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US Coast Guard issues RFP for construction of up to 11 offshore patrol cutters

Offshore Patrol Cutter
Eastern Shipbuilding Group photo of the OPC design

The US Coast Guard has released a request for proposal (RFP) for the detail design and production of up to 11 offshore patrol cutters (OPCs).

The service released the competition, which is open to all interested offerors, despite picking Eastern Shipbuilding Group as the preferred builder of the new class of cutters in 2016.

Eastern Shipbuilding was expected to deliver the entire fleet of 25 OPC, however, a Category 5 hurricane made landfall in Panama City, Florida, on Oct. 10, 2018, causing extensive damage to the ESG’s shipyard and the Panama City region.

“Establishing a new, full and open competitive environment for the OPC program is a key component of the Coast Guard’s strategy to recapitalize its offshore surface capabilities,” the service said announcing the RFP.

The RFP follows industry studies contracts awarded to eight US shipyards in March 2020. The aim of the effort was assess OPC design and technical data, and the program’s construction approach. The awardees were to recommend to the coast guard potential strategies and approaches for the follow-on detail design and construction (DD&C).

Also known as Heritage-class, the new OPCs will replace the service’s aging medium endurance cutters, which are becoming increasingly expensive to maintain and operate. The 109-meter ships will bridge the capabilities of the national security cutters, which patrol the open ocean, and the fast response cutters, which serve closer to shore. The OPCs will have a range of over 9,000 nautical miles and a hangar for an MH-60 or MH-65 helicopter and an unmanned aerial system.

The US Coast Guard said deadline for responses to the RFP was May 28, 2021, with contract award scheduled for the second quarter of fiscal year 2022.