Halter Marine, Inc. has been awarded a $53.6 million contract from the U.S. Navy to build a T-AGS 60 class
oceanographic research ship. The vessel will be the sixth of its class, all designed, built or under construction at Halter. Delivery of the ship is planned for December 2001.
The all-steel vessel will be 329 ft. and designed with a common bus diesel electric propulsion system consisting of twin screw propellers driven through Z-drives. Two 2,435 kW and two 1,825 kW diesel generators are integrated to provide power to the propulsion system, ship service and laboratories through a power conditioner.