Feb 02, 2024

St. Johns Shipbuilding Names Joe Rella as President, Continuing a Legacy of Excellence in Ship New Construction and Repair

[Feb 2, 2024; Palatka, Florida] St. Johns Shipbuilding is pleased to announce the appointment of Joe Rella as President of St. Johns Ship Building in Palatka, Florida. In his new role, Joe will lead a highly skilled team of craftsmen and professionals dedicated to the construction and repair of various types of steel and

aluminum vessels. He also continues the new construction momentum building a series of Crew Transfer

Vessels (CTVs) designed to support the offshore wind industry.

Mr. Rella, who received his undergraduate degree in Marine Engineering from the US Merchant Marine

Academy, in Kings Point, NY and an MBA from Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL, brings over four decades

of commercial and US Navy maritime experience to St. Johns Shipbuilding. His impressive career

accomplishments and extensive knowledge of the Jones Act and Military spaces make him an invaluable

addition to the St. Johns for future growth and expansion into new markets.

Edward Sheets, Executive Vice President of Americraft Marine Group, the parent company of St. Johns

Shipbuilding, commented on the appointment, stating, "Joe comes to us with a fantastic list of career

accomplishments and an incredible depth of experience in the Jones Act and Military spaces. Joe will

direct our diversified portfolio of newbuild projects, including barges, passenger vessels, cargo ships,

and wind farm support vessels. His leadership of SJSB will allow us to leverage his industry knowledge

and expertise, ensuring the success of our growing new construction program, particularly in the area of

high-speed aluminum vessels."

While St. Johns Shipbuilding has a storied history of excellence in new vessel construction, it also has a

proud tradition of vessel repair and maintenance. With a commitment to providing top-notch repair

services St. Johns Shipbuilding, utilizing is extensive waterfront and drydocking capabilities, remains

dedicated to meeting the highest industry standards in all aspects of its operations.

January 1, 2024

St Johns Shipbuilding Delivers First of Class Jones Act INCAT 30 CTV

[January 1, 2024; Palatka, Florida] St. Johns Ship Building, Palatka, Fla., announced the delivered the WINDEA Courageous, the first of three Jones Act compliant Incat Crowther 30m Crew Transport Vessels (CTV) ordered by WINDEA CTV, LLC, a partnership of Hornblower Wind and MidOcean Wind. This vessel will

enter service supporting Vineyard Wind 1, and is already onsite in New Bedford, Mass.,

supporting the construction of the project.

The construction of this series of Incat-designed vessels signals the official launch of the NEW

St. Johns Shipbuilding’s dedicated focus on constructing high-speed aluminum vessels. The

groundwork for this focus on supporting the construction of Jones Act-compliant CTVs was laid

more than two years ago through multiple facility modifications and the acquisition of new

production equipment such as the installation of a CNC router for processing of non-ferrous

metals and composite materials.

“This delivery marks a proud moment of validation.” said Ed Sheets, Executive Vice President

and Director of Business Strategy for Americraft Marine Group, the parent company of St Johns

Shipbuilding. “The WINDEA Courageous is a statement vessel for St Johns Shipbuilding and

marks the first measurable accomplishment in what has been a two-year effort to convert the

facility and its many talented and hard working personnel from a history in building primarily

steel vessels, to constructing advanced design, high speed, aluminum vessels. To say we are

simply proud of the accomplishment doesn’t do justice to the hard work and sacrifice of the

SJSB team. They have all risen to the many challenges we have faced during this transition and

at the same time, have raised the bar in this industry segment itself.”

St. John's Shipbuilding achieved a significant milestone with the successful construction

and delivery of this WINDEA CTV LLC crew transfer vessel. Their dedicated efforts and

expertise ensured the completion of the project with precision and adherence to quality

standards," said Junior Volpe, SVP of Vessel Construction and Repair at Hornblower Group.”

St. Johns Shipbuilding (SJSB) is based in Palatka, Florida. SJSB specializes in the new

construction and repair of a wide variety of steel and aluminum vessels, including crew vessels,

ferries, tugs, deck and tank barges, landing crafts, and general cargo vessels. Significantly,

SJSB is also one of the few U.S. shipyards that is currently building vessels that support and

service offshore wind farms. St. Johns’ holding company, Americraft Marine Group, one of the

maritime subsidiaries of U.S. headquartered, privately owned business group Libra Group, was

launched to support and strengthen the U.S. shipbuilding industry and infrastructure with the

goal to build St. Johns Shipbuilding as a center of excellence in Jones Act ship building.

September 20, 2022

St. Johns Ship Building Announces Keel Laying Ceremony for Atlantic Wind Transfers Offshore Wind Vessels

[Sept 20, 2022; Palatka, Florida] St. Johns Ship Building held a keel laying ceremony on September 8^th for the first of a series of aluminum crew transfer vessels (CTVs) used to service the offshore wind farm industry. The announcement follows the Jones Act shipyard’s acquisition by Americraft Marine earlier this year. The crew transfer vessels will be servicing U.S. offshore wind projects for construction, operations, and maintenance.

The Chartwell 24 aluminum catamarans have the capacity to transport 24 personnel to and from wind turbines with speed, safety, and stability. The vessels were commissioned by the Rhode Island-based Atlantic Wind Transfers (AWT), which participated in the ceremony and marks the first in St. Johns’ partnership with AWT to build future-focused vessels.

“We are proud to be chosen as part of Atlantic Wind Transfers successful CTV operation. St. Johns Ship Building appreciates the trust and confidence that Charlie Donadio, President and Founder of AWT, and his team have placed in our hardworking and dedicated employees,” said Jeff Bukoski, President of St. Johns Ship Building. “We will also continue to make improvements to our facilities that allow us to construct greater numbers of similar, newbuild vessels.”

Charles A. Donadio Jr., Founder of AWT, said: “Our team is excited to be moving forward building with St. Johns, this collaborative design-build strategy will enable AWT to parlay its experience to provide future charter clients with the most reliable multi-purpose crew transfer vessels in the U.S. in the years to come.”

The Ambitious, Chartwell Marine’s flagship CTV design, will be U.S. Jones Act-compliant, certified under United States Coast Guard (USCG) Subchapter L and able to operate at any wind farm under the safety and inspection standards of the USCG. AWT currently operates the only two crew transfer vessels in the U.S. under long-term contracts, servicing the Block Island Wind Farm for Orsted and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Farm (CVOW) for Dominion Energy.

“We are excited for the opportunity to commence building this series of CTVs for Charlie and his team at AWT. With the owner’s choice of a proven vessel design and our dedication to quality craftsmanship and manufacturing, I look forward to an outstanding result as we further bolster our contribution to the growth of renewable energy,” commented Edward Sheets, Executive Vice President of Americraft Marine Group.