VT Halter Marine, a shipbuilding unit of ST Engineering North America, has been awarded a one-year, $39.9M contract option to design and build an additional mobile berthing barge for the U.S. Navy.
ST Engineering NA said Friday the service branch exercised an option on a potetial $244M contract to procure the fourth Auxiliary Personnel Lighter–Small 67 Class vessel.
The original contract, which the Navy awarded in September 2018, calls for VT Halter Marine to construct and deliver the first two APLs by the third quarter of this year. The award includes options for the construction of four more barges, with the third barge slated for delivery later this year and the fourth in the summer of 2021.
Tom Vecchiolla, president and CEO of ST Engineering NA and former Wash100 winner, told GovCon Wire the award is “a testament to the professional workforce” of VT Halter Marine.
Vecchiolla added the vessels provide a modern berthing system for country’s sailors.
The APL platform can be towed to shipyards and bases to house crewmembers working on specific fleet requirements and interdeployment training cycles.
Each barge is designed to accommodate over 600 people and include various facilities such as offices, classrooms, medical treatment stations and recreation areas.
