ASNE officials toured the U.S. Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore on Oct. 27, 2026, walking through the facilities and receiving a briefing on planned upgrades, including a $500 million modernization investment.

The visit preceded ASNE’s Arctic & Antarctic Operations Symposium 2026, held Oct. 28–29 at the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) in the Baltimore area. The symposium focused on the engineering, technology, and operational challenges of maintaining a sustained presence in the polar regions.

The Yard tour offered a look at the shore infrastructure that supports fleet readiness. The Coast Guard’s sole shipbuilding and major repair facility, the Yard plays an essential role in maintaining the service’s vessels and preparing to support its future fleet.

According to the Coast Guard, the $500 million provided under the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act supports construction, improvements, dredging, and acquisition of a floating dry dock at the Yard. The funding advances the first two phases of a broader modernization plan, including upgrades to Yard structures and the paint facility.

Another step is the reconstruction of Pier 1. The Coast Guard awarded a nearly $11 million contract in September 2025 to strengthen and extend the pier and upgrade its utilities to support future Offshore Patrol Cutter maintenance. Substantial completion is expected in 2027.

For ASNE’s visitors, the tour provided practical context for the discussions that followed at MITAGS: sustained operations at sea depend on capable ships, skilled people, and the facilities needed to keep the fleet ready

Main image caption: Staff photo from tour.