Eastern wins long-awaited OPC contract; icebreakers gain in Congress

摘要

As the calendar flipped to September, all eyes in the world of military shipbuilding turned intently to Washington as the Coast Guard prepared to deliver the biggest procurement plum in decades: a contract potentially worth $10 billion to build up to 25 offshore patrol cutters. Late on Sept. 15, champagne corks began flying in Panama City, Fla. Eastern Shipbuilding Group, a family-held company with a long record of delivering commercial vessels on time and on budget, had been selected over rivals Bollinger Shipyards and Bath Iron Works to deliver the new class of ships.