Hughes Bros. places new floating dry dock into operational service

Family-owned barge and shipyard company Hughes Bros has placed a new floating dry dock into operational service in Red Hook in Brooklyn, New York.

The dry dock has been named Michael after Michael Hughes, who had co-founded the company that eventually became Hughes Bros. Design work was undertaken by JMS Naval Architects of Groton, Connecticut, while construction took place at Feeney Shipyard of Kingston, New York.

Michael has a length of 206 feet (62.8 metres), a beam of 86 feet (26 metres), a height of 25 feet (7.6 metres), and a total lifting capacity of 1,500 tons. The dry dock has a space of 70 feet (20 metres) between the wingwalls and is equipped with fully automatic pumps and valves for enhanced efficiency.

Michael is the third dry dock to join the Hughes Bros fleet as well as the largest. The company expects the latest acquisition will expand its own shipyard capabilities.