Erie--Senator Bob Casey and Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-3) visited DonJon Shipbuilding and Repair today to tour the facility and meet with GE Transportation and DonJon officials.
The meeting was held to update Casey and Dahlkemper about the Hybrid Harbor Eco Tug Project, a collaboration between GE and DonJon.
The project concept is to build a higher-energy, high-efficiency tug with a fuel savings of up to 25 percent and emissions reductions of up to 35 percent.
The companies are in the process of bidding for a federal grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation to continue their work. The grant, which the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority applied for on behalf of DonJon and GE, is for $30 million.
If successful, DonJon is expected to add as many as 75 jobs to its payroll.
The company, which started operations at the shipbuilding facility in December 2009, currently employs about 80 people.
"It's exciting to view the resurgence of shipbuilding in Erie firsthand,” said Senator Casey. “The new concept tug partnership between GE and DonJon can hold the potential to bring more high paying jobs to Northwestern Pennsylvania."
“Projects like these show that innovative, forward-thinking companies can create American-made products that are eco-friendly, while they also create jobs and make significant investments in their own communities,” Dahlkemper said.
Casey and Dahlkemper also received a tour of the shipyard while on site. The shipyard is the largest in the Great Lakes.
DonJon Shipbuilding and Repair is an affiliate of DonJon Marine, which was founded in 1963. DonJon Marine’s principal business activities include marine salvage, dredging marine transportation, recycling, heavy-lift, and other related services.
The purchase of the Erie shipyard in 2009 is part of a strategy to expand into shipbuilding, and ship repair, as well as services such as barge construction, vessel conversion, maintenance and steel assembly.
###
