Kvichak/ Manitowoc partnership in $600 million contract to build new Coast Guard boats
A partnership of two ship builders win a coveted $600 million contract to replace the aging fleet of the U.S. Coast Guard (240 of its boats entered service more than 30 years ago); the new boat design — by a Scottish design company — will allow the boats both to withstand stormy seas and give chase at 50 mph
Seattle, Washington-based Kvichak Marine Industries and the Wisconsin-based Manitowoc Co. won a $600 million contract Monday to supply the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) with 250 new boats — the official name is Response Boat-Medium (RB-M) vessels — half of which will be built in Seattle. Kvichak allowed its employees some time off Monday morning to celebrate winning the contract to build 125 new-generation 41-foot medium-response boats for the USCG. The boat is designed to survive heavy seas but also carry out pursuits in excess of 50 mph. The shipyard now employs 130 people, and as a result of the Coast Guard contract will add another 100 to the payroll.
The Manitowoc/Kvichak three-year contract will allow the Coast Guard to develop the replacement for the service’s original fleet of 208 41-foot Utility Boats (UTBs), which entered service in 1973. Deliveries of the RB-Ms 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 utilizes a design from Dunoon, Argyll, Scotland-based Camarc, and was constructed by Kvichak. Both Kvichak and Camarc have long experience in jet-driven, high-speed aluminum boats.
The company got its start in the early 1980s building fishing boats, but no fishing boats are being built there now. “I think in 1997, we were down to about 15 people and that’s very slow. We had just about no work for a while,” said Keith Wittermore, a partner in Kvichak Marine Industries. Lately, the boats built by Kvichak include oil skimmers, police boats, ferries, and boats for the military. Business increased after 9/11.
