Called the Missile Range Instrumentation Vessel, or MRIV, the ship will be built with TOTE Services as vessel construction manager. Once finished, it will be handed to the Maritime Administration (MARAD), which will run it for the agency.
Taking over from Pacific Tracker and Pacific Collector
The new ships will be about 525 feet long. They are due to replace Pacific Tracker, built in 1965, and Pacific Collector, built in 1970, which handle missile range instrumentation missions today.
The yard is not starting from scratch: the MRIV is based on the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel, or NSMV, which it is already building under TOTE Services’ management. The two will share a hull design and substantial commonality, which the company said cuts design and construction risk.
Hanwha Philly Shipyard said it will use its active production line, its established U.S. supply chain and the workforce and expertise built up on the NSMV program. Four government bodies are involved: the Department of Transportation, MARAD, the Department of War and the Missile Defense Agency.
Shipbuilding base in focus
“The MRIV program demonstrates the value of maintaining an active, capable U.S. shipbuilding industrial base, one that can take proven platforms, experienced people and established production infrastructure and put them to work for new and increasingly important missions,” said David Kim, CEO of Hanwha Philly Shipyard. “We are honored to continue our partnership with TOTE Services and to build these vessels here in Philadelphia.”
The company said the award comes as Washington puts fresh emphasis on shoring up the maritime industrial base and expanding domestic shipbuilding capacity. It did not say how much the contract is worth.
