Manitowoc locks up $600M Coast Guard contract

The Manitowoc Company announced that, as prime contractor and program manager, it has been awarded a multi-year contract by the U.S. Coast Guard for the construction and delivery of up to 250 Response Boat-Medium (RB-M) vessels for a total contract value of up to $600 million.

Manitowoc will share the contract equally with its RB-M team partner, Kvichak Marine Industries of Seattle. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in the first half of 2008. The final design incorporates a 45-foot, self- righting aluminum hull propelled by twin water jets. The RB-M's diesel engines total 1,650 horsepower and provide a top speed in excess of 42 knots. The winning prototype utilized a design from Camarc, Ltd. and was constructed by Kvichak. Both Kvichak and Camarc have long experience in jet-driven, high- speed aluminum boats.

"Manitowoc Marine Group is gratified to continue its long and successful relationship with the U.S. Coast Guard," said Robert P. Herre, group president. "Federal government projects are among the most demanding for any shipbuilder, and the addition of the RB-M to our existing backlog of work for the U.S. Navy is an excellent endorsement of our capabilities. The RB-M will be built at Kvichak's Seattle facility and at Marinette Marine, where it will complement our Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). Both the RB-M and LCS are first- in-class vessels, and we can leverage the project management systems and tools that both projects require."

The Manitowoc/Kvichak team won a three-year competition to develop the replacement for the Coast Guard's original fleet of 208 41-foot Utility Boats (UTBs), which entered service in 1973. While the UTBs were primarily designed for search-and-rescue missions, the Coast Guard's current mission mandate now includes recreational boating safety, marine environmental protection, law enforcement/Homeland Security, and port and coastal security. The RB-M will also be operationally compatible with Department of Defense missions.

"This new class of vessel is perfectly suited for the Coast Guard's role in the 21st century," said Richard McCreary, vice president and general manager of Marinette Marine. "Its design provides flexibility for a broader range of missions that can now be accomplished with greater speed and safety. In addition, a state-of-the-art electronics suite and integrated lifecycle management system provide enhanced operational efficiencies. We fully expect the RB-M to help the Coast Guard be Semper Paratus (Always Ready) for the nation's needs."