The U.S. Navy on May 22 said that it awarded General Dynamics’ National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) [GD] $736 million on May 19 for construction of the T-AO 213 oiler.
The Navy said on May 22 that work on T-AO 213 is predicted to complete by March 2028.
In 2016, the Navy awarded NASSCO a contract to design and construct the primary six -class oilers, T-AO 205 – T-AO 210, and awarded NASSCO a contract modification last 12 months for the development of two additional -class fleet replenishment oilers (T-AO 211 and 212), “with the choice for the Navy to obtain an extra oiler, T-AO 213 which was included within the 2023 defense budget,” GD said.
The -class oilers are to switch the Henry J. Kaiser-class oilers (T-AO-187) operated by Military Sealift Command to offer as much as 162,000 barrels of oil for underway Navy ships and jet fuel for planes on aircraft carriers. The brand new oilers also provide some dry cargo capability, aviation capability and might travel as much as 20 knots.
The brand new T-AO 205 class are designed with double hulls and strengthened cargo and ballast tanks to assist protect against oil spills. The Navy plans to purchase 20 recent oilers.
Last Dec. 5, construction began on USNS Robert F. Kennedy (T-AO 208), the fourth within the -class (, Dec. 6, 2022).
NASSCO is in production on the USNS Lucy Stone (T-AO 209) and two Expeditionary Sea Base ships (ESB), the longer term USS John L. Canley (ESB-6) and USS Robert E. Simanek (ESB 7).
The corporate also has the longer term USNS Sojourner Truth (T-AO 210), Thurgood Marshall (T-AO 211) and Ruth Bader Ginsburg (T-AO 212) and ESB-8 under contract.
In line with the Navy’s fiscal 12 months 2023 budget request, procurement costs for the oilers covering FY ‘23 to FY ‘27 range from $679 million to $795 million each.
The primary six John Lewis-class oilers were procured under a block buy contract from the FY ‘16 defense authorization act.
Last July, the Navy accepted delivery of the primary ship in the brand new class, the USNS (T-AO 205) (Defense Every day, July 29, 2022).
