Navy Purchases Another INLS

An interesting contract award today.

Marinette Marine Corp., Marinette, Wis., is being awarded $33,100,000 under a previously awarded firm-fixed contract (N00025-03-C-0002) for the acquisition of four causeway ferrys available to be built under options two and three of the Improved Navy Lighterage System. This award also includes all ten modules constituting a Roll On/Roll-Off discharge facility procured as separate modules under the rotable pool in option four. Altogether, 22 separate watercraft are included: three modules for each of the four causeway ferrys, plus ten modules making up the RR/DF. After exercise of these items, the total cumulative contract amount will be $377,428,339. Work will be performed at the Marinette, Wis. (94 percent) and Yonges Island, S.C., (6 percent), and work is expected to be complete May 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $13,144,392 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Headquarters, Wash., D.C., is the contracting activity.

I will be talking to Capt. John Nowell, commodore of Africa Partnership Station 2008 tomorrow morning in a blogger roundtable. The Sea Basing operation off Liberia is one of many questions I intend to ask about.

As we understand it, this will be the second INLS system purchased, so that should complete the 2 traditional MPS, the question is will the Navy buy a third for the MPF(F)? As far as we are concerned, this is a great investment, because the one thing htre INLS does is enable legacy sealift in ways other capabilities do not. A good investment.