Austal’s U.S. ship manufacturing division will design and build offshore patrol cutters for the U.S. Coast Guard under a potential $3.3 billion contract.
USCG plans to procure up to 11 Heritage-class ships that will replace the service branch’s aging fleet of endurance cutters and support various national security missions in coastal areas and open ocean waters, Austal USA said Thursday.
The company said it will manufacture the 360-foot OPCs using a new steel panel line at its newly opened steel shipbuilding facility in Mobile, Alabama.
The cutters have speeds of up to 14 knots and a range of 10,200 nautical miles and a 60-day endurance period.
Austal USA recently secured a potential $128.1 million contract to design and construct the U.S. Navy’s Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock Medium.
