EAST BOOTHBAY (AP) – Less than a year after it was leveled by fire, the Washburn & Doughty Associates shipyard in East Boothbay is busier than ever and looking for more workers.

The yard is working on four tugboats, two of which were damaged in last summer’s fire, and took delivery Monday of the keel for another new boat.

Chief operating officer Lee Smith told WCSH-TV that the yard has 98 fulltime employees and is looking for 20 to 25 more. A new building is slated for completion in June.

A special law enacted last week in the Legislature will speed up benefits to Washburn & Doughty under Maine’s Pine Tree Zone program.

The fire, which caused an estimated $30 million in damages, was caused by sparks from a cutting torch.


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