BATH, Maine_ The US Coast Guard is expected to award a major contract this month, as it launches a plan to replace more than two dozen of its aging cutters used to patrol the coast. "BIW is clearly in the running." says Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Bath Iron Works has built more than 500 military and civilian ships in its 126 year history, including more than half of the Navy's Arleigh Burke class Aegis destroyers, which Collins says could make the shipyard's bid more attractive.
“It knows how to build a cutter to naval specifications," she says "And that’s what the Coast Guard has asked for. And that should help give BIWa leg up in the competition."
It’s estimated that if all 25 of the planned cutters are actually built, the contract could be worth over $11 billion.
