USA: GD NASSCO Lands USD 359.7 Mln Deal for Third MLP Ship

General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $359,750,000 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-09-C-2229) for the procurement of the detail design and construction of a third Mobile Landing Platform ship.

Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif. (58 percent); Pittsburgh, Pa. (7 percent); Beloit, Wis. (6 percent); Crozet, Va. (3 percent); Chesapeake, Va. (2 percent); Belle Chasse, La. (1 percent); and various sites throughout the United States (14 percent) and outside the United States (9 percent). Work is expected to be complete by January 2015.

Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

The Mobile Landing Platform is a new class of auxiliary ship for the Navy. Once delivered to the fleet, these ships will join the three Maritime Prepositioning Force squadrons that are strategically located around the world to enable rapid response in a crisis. These vessels will change the way the Maritime Prepositioning Force operates. MLPs will provide a “pier at sea” that will become the core of the Navy and Marine Corps seabasing concept. This capability will allow prepositioning ships like LMSR’s and T-AKE’s to offload equipment and supplies to the MLP for transshipment to shore by LCACs or other vessels. MLP ships will be 233 meters (765 feet) in length and 50 meters (164 feet) in beam, with a design draft of 12 meters (29 feet). The deadweight tonnage is in excess of 60,000 metric tons.

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Source: defense.gov, February 28, 2012; Image: nassco