Bala Cynwyd News

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx today announced that DOT has awarded contracts with a total award value of $1.96 billion over eight years to seven U.S. maritime firms to manage, maintain and operate 48 National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) vessels through January 2024. These Maritime Administration contracts are funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) National Defense Sealift Fund to support DoD’s strategic sealift mission. “Since 1946, National Defense Reserve Fleet vessels have facilitated U.S. strategic sealift, natural disaster response, and humanitarian operations all around the world,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

The US Department of Defense informs that Maersk Line and Keystone Prepositioning Services, have each been awarded vessel operation & maintenance contracts. 1. Maersk Line Ltd., Norfolk, Virginia, is being awarded a $33,016,247 modification under a previously awarded firm-fixed-price award fee contract (N00033-11-C-3110) to exercise the fourth option period of this contract for the operation and maintenance of five USNS Bobo-class ships, which support the U. S. Marine Corps Maritime Prepositioning Force worldwide. Work will be performance at sea world-wide, and work for this option period is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2015.

Keystone Prepositioning Services, Inc., Bala Cynwyd, Pa., is being awarded an $8,991,957 firm-fixed-price contract for the operation and maintenance of three of Military Sealift Command's government-owned Maritime Prepositioning Force ships:USNS Sgt. Matej Kocak, USNS Pfc. Eugene A. Obregon, and USNS Maj. Stephen W. Pless. The ships will continue to support at-sea prepositioning of equipment and supplies and surge-sealift requirements for the Department of Defense.This contract includes options, which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $47,403,888. The contract includes four one-year option periods and an annual award fee of up to $125,000 per ship.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced contracts totaling $77 million for three U.S. maritime firms to operate 10 National Defense Reserve Fleet ships through July 27, 2015. “This money will help make sure these important Defense Reserve Fleet ships are manned with skilled mariners and are ready when our Nation calls,” said Secretary LaHood. The contracts were awarded to Ocean Duchess Inc. of Houston, Texas for $16,618,430; Keystone Ocean Shipping of Bala Cynwyd, Pa. for $30,212,588; and Interocean American Shipping Corporation of Moorestown, N.J. for $30,533,710. These companies are responsible for maintaining the ships in good mechanical condition and ensuring crews are available for their operation when needed.

The Training Ship Empire State left New Orleans on Friday, March 3, marking the end of an unprecedented six-month mission for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MarAd). Ten of the agency’s ships were activated to aid in recovery and relief efforts in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This marked the first time the ships of MARAD’s Ready Reserve Force were activated at the request of the Secretary of Transportation to deal with a domestic emergency, and the first time training ships provided by MARAD to State maritime academies were pressed into service to provide food and shelter. Six ships of the Ready Reserve Force: Cape Kennedy…