WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins, a senior member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and Angus King, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today announced that Bath Iron Works (BIW) has been selected to remain in competition for the U.S. Coast Guard’s on-going source selection for preliminary and contract design of the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC). 

“The Coast Guard's Offshore Patrol Cutter contract would be an ideal fit for Bath Iron Works,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “BIW has the capacity to assemble ships the size and ruggedness of the Offshore Patrol Cutters and the workforce needed to do the job, as well as a track record of designing, building and providing life cycle support for superior quality ships.”

The Coast Guard released a Request for Proposal for the design and construction of the Offshore Patrol Cutter that closed on January 23, 2013, and BIW was one of the original eight shipyards to submit a design and construction proposal for the OPC. Today, the U.S. Coast Guard has reportedly narrowed the number of competitive shipyards to five. 

The Coast Guard will continue the source selection and select up to three preliminary designs in early 2014 for a two-year period of performance before down-selecting to a single design and shipbuilder. The OPC will complement the Coast Guard's legacy fleet and next-generation cutters to extend operational capabilities across the mission spectrum. Construction on the OPC is scheduled to begin in fiscal year 2017.

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