The first section of the Lucayan floating drydock departed CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding and was later loaded onto Boskalis’ Blue Marlin off Qingdao on 8th March. Built with a lifting capacity of 120,000 tonnes, the drydock will be transported to the Freeport by mid-May and will be operational by mid-September.
The formal signing and delivery ceremony for the dock took place in Qingdao on 6 February under a project jointly undertaken by CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding and China Shipbuilding Industry Trade Co., Ltd.
Built for Grand Bahama Shipyard, the Lucayan forms part of a two-dock programme linked to the yard’s capacity expansion. Grand Bahama Shipyard has ownership interests from Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Group and MSC.
With an overall length of 413.96 m and a width of 85.11 m, the Lucayan ranks among the world’s largest floating drydocks by lifting capacity. Its design is intended to support the maintenance, repair and modification of all current ultra-large cruise ships, including Icon-class vessels.
The dock is certified by Lloyd’s Register and equipped with a fully automated dock control system, intelligent ballast systems and digital twin technology. These systems enable accurate and safe submersion and lifting operations.
The Lucayan will join its sister dock, East End, which has a lifting capacity of 93,500 tonnes. That dock was delivered earlier by the world’s largest semi-submersible heavy lift vessel, BOKA Vanguard, and entered commercial operations in the Bahamas in January 2026.
The remaining sections will be loaded onto White Marlin in the coming days.
