Last week, after a nearly year-long process, St. Lucie County and Derecktor Shipyards signed a long-term agreement for the development and operation of a megayacht maintenance, repair and refit facility at the Port Ft. Pierce, Florida.
The new shipyard is set to become unique in the U.S. as the first facility designed and built specifically to accommodate power and sailing yachts over 60 metres in LOA. The yard also aims to equip the facility with the largest lift in the world.
Derecktor Ft. Pierce (DFP), as the new yard will be known, will provides direct access from the Atlantic through Ft. Pierce inlet, with no overhead obstructions and a maintained depth of 8 metres. The yard itself will feature a concrete apron of over 8 acres, providing ample work and storage area, as well as over 1000 linear feet of deep water dockage. An existing large building will be refitted to house machine, wood, pipe and electrical shops along with other service support activity.
Vessel hauling will be accomplished through both a mobile lift and a drydock, giving DFP tremendous flexibility in the range of yachts it can handle. The lift is conceived for a 1500 ton capacity, making it the largest in the world. The lift is planned to start running by the autumn of 2020. The drydock, which will go into operation after the lift, is projected to be able to accommodate vessels up to 4000 tons, meaning that the majority of the world’s largest yachts can be serviced.
Paul Derecktor, President of Derecktor Shipyards, stated:
This is a big day in the history of our company. This yard lets us bring in a whole new range of boats. It’s a new market for us and, in large part, a new market for the U.S. We see great things ahead for Derecktor, for Ft. Pierce and for the people of St. Lucie County.
Initial plans call for infrastructure improvements to begin as soon as permits are in place. DFP will start bringing in vessels for dockside work in the very near future, with operations steadily expanding as the facility improves.
Photos and information via Derecktor Shipyards.