Defense contractors

Electric engines have started to become popular on recreational vessels, and now Maine Electric Boat sees an opportunity in converting commercial work craft to battery-powered propulsion.

Bath Iron Works says advancements in radar and combat systems make Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, including the one now under construction, the most technologically advanced surface warships in the world.

Hundreds of people attended the christening of the U.S. Navy’s latest guided missile destroyer. Nearby, dozens of protesters objected to the ceremony and nine were arrested.

Bath Iron Works will provide planning yard services for two classes of U.S. Navy warships. The contract has options that could increase its value to $1.1 billion.

Defense employers across Maine need to hire 8,000 people over the next five years. But in such a tight labor market, where will those workers come from? That's what the Maine Defense Industry Alliance is trying to figure out.

The John Basilone is one of the Arleigh Burke class, considered the workhorse of the Navy's fleet. The class has been a staple of BIW’s shipbuilding for decades.

The Moosehead Marine Museum is restoring the historic Katahdin steamship, at a cost of $2 million, including $500,000 in congressionally directed spending. Visitors are invited to tour the progress on May 26.

With a cost of $22.8 million, the hybrid electric-diesel vessel was due to be delivered to Casco Bay Lines next month. But a contractor snafu has pushed the date out.

The addition of the machine shop will help Howell Laboratories expand its footprint in Navy shipbuilding, the company says. With the purchase, it now employs 70 people.

If options in the contract are fully executed and funded, the agreement could be worth $343.7 million and run through 2029, Bath Iron Works said.