Page 44: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (December 2016)

UNITED STATES COAST GUARD OFFSHORE PATROL CUTTER

OPC: Making Naval History

There’s much to do at Eastern Shipbuilding. Already, long- just added to Eastern’s conventional ship assembly, tipping

In September, 2016, an U.S. lead supply chain orders have gone out for the full nine cut- the scales for a Coast Guard that admittedly focused on “man- shipyard and the Canadian ters (one to start with options for eight more). It is understood agement”. The cutter con? rms Eastern facilities as “some of that two more might be contracted out of a USCG goal of 25 the most modern and ef? cient” in the country. Now, “Busi- design business of an Italian- offshore patrol cutters, or OPCs. The family owned Eastern ness is booming … at never-before-seen heights,” Eastern owned Norwegian shipyard and the globalized Vard Marine in Vancouver will ? rst use heralded in celebration. The yard has delivered 150, mostly the $110.3 million award “to complete detail design” and mid-sized vessels of up to 433 ft. Their triumph comes at won the largest vessel pro- start accommodating Coast Guard superintendents while the expense of eight shipbuilders that provided draft OPC curement contract in U.S. perfecting drawings ahead of a building start in 2018. “Vard designs and, especially, of the shortlisted General Dynamics

Marine will be responsible for the functional design of the Bath Iron Works and Bollinger Shipyards, two veteran naval

Coast Guard history. Now, hull structure and will retain control of the naval architecture shipyards.

Eastern Shipbuilding will aspects of the design through to completion of (the current)

Phase II,” Vard Marine president and CEO, Dave McMil-

VARD 7 110 build nine — and possibly lan, tells Maritime Reporter. Vard and Eastern collaborated

While Eastern has reportedly bolstered its engineering de- many more — Vard Marine for two years to submit the USCG proposal. McMillan says partment in response to the order, Vard Holdings in Norway there were “many components” that lead to success. His has hired “30 percent more naval architects and design engi- designs in its Panama City, team was also tasked with the “consulting and proprietary neers” this summer alone. Though partly cruise-ship driven,

Fla., shipyard. Early impres- design of the base vessel.” the Vard Group has delivered 300 vessels since 2000 and sees brighter days. Now with the detail design secured and sions are of a unique vessel

Eastern Vindication the cutter project’s delivery due in 2021, Dilling could safely not so unlike comparable

For Vard Holdings, with of? ces in Canada and the Unit- say Vard is “entering” the offshore patrol vessel segment ed States, these are early returns for gaining a foothold in (OPVs).

European designs by Vard two North American markets with giant national shipbuild- When the list of competing designs was shortlisted to

Holdings or parent company ing programs underway. According to the Coast Guard, the three early in 2016, the USCG said the winners would win full Phase II design-and-build award has a potential value on drawings, management, the vessel’s “(re)producibility”

Fincantieri. An oceangoing of $2.38 billion “if all options are exercised.” Budget docu- and price. “The OPC is the most affordable way to meet the hull of clean, classic — some ments suggest that number is roughly evenly split between service’s long-term need for cutters,” United States Coast 2016 and 2017. Guard Commandant Admiral Paul Zukunft is quoted as say- would say Canadian — lines “It’s the most prestigious offshore patrol project in the off- ing. Zukunft’s list also included an ability to work with in- are the platform for an elec- shore patrol segment,” said Vard executive vice-president ternational players. Eastern, the commercial shipbuilder, has for business development, Holger Dilling, taking time out in found partners in Vard Holdings and Fincantieri with a long tronics and weapons payload western Norway from Vard Holdings’ ? nancial reporting in CV of projects for world navies and coast guards, including designed, in part, for (naval)

Singapore, where they’ve recently listed. “We’re happy with the Irish, Italian, Maltese and U.A.E. McMillan said he looks the position this gives us.” forward to “supporting” Eastern in building another naval task force command-and-

For Eastern, winning the tender is vindication for spend- vessel, and Eastern has delivered at least one Vard Marine control.

ing $75 million dollars to upgrade and expand its fabricating design every year for the past decade, a list that includes six capacity. The Florida builder with two shipyards in Panama support vessels for offshore oil and gas.

By

City has worked with Vard Marine for a decade on successful commercial designs, especially offshore service vessels, or

Shared Designs

William

OSVs. For Eastern, the Coast Guard award ushers in a new

Vard’s McMillan con? rms the VARD 7 110 OPC is the era by preparing the slip for future commercial and public contract design selected to be the basis of the ? eet, “How- builds. Investments in new, modular construction has only ever there is still room for changes to be made at the USCG’s

Stoichevski (Illustration: Courtesy Vard Holdings)

RIGHT: Winning Design: an early drawing of the USCG-select Vard 7 110 from Vard

Marine and an updated version from the U.S. Coast Guard. ABOVE: Arctic Versions: the Canadian Navy is already studying the Vard 7 100 arctic OPV.

44 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • DECEMBER 2016s • DECEMBER 2016

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