3PSC LLC, Cape Canaveral, Fla., is being awarded a $19,216,896 firm-fixed-price contract for the operation and maintenance of six Military Sealift Command (MSC) oceanographic survey ships worldwide. Six of MSC's seven oceanographic ships are multipurpose and perform acoustic, biological, physical and geophysical surveys, providing much of the U.S. military's information on the ocean environment. These ships use multi-beam, wide-angle, precision sonar systems that make it possible to continuously chart a broad section of ocean floor. The seventh oceanographic survey ship collects data in coastal regions around the world. The data collected helps improve technology in undersea warfare, ship detection and charting the world's coastlines. This contract includes options, including a seventh-vessel option, four one-year options and five six-month award-term options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $266,532,588. Work will be performed worldwide, and work is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2010. If all options are exercised, work is expected to be completed in March 2017. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the MSC website, with multiple proposals solicited and five offers received. The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00033-09-C-2504).