Newport Shipyard seeks state permission to expand

THE NEWPORT SHIPYARD is seeking state permission to expand its capacity to accommodate larger yachts, according to an application before the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council.
THE NEWPORT SHIPYARD is seeking state permission to expand its capacity to accommodate larger yachts, according to an application before the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council.

(Updated 1:40 p.m.)
NEWPORT – The Newport Shipyard is seeking state permission to expand its capacity to accommodate larger yachts, according to an application before the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council.

The request, which is open to public comment through March 6, would allow the privately held shipyard to add two new docks to the west of its existing bulkhead, and to extend its other docks to allow more room, according to the CRMC.

The expansion of roughly 23,500 square feet is not expected to increase its vessel count, according to Laura Dwyer, a CRMC spokeswoman. The shipyard would still maintain a 34-boat count capacity, but the dock additions would allow it to accommodate larger yachts.
The expansion is subject to a memorandum of understanding between the R.I. Department of Environmental Management, which owns an adjoining site.

The expansion will allow the shipyard to accommodate the larger yachts, called superyachts, that are becoming more common in recent years, according to Eli Dana, general manager.

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With the expansion, the 30 superyachts that now can be accommodated at one time at the shipyard will be expanded by five or so, according to Dana.

In addition, the new docks will allow more room for smaller vessels. Last summer, the Newport Shipyard had near full occupancy, and started taking reservations for the upcoming boating season in May 2016. Normally, the slips are reserved beginning in January or February, he said.

Already, the bookings are up over last year, which is what inspired the request for the expansion. “We’re not 100 percent booked but we’re getting close to it,” Dana said.

The superyachts typically are larger than 100 feet, and over the past 15 years have become more common in Newport. The Shipyard anticipates demand for the new slips, or berths, after the America’s Cup race finishes in Bermuda in June, when many of the yachts that watch the race will return to Newport.

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