Page 29: of Marine News Magazine (May 2013)

erate seas up to transit speed for eight hours and survival on very rough seas up to loiter speed for eight hours is a critical part of the FRC mission set. Heavily armed, the FRCs measure 154? LOA, drawing 9? 6? in draft and have a range of 2,950 nautical miles. They can carry a crew of 24. U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert Papp insists that the Sentinel class is a critical asset, but Papp also said recently that getting all of the National Security Cutters built was one of his top priorities. SWIFTSHIPS : BANKING ON GLOBAL SALESSwiftships Shipbuilders produces military-grade patrol crafts, with 126 commercial hulls produced since 1947, with swift patrol boats and commercial vessels sales in over 40 countries. Although quite busy at the moment, CEO Shehraze Shah also admitted that because of sequestration- induced, federal budget cuts, industry is having a tough time. And, demand from U.S. FMS clients has declined. ?The PMS 325 NAVSEA PEO has been affected by fur- loughs and is too short-staffed now to be effective,? he said. PMS 325 is the Support Ships, Boats and Craft Pro- gram Of ce within the Defense Department?s group called PEO Ships, which procures mission and support vessels. ?Both old and new ship-building programs are being shifted because of budget cuts,? Shah said. ?Timelines have been delayed. Swiftships? last three 35m patrol boats, which were part of an original 15 PBs through a letter of authorization approved by the Iraqi Navy, have been delayed. Pressure by the Iraqi Navy to deliver them isn?t enough to force the USN to move.? ?The impacts of furloughs, budget cuts and volunteer time-offs by Foreign Military Sales within the USN threat- ens U.S. shipbuilding,? Shah said. Demand for patrol boats is still strong, however, because of ongoing piracy, terrorism and inadequate maritime defense in the Middle East. Separately, Swiftships? 28m Coastal Patrol Craft, part of a strategic plan by the Obama Administration, brings aid to Egypt and helps that nation create jobs,? he said. Swift- ships has built most of Egypt?s Naval Fleet since 1984 and has supported EN?s 25m Patrol Craft Program, and is now building 28m patrol crafts under a $180 million contract. Swiftships is the  rst American shipyard to offer a for- eign military partnership ? in this case with Egypt under U.S. State Department-approved Camp David funds, Shah said. Under the State Dept.?s ?Build, Operate, Trans- fer? program, Swiftships offered two 28m patrol crafts ? PC595 and PC596 ? delivered to Egypt in late 2011, along with four PC597-600 hulls as KITS for construc- tion in Egypt. Construction of these vessels is done by the workers in Alexandria, Egypt under the supervision of Swiftships Subject Matter Experts. Swiftships is under an LOR with the EN for an addi- tional four patrol crafts, Hulls 630 to 633, with the con- tract expected to be awarded to Swiftships by September 2013. This program allows EN to train its trades craftsmen in Swiftships? main facility in Morgan City to learn Ameri- can capabilities and quality, while enforcing a positive alli- ance between the United States and Egypt, Shah said. In February, Swiftships delivered two 35-meter patrol boats PB-310 and PB-311 to Iraq, the tenth and eleventh vessels in a $282 million contract. PB-312, the twelfth vessel, left Morgan City in late April and will arrive in Umm Qasr on June 1. Swiftships has bene ted from a partnership be- tween the U.S. and the rejuvenated Iraqi maritime defense. NORTH RIVER: US NAVY HARBOR SECURITY North River Boats has delivered the  rst eight of nine, 36? U.S. Navy Force Protection Large Harbor Security Pa- trol Boats under a contract valued at just over $3 million. Mike Blocher, director of sales explained, ?We?re scheduled to deliver the ninth boat in early July,? he said. The Navy harbor security boat FP-L is a high-speed www.marinelink.com MN 29MN May2013 Layout 18-31.indd 29MN May2013 Layout 18-31.indd 295/3/2013 12:54:01 PM5/3/2013 12:54:01 PM