Bollinger To Build New Ship To Carry Vulcan Rockets
United Launch Alliance (ULA) announced May 8 that it has signed agreements with Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, La., and Bristol Harbor Group Inc. in Bristol, R.I., to design, oversee and build a new ship to transport Vulcan rockets from the factory in Decatur, Ala., to the launch sites at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
“We are pleased to be partnering with two of the best companies in the business to build our second transportation ship,” said Chris Ellerhorst, ULA’s vice president of the Kuiper Program. “Over the next year, ULA will be doubling its launch rate capacity in support of our Amazon customer, and to ensure timely deliveries of the rockets to the launch site, we needed to build a second ship to support our transportation needs.”
ULA currently operates the RocketShip, formerly the Delta Mariner, to move rocket components from Decatur to Cape Canaveral. The new vessel will be called the SpaceShip.
ULA awarded Bollinger Shipyards a contract to build a second roll-on/roll-off vessel classed for both ocean-going and river service. Construction has just begun on the 356-foot-long ship at Bollinger’s shipyard in Amelia, La.. Delivery to ULA is expected in January 2026.
“We’re proud to continue our partnership with ULA in support of their increasing capabilities and launch capacity,” said Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards. “Bollinger’s skilled workforce is second to none when it comes to designing, engineering and building complex vessels to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow, and we look forward to beginning work on SpaceShip to ensure delivery of Vulcan rockets from the factory to the launch pad.”
“ULA currently has its first ship, called RocketShip, that has been in service for decades, and with this second ship, called SpaceShip, our maritime fleet will enable enterprise transportation capacity of four Vulcan launch vehicles across two voyages to either the East or West Coast,” Ellerhorst said.
ULA hired Bristol Harbor Group Inc. to oversee the design and build phases of the project with Bollinger.
Vulcan is ULA’s next-generation rocket, and it saw its successful inaugural launch in January. The Vulcan will provide high performance and affordability while continuing to deliver superior reliability and orbital precision for customers across the national security, civil and commercial markets, ULA said in the announcement.
For Amazon, the Vulcan rocket is contracted for 38 launches to support the majority of the deployment for the Project Kuiper constellation, which will provide fast, affordable broadband internet service to unserved and underserved communities around the world.
Caption for photo: The SpaceShip, to be built by Bollinger Shipyards and designed by Bristol Harbor Group Inc., will join the RocketShip in United Launch Alliance’s vessel fleet. (Rendering courtesy of Bollinger Shipyards)
