Incumbent loses out as Austal USA wins follow-on Offshore Patrol Cutter contract
Offshore Patrol Cutter production at Eastern Shipbuilding. (Photo: Eastern Shipbuilding)
Austal will leverage its new steel shipbuilding facility to build up to 11 Heritage-class OPCs for the US Coast Guard.
The US Coast Guard (USCG) has selected Alabama-based Austal USA to build up to 11 Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPCs) over the incumbent, Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding.
The contract, awarded on 30 June, is worth an initial $208.26 million to construct the fifth OPC, which will be the first of the class not built at Eastern Shipbuilding's Panama City yard.
On April 26, Eastern Shipbuilding announced the USCG had awarded a contract for the construction of the fourth Heritage-class OPC, the future USCGC Rush.
If the USCG exercises all options within the new contract, building the 11 ships would be
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Naval Warfare
-
![RTX Raytheon advances with the development of new Barracuda mine neutraliser]()
RTX Raytheon advances with the development of new Barracuda mine neutraliser
The new Barracuda version has been engineered to perform enhanced subsea and seabed warfare missions.
-
![Future of the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke programme remains unclear]()
Future of the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke programme remains unclear
The US Navy does not have a precise date for the award of the procurement contract for the third Arleigh Burke-class destroyer despite having the funds to advance with the programme in FY2025.
-
![US Navy may look to foreign suppliers to accelerate shipbuilding programmes]()
US Navy may look to foreign suppliers to accelerate shipbuilding programmes
The US Navy (USN) is currently reassessing its acquisition efforts and seeking ways to reduce the multiple delays across the shipbuilding initiatives.
