The U.S. Department of Defense contract announcement released on 29 December 2021 reads:
VT Halter Marine Inc., Pascagoula, Mississippi, is awarded a $552,654,757 fixed-price incentive modification to previously awarded contract N00024-16-C-2210 to exercise an option for the detail design and construction of the second Coast Guard Polar Security Cutter. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi (61%); Metairie, Louisiana (12%); New Orleans, Louisiana (12%); San Diego, California (4%); Mossville, Illinois (4%); Mobile, Alabama (2%); Boca Raton, Florida (2%); and other locations (3%), and is expected to be completed by September 2026. Fiscal 2021 procurement, construction, and improvement (Coast Guard) funds in the amount of 485,129,919 (80%); fiscal 2020 procurement, construction, and improvement (Coast Guard) funds in the amount of $100,000,000 (17%); and fiscal 2019 procurement, construction, and improvement (Coast Guard) funds in the amount of $20,000,000 (3%) will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
The Polar Security Cutter (PSC) is 460 feet-long (140m) with a beam of 88 feet (28m) for a full-load displacement of 23,200 tons. It is powered by diesel/electric engines. The PSC can accommodate 186 persons. It has a large flight deck to host helicopters such as the H53 King Stallion or Sikorsky H-60. The hull design is based on Polar 2 class icebreaker.
For the record, the U.S. Department of the Navy selected VT Halter Marine as the Prime Contractor for a US$745,940,860 (about S$1b) fixed-price incentive-firm contract in 2019 for the detail design and construction of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Polar Security Cutter (PSC). The PSC contract is a multi-year programme and a USCG major system acquisition to acquire up to three multimission PSCs to recapitalise the USCG fleet of heavy icebreakers and replace the four-decades old Polar Star heavy icebreaker.
This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to US$1,942,812,266 (S$2.6b). The first ship delivery is scheduled to occur in 2024. If the options are exercised, the second and third vessels are expected to be delivered in 2025 and 2027 respectively.
Our interview with VT Halter Marine during Sea Air Space 2021:
