VT Halter Marine receives PSC contract
VT Halter Marine has been selected by the US Navy as the prime contractor for the detail design and construction of the US Coast Guard’s (USCG's) Polar Security Cutter (PSC).
The initial award is valued at $745.9 million and supports non-recurring engineering and detail design of the PSC class as well as procurement of long lead-time materials and construction of the first ship. The PSC contract is a multi-year programme, with the USCG to acquire up to three multi-mission PSCs to recapitalise its fleet of heavy icebreakers.
The contract also includes options for the construction of two additional PSCs. If all options are exercised, the cumulative value of the contract would be $1.9 billion.
Construction on the first PSC is planned to begin in 2021 with delivery planned for 2024. If the options are exercised, the second and third vessels are expected to be delivered in 2025 and 2027 respectively. PSCs will support a wide range of missions including SAR, maritime law enforcement, environmental response and national defence missions.
The vessels will be 460ft in length with a beam of 88ft overall. The ship will have a full load displacement of about 33,000t at delivery.
VT Halter Marine, the shipbuilding business of ST Engineering, has been involved in the design analysis study of the PSC since February 2017 and the production engineering studies support work since February 2019.
More from Naval Warfare
-
US Navy takes delivery of New Jersey SSN
The USN’s Virginia-class SSNs are replacing the old Los Angeles-class SSNs. The Virginia-class SSNs are fitted with the latest sensors and weapons and around 48 submarines are planned, with a total of 38 currently ordered.
-
BMT and DNV partner to meet Australia’s heavy landing craft requirement
Under Project Land 8710 Phase 2, Australia has been seeking to acquire an undisclosed number of Littoral Manoeuvre Vessels to replace the Balikpapan-class. The programme has an estimated value of AU$1.4 billion (US$910 million), with IOC slated for 2032.
-
Babcock to take over upkeep of Royal Navy Type-23 frigates
The Royal Navy’s Type-23 Duke-class frigates for the UK Royal Navy were designed as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ships but now have a multi-role function. Of the 16 Type 23s built, 12 remain in service with the Royal Navy and will be replaced by the Type-26 frigates before 2035.
-
Austal completes autonomy trials with former Royal Australian Navy patrol boat
The work took place under the Patrol Boat Autonomy Trial (PBAT), which has been a collaboration between Austal, Greenroom Robotics, the Trusted Autonomous Systems Defence Cooperative Research Centre and the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Warfare Innovation Navy Branch.
-
Singapore launches fourth and final Type 218SG submarine
The era of southeast Asian submarine modernisation has been in full swing fuelled by growing tensions in the South China Sea.