, long one of the most influential dailies in the eastern U.S. Founded in 1847 as the Pennsylvania Inquirer, it took its present name c. 1860. It was a strong supporter of the Union in the American Civil War. that the new government contract allows the yard to retain the workforce it has trained from breaking three other U.S. Navy ships. The new ships heading to Metro's yard are the USS USS abbr. 1. United States Senate 2. United States ship USS abbr (= United States Ship) → Namensteil von Schiffen der Kriegsmarine McDonnell, a frigate frigate (frĭg`ĭt), originally a long, narrow nautical vessel used on the Mediterranean, propelled by either oars or sail or both. Later, during the 18th and early 19th cent. , and the USS Claude V. Ricketts Admiral Claude Vernon Ricketts (1906 – 6 July 1964) served in the United States Navy as the Vice Chief of Naval Operations. Originally enlisted in the Navy, Ricketts attended the United States Naval Academy and became an officer upon his graduation in 1929. , a destroyer. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Inquirer, dismantling the two vessels will bring about $4 million worth of work to the yard. Strem told the newspaper that Metro has developed government-approved procedures for dismantling ships, disposing of toxic waste toxic waste is waste material, often in chemical form, that can cause death or injury to living creatures. It usually is the product of industry or commerce, but comes also from residential use, agriculture, the military, medical facilities, radioactive sources, and , and selling scrap material to cover part of the cost. The company is hopeful that more shipbreaking work will come its way as dozens of decommissioned Navy warships sitting in harbors on the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts are designated for scrapping by the Navy. |
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