US Coast Guard starts construction of first Waterways Commerce Cutter
Rendering of the WLIC on the left and the WLR on the right. (Photo: Birdon America Inc)
By replacing capabilities that are more than 60 years old, the Inland Construction Tenders will support the building, repairing and maintaining of fixed aids to navigation.
The US Coast Guard (USCG) and Birdon America Inc have started building the first Inland Construction Tender (WLIC), which will be part of the branch’s waterways commerce cutter (WCC) fleet. The manufacturing process in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, began last week after the service issued a US$36.86 million delivery order on 18 June.
The building of the first WLICs is scheduled to be completed in 2027. The platform will be deployed to construct, repair and maintain fixed aids to navigation within inland waterways along the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf Coast.
Under the WCC programme, the branch plans to acquire 11
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