Fincantieri Marinette Marine begins waterfront construction
Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) is prepared to launch the next phase of construction along the waterfront next month, which will include work in the adjacent Menominee River.
Beginning in May and planned to continue until late October, FMM will have several inches of sediment and bedrock removed from the river bottom and along the banks of their waterfront to allow the launch and navigation of larger Navy ships being built at the Wisconsin shipyard.
This work has been coordinated with federal, state and local officials and special emphasis has been made to limit interruptions to recreational activities in the adjacent waterway. During construction there will be brief periods each weekday in which the portion of the Menominee River along FMM’s waterfront will be temporarily restricted to allow for safe operations. Officials expect that each weekday between 4 and 5 p.m. CT there will be no boating or river traffic for up to 30 minutes. There are no plans to restrict activities in the Menominee on weekends, holidays or during local fishing tournaments.
FMM leadership has worked with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to ensure compliance and to limit disruptions to recreational use of the Menominee River.
Jean Romback-Bartels, NE WI Secretary’s Director for WDNR, said:
“Federal agencies and the Wisconsin DNR have been working with Fincantieri Marinette Marine, their consultants and contractors to ensure the health and safety of the environment through permitting for this expansion. The fisheries resource is important in this river, so we worked with FMM to minimize impacts to spawning walleye, sturgeon, and more. Additionally, we have worked with them to avoid impacts to Strawberry Island and the rookery that’s located there.”
Jan Allman, CEO of FMM, said:
“Many of our employees and local community members enjoy the tremendous outdoor recreational opportunities that come with living in Northeast Wisconsin, so we are determined to limit how our construction potentially impacts our neighbors and those who transit past our waterfront.”
Allman said:
“We were fortunate as a shipyard to secure the contract to design and build the Navy’s guided-missile frigates. Part of our contract is to make necessary improvements to our facilities so that we can deliver the world’s best frigates for decades.”
FMM and its sister shipyard, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, started a massive $200 million capital improvement plan earlier this year, which when completed will include several massive climate-controlled buildings and the largest ship lift in the U.S.
