MOBILE, Ala. — The U.S. Navy awarded Austal USA a $16.3 million contract Jan. 24 to perform extended industrial post-delivery availability work at its Mobile manufacturing facility — a first for Austal USA and the Navy, the company said in a release.
Austal USA will perform post-delivery work on Littoral Combat Ship 20, the future USS Cincinnati (LCS 20), at its Vessel Completion Yard along the Mobile River. This work will include engineering, management and production services in support of prefabrication efforts, material procurement and execution of work items for the LCS 20 Extended Industrial Post Delivery Availability.
Typically, this type of work is performed in San Diego, but through efforts to streamline production, support and sustainment for the LCS program, Austal USA and the Navy are teaming to reduce post-delivery cost and increase efficiency by performing additional work at Austal’s facility in Alabama.
“This is an important step in the growth of our post-delivery business,” said Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle. “We are excited to continue to expand our relationship with the Navy to do new post-delivery work in Mobile.”
Established in 1999, Austal USA has grown to become the fifth largest shipbuilder in the United States through innovative practices. The company’s moving modular assembly line revolutionized the shipbuilding industry and helped it capture the U.S. Navy’s expeditionary fast transport contract and the Independence-variant LCS contract, now a critical part of the shipbuilding industrial base supporting nearly 10,000 suppliers across the country.
As the company continues to invest in its workforce and facilities, Austal USA is expanding its offerings in small surface combatants, auxiliary support ships, autonomous vehicles and worldwide post-delivery support and sustainment.
“We’re appreciative of the recognition and confidence the U.S. Navy has displayed in us through continuous contractual awards in ship construction and post-delivery, including the recent award as prime contractor for the drydocking of LCS 14,” said Perciavalle. “But I can tell you, we’ve only scratched the surface on what Austal USA can provide.”
