Page 41: of Marine News Magazine (October 2024)

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Vessels

Coast Guard MLBs the 47’ MLB is an all-weather fast response vessel used to patrol vast areas of the country’s coastline. These vessels are designed to operate in surf up to 20 feet, heavy weather with seas of 30 feet combined with 50 knot winds, and are rollover capable, meaning that if capsized, the vessels self- right and can continue operations.

In 2019, Birdon America was awarded a 10-year con- tract to perform a 20-year service life extension for the

Steve Strohmaier / U.S. Coast Guard

U.S. Coast Guard’s 47’ MLB ? eet and extend the useful

The U.S. Coast Guard exercised an option to extend its life of the ? eet through 2047.

contract with Birdon America for a program to upgrade its The company, a subsidiary of the Australia-based Birdon ? eet of 47’ Motor Lifeboats (MLB). The modi? cation, an- Group, has since established full-rate production facilities nounced on July 25, extends the term of Birdon’s 47’ MLB in Bellingham, Wash. and Portland, Conn. to facilitate a

Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) contract through bi-coastal delivery process, and to date has delivered nine-

Order Years 6-10 and will allow up to another 72 MLBs to teen MLBs to operational units, with another nineteen receive signi? cant overhauls and upgrades. currently undergoing SLEP. With the July 25 modi? ca-

The Coast Guard’s primary search and rescue platform, tion, up to 117 total vessels can be delivered through 2029.