The Puerto Rico Ports Authority (PRAP) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) process for the operation, maintenance and repair of the drydock located at Pier 15 in Isla Grande, PRPA Executive Director Joel A. Pizá Batiz announced today.

The head of the PRPA explained that the drydock, which was initially built and operated by the United States Navy since the early 1940s, was eventually acquired by PRPA in the late 1990s.

It, however, has remained unused since 2000.

“As part of Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced’s initiatives to turn unused assets into productive ones, today we are announcing the start of the Request for Proposals process for the dry dock, so that this facility, the only one of its kind in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, can operate again, and once more be a source of economic activity and employment for the island,” Pizá Batiz said.
It is estimated that this project has the potential to generate private investment of $20 million, the creation of 400 direct, indirect and induced jobs and an annual economic impact of about $15.9 million.

Emphasizing the Request for Proposals is not for a Public-Private Partnership, Pizá Batiz noted that what the drydock’s RFP seeks is an operator to establish a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) service center for various types of vessels, including commercial, yachts and mega yachts, among others.

The drydock measures approximately 600 feet long, 102 feet wide and 26 feet deep, which positions it as a unique facility in the entire Caribbean for the repair and maintenance of vessels up to 400 feet long, the PRPA executive director said.