Bollinger Shipyards of Lockport, Louisiana, has submitted its final proposal to the US Coast Guard to build Stage Two of the Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) program.
If chosen, Bollinger would construct and deliver a total of 11 vessels to the coast guard over the next decade.
The proposal submitted by Bollinger states that the construction will occur at its facilities in Houma, Louisiana. Bollinger said the shipyard is strategically placed within a 100-year hurricane risk reduction system with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico without any hindrances such as drafts or time-zone differences.
Bollinger has been involved in every step of the coast guard's OPC acquisition process, including execution of the Stage One Preliminary and Contract Design, where the company was included in the final three shipyards, as well as execution of the OPC Stage Two Industry Study.
In June 2021, Bollinger submitted its initial proposal to build Stage Two of OPC program.
The Heritage-class OPCs will provide the majority of offshore presence for the coast guard's cutter fleet, bridging the capabilities of the national security cutters, which patrol the open ocean, and the Bollinger-built fast response cutters, which serve closer to shore. The OPCs will conduct missions including law enforcement, drug and migrant interdiction, search and rescue, and other homeland security and defense operations.
Each OPC will be capable of deploying independently or as part of task groups and serving as a mobile command and control platform for surge operations such as hurricane response, mass migration incidents, and other events.
The cutters will also support Arctic objectives by helping regulate and protect emerging commerce and energy exploration in Alaska.