13,157 viewsOct 14, 2019, 02:23pm
Coast Guard Revamps Troubled $10.5B Cutter Program, Giving Fresh Opportunity To Stressed U.S. Shipyards
Craig Hooper
On Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard announced its massive but troubled 25-ship Offshore Patrol Cutter program will be restructured.
With a total value of $10.5 billion, the Offshore Patrol Cutter (formally known as the Heritage (WMSM 915) class cutter) is a top Coast Guard procurement priority. The contract to build these mid-sized 3,500- to 3,700-ton cutters was awarded in 2016 to a scrappy underdog, Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group. After restructuring, the Coast Guard will now only offer Eastern Shipbuilding options to build four of these $421 million vessels, and the rest– 21 ships–will likely be put out to bid.
The news has roiled America’s naval shipbuilding community.
Coast Guard Revamps Troubled $10.5B Cutter Program, Giving Fresh Opportunity To Stressed U.S. Shipyards