They are a formidable industry in shipbuilding/ship repair in Alaska, with facilities in Ketchikan and Seward.
Vigor's Ketchikan facility has two drydocks, one 460 feet of length, 110 feet of width, and 10,000 lt of capacity.
Drydock #2 has a 225 foot length, a width of 85 feet, and a capacity of 3,600 lt. To help them with all the heavy lifting, they have three cranes with up to 150 tons of capacity.
To work on those very lengthy ships, Vigor has a pier with a total length of 1000 ft. All of this is housed on a 15.5 acre facility, 130,000 square feet of which is covered fab and shop area, and 70,000 square feet of assembly hall.
Vigor Ship and Drydock is clearly competitive offering full-service shipbuilding and repair. Vigor employs approximately 180 Alaskans in Ketchikan.
Some projects at Vigor in Ketchikan include the Alaska Marine Highway System's two newest day ferries, to serve Alaskans along the Lynn Canal between Juneau, Haines, and Skagway.
These Alaskan-built ferries' construction began in October 2014 and are scheduled for delivery late 2018. Additionally, the first Alaskan-built factory longliner was constructed in Ketchikan by Vigor.
The F/V Arctic Prowler is 136' x 41 feet x 26 feet and is powered by two (2) 1,000 HP MTU engines. Her freezer can hold 16,300 cubic feet. That's a LOT of fish!
Vigor Industrial in Seward is a full-service shipyard and the highly skilled team is currently servicing Crowley's Endurance with repairs and maintenance. On any given day, you will find between 35 and 45 Alaskans working at the shipyard in Seward.
In Seward, Vigor Industrial has two drydocks, one with Syncrolift, essentially a large elevator consisting of a structural steel platform, and the other with Travelift, a 4-wheel mechanical steering hoist system.
The two on-site cranes can hoist up to 80 tons each. There may be only a single pier at the Seward shipyard, but it's 300 feet long, and there are two side rail berths, one north, at 181 feet, and the one south at 500 feet.
All of this is on an 11-acre facility with 35,000 square feet of covered work area. The marine rails and transfer carriages can accommodate up to 4 large vessels.
Vigor's workforce needs are met by Alaskans. Currently they are seeking qualified welders, many of which are grown right there in Seward at AVTEC. One of the unique features Vigor offers their employees is an opportunity to temporarily relocate as an alternative to a layoff when there are lulls in a specific service areas.
