BIW could lose out on ship contract
Bath Iron Works could lose its chance to bid on a contract to build high-speed combat ships for the U.S. Navy, now that the military branch is considering a new proposal to build them in Alabama and Wisconsin.
The proposal drafted last week ups the number of littoral combat ships the Navy originally wanted from 10 to 20, with construction to be split between Austal USA in Alabama and Marinette Marine Corp. in Wisconsin, according to The Associated Press. BIW had been partnering with Austal to build one version of the ships, but split with the company in March in order to compete for a five-ship contract the Navy initially planned to award in 2012. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said awarding two, 10-ship contracts to Austal and Marinette would save money, according to The AP.
The change in acquisition strategy requires congressional approval, but should it pass, it would make it unlikely that BIW could compete for a contract for any of the high-speed ships, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins told the paper. BIW spokesman Jim DeMartini declined to comment on the issue.
Go to the article from The AP >>
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