Austal USA Books $273M USCG Offshore Patrol Cutter Contract

Austal USA was awarded a $273 million contract option by the U.S. Coast Guard to construct a second Stage 2 Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter, or OPC.

The shipbuilding company said Wednesday the contract also covers the procurement of long lead-time material needed to build a third Stage 2 OPC. The contract falls under a broader contract for up to 11 OPCs worth $3.3 billion.

Icarus Offshore Patrol Cutter

The 110-meter Icarus (WSMM 920), the second OPC, is currently being built at Austal USA’s facility in Mobile, Alabama. It is engineered for extended missions with a range of 10,200 nautical miles at 14 knots and an endurance period of 60 days. It will be utilized for Coast Guard offshore operations, including law enforcement, counter-narcotics, migrant interdiction and search and rescue missions.

Each vessel can be autonomously deployed or alongside task groups. It can be a mobile command and control platform during critical operations like disaster response and mass migration. Furthermore, the OPCs can be utilized for Arctic missions, including safeguarding commerce and energy operations in Alaska.

Remarks From Austal Limited CEO

“The Austal USA team have optimized the hull structure design of the first steel-hull OPC, Pickering, which will deliver a more efficient build process, a reduction in vessel weight and ultimately a longer vessel life expectancy,” said Austal CEO Paddy Gregg.

“Austal USA has also developed a new 3-D model of the OPC, that is enabling each vessel module manufactured in Mobile, Alabama, to be completed to an industry-leading level of completion,” Gregg added.

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