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Seward Ships Drydock

Seward Ships began servicing fisherman vessels in Seward, Alaska in 1973. The repair yard was built as an alternative to costly and inconvenient servicing in the nearest major port of Seattle. Success was instantaneous and soon necessitated an expansion in 1974. This impact response led to the diversion of major vessel servicing at the current site of Seward Ships Chandlery in the Leirer Industrial Park.

As business expanded, so too did vessel repair capacity. In 1979 Seward Ships leased and rebuilt a 300 ton marine rail complex at Lowell Point, which operated until 1985, when major ship repair duties were shifted to drydocking at the Seward Marine Industrial Center, which utilized the new technology of the 5000 ton Syncro-Lift.

The present site of Seward Ships Drydock Inc. is based on an initial two-acres leased in 1988. Since then, operations of Seward Ships Drydock Inc. has expanded into an eleven-acre facility, featuring 35,000 sq. feet of covered workspace and facilities, which operates in conjunction with the Syncro-Lift Drydock facility. Seward Ships Drydock proudly services vessels of all sizes, from rowboats to oil tankers. The company prides itself on the skilled labor of its workforce and its contributions to the burgeoning economy of Alaska.

Even as Seward Ships Drydock is still a somewhat infantile facility, this has not left its workers immune to the dangers of asbestos exposure. During the early years of operation, the dangers of asbestos exposure were not entirely clear, and employees were quite susceptible to exposure.

Asbestos was one of the most common materials used in ship construction. The nature of Seward Ships Drydock servicing, which emphasized repair of older vessels, also left its employees at a particularly high risk of asbestos exposure. Specifically, duties which involve the servicing of boiler rooms, pipe-fitting, ceiling or floor panels, as well as insulation without preventative measures pose a particular risk of exposure to airborne asbestos particles.

Down the road, lung related ailments such as asbestosis or mesothelioma can be linked directly to prior asbestos exposure. Frequently, the correlation between respiratory ailments and asbestosis, as well mesothelioma is not immediately recognized. All shipyard employees, past and present, should be examined for respiratory complications. Medical, legal, and emotional support frameworks are available for patients in a number of different capacities. Prompt diagnosis is paramount to effective treatment of symptoms as a result of asbestos exposure.

Last modified: December 09 2009.