Lunenburg shipyard riding a wave

A dozen new hires still weren’t enough to meet the demand. So, Lunenburg Industrial Foundry and Engineering Ltd. appealed successfully to town council last month for a two-week reprieve of the municipal noise bylaw.

Business is still booming at the Lunenburg shipyard. John Kinley, the company’s marketing manager, figures it will remain that way for at least the next couple of months.

“And our boat yard is at capacity,” said Kinley. “I don’t know if we can physically fit any more vessels in our boatyard. But this past fall was one of the best we’ve seen in a long time. We’ve had a couple of high-profile clients. We’re eking out a pretty good revenue. Our ship servicing side constitutes 80 per cent of our overall revenue.”

A few notable service contracts this year include Royal Canadian Navy training vessel HMCS Oriole and Canadian Coast Guard vessel M. Pearly. Another Svitzer tugboat contract required two Rolls Royce mechanics arriving on site from overseas.

“The ship repair industry is very much a sub-contracting job.

“I don’t know if we can physically fit any more vessels in our boatyard. But this past fall was one of the best we’ve seen in a long time. We’ve had a couple of high-profile clients. We’re eking out a pretty good revenue. Our ship servicing side constitutes 80 per cent of our overall revenue. John Kinley

It also provides huge stimulation for the local economy. If the shipyard does well, the companies that service the ships on the shipyard all do well.

“In our case, that includes welding companies, blasting companies, and the list goes on.”

The company’s ability to stay competitive lies in its versatility. It offers vessel owners a one-stop shop.

“We’re a full-service boatyard that has the capacity of a full machine shop and a manufacturing facility that can provide services at a reduced cost. Because we have two sides of the business, a manufacturing side as well as the shipyard side, we can produce items for our shipyard that other yards cannot because they don’t have the integration of a machine shop and manufacturing facility and a shipyard. We can do it all in-house.”

That also includes yacht servicing. They’ve established an international clientele, having completed work on three megayachts this past fall.

“Typically, every five years these vessels are subject to full inspection, which we offer. So we’re opening up fuel and water tanks, restoring and replacing plumbing, electrical and electronics systems, engine shafts, propellers. Then there’s the aesthetics side of what we do, ensuring the wood is buffed properly. Painting for some of these megayachts is the biggest part of their servicing. They have to have a perfect paint job or they will leave. Simple as that.”

So things are looking good well into the new year.

“Over the last two months we’ve had two shifts going as opposed to a single shift. Overtime has almost tripled compared to last year.

“The reality is we have to accommodate the customer. Right now we’re at 55 employees. We’re hoping to keep this boom going.”