Navy Awards Contract To Modernize Dry Dock 3 At Norfolk Naval Shipyard Under Long Term Federal Infrastructure Program

Washington, D.C., December 11th, 2025.
A formal announcement issued by NAVAL FACILITIES ENGINEERING SYSTEMS COMMAND ATLANTIC recorded the award of a major construction contract to modernize Dry Dock 3 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, an action presented as part of the United States Navy’s continuing Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program. The Navy described this undertaking as a necessary modernization of a critical dry dock used to maintain nuclear powered vessels and to increase long term fleet readiness.

The official communication confirms that NAVFAC ATLANTIC has awarded a firm fixed price, award fee incentive contract with economic price adjustment to MEB General Contractors Incorporated of Chesapeake, Virginia, for a base value of $442,127,000. The notice further explains that the total potential value of the agreement, if future options and award fee are exercised, could rise to $467,181,292. Navy engineers identified this modernization as a structural necessity to support the maintenance and repair of emerging nuclear powered platforms and to extend the capabilities of the Norfolk facility for decades to come.

Federal descriptions of the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program, provided by NAVAL SEA SYSTEMS COMMAND, portray this modernization effort as one component within a larger, multi-site recapitalization of the four public naval shipyards: Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia; Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine; Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Washington; and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in Hawaii. The program is managed collectively by NAVSEA, NAVFAC, and COMMANDER NAVY INSTALLATIONS COMMAND, and it covers dry docks, utilities, industrial plant equipment, heavy machinery, and the overall layout of the shipyards themselves.

Program documentation prepared by the NAVFAC PROGRAM EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR INDUSTRIAL INFRASTRUCTURE records that more than $6,300,000,000 in planning, design, construction, and environmental work is now underway across the shipyard network. Earlier releases from NAVSEA note that the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program was established in 2018 as a dedicated federal office to coordinate broad modernization work across the public shipyards, including the replacement of aging structures, significant dry dock upgrades, and the installation of advanced industrial machinery designed to shorten maintenance timelines for nuclear powered ships and submarines.

The award of the Dry Dock 3 modernization contract therefore stands as another confirmed action in this long term federal infrastructure initiative. According to NAVFAC ATLANTIC, the modernization will expand the dock’s capacity to handle the Navy’s evolving nuclear powered fleet while improving workflow for the shipyard’s industrial workforce. All details presented herein are drawn solely from first-hand federal releases issued by United States Navy commands, and no secondary reportage or interpretation has been used in the preparation of this article.

The Appalachian Post is an independent West Virginia news outlet dedicated to clean, verified, first-hand reporting. We do not publish rumors. We do not run speculation. Every fact we present must be supported by original documentation, official statements, or direct evidence. When secondary sources are used, we clearly identify them and never treat them as first-hand confirmation. We avoid loaded language, emotional framing, or accusatory wording, and we do not attack individuals, organizations, or other news outlets. Our role is to report only what can be verified through first-hand sources and allow readers to form their own interpretations. If we cannot confirm a claim using original evidence, we state clearly that we reviewed first-hand sources and could not find documentation confirming it. Our commitment is simple: honest reporting, transparent sourcing, and zero speculation.

Sources

Primary First Hand Sources
• NAVAL FACILITIES ENGINEERING SYSTEMS COMMAND ATLANTIC, official announcement detailing the award of the Dry Dock 3 modernization contract at Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
• NAVAL SEA SYSTEMS COMMAND, formal program explanations describing the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program and its scope across the four public shipyards.
• NAVFAC PROGRAM EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR INDUSTRIAL INFRASTRUCTURE, federal program materials outlining current modernization investments, project totals, and infrastructure objectives.
• UNITED STATES NAVY PRESS OFFICE, foundational releases describing the establishment and purpose of the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program in 2018.