Fast Response News

The Coast Guard authenticated the keel for the future Coast Guard Cutter Pickering during a ceremony Monday in Mobile, Alabama. Keel authentication is a time-honored shipbuilding tradition marking the formal start of a vessel’s construction. During the ceremony, the sponsor’s initials are applied to a ceremonial keel plate that will be installed on the cutter, symbolically indicating the keel is “truly and fairly laid.” Adm. Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard, attended the event along with Rep.

VIKING Life-Saving Equipment, a maritime safety solutions specialist and supplier of high-performance boats, has signed a contract with the Norwegian Customs Service (Tolletaten) to deliver a new fleet of cutting-edge patrol and fast response craft.The new boats will strengthen Tolletaten’s maritime capabilities and support its law enforcement and inspection duties in Norwegian waters.The agreement covers the delivery of four VIKING Norsafe boats including one Marathon S-900, powered by twin 350 HP Mercury engines…

The Australian Border Force (ABF), Australian Federal Police, Queensland Police Service, and Papua New Guinea (PNG) authorities have successfully completed the latest Joint Cross Border Patrol in the Torres Strait.Running from September 22 to 27, officers visited communities in Daru, Sigabadaru and Ture Ture in PNG, and Saibai and Boigu Islands in the Torres Strait.The joint activity forms part of Australia and PNG's shared mission to protect the border from threats such as drugs and firearms trafficking…

The U.S. Coast Guard  exercised a contract option with Bollinger Shipyards of Lockport, Louisiana, to fund initial construction on 10 additional Fast Response Cutters (FRCs), a $507 million option that supports ongoing efforts to modernize the fleet and expand the Coast Guard’s global maritime mission.The action increases the total number of FRCs ordered under the current agreement from 67 to 77. Supported by historic investments, this legislation provides nearly $25 billion – the largest single funding commitment in Coast Guard history – including $1 billion dollars for additional FRCs.

The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned its newest cutter, Coast Guard Cutter Earl Cunningham (WPC 1159), for official entry into its service fleet during a ceremony held in Kodiak, Monday.The Earl Cunningham is the 59th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) in the service and the second of three FRCs scheduled to be homeported at Coast Guard Base Kodiak.The crew of the Cunningham primarily serves in and around the Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, and North Pacific Ocean. The cutter is designed for missions such as search and rescue…

The United States Department of Homeland Security has announced the partial termination of a shipbuilding contract with Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG), saying it was wasteful of taxpayer’s money.The Coast Guard is reviewing contracts which are failing to meet delivery agreements. An existing Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) contract with ESG has been slow to deliver four OPCs, so Secretary Kristi Noem partially canceled ESG’s contract for two out of the four OPCs expected from ESG in Panama City…

The Coast Guard (including its heritage services) have employed boats since the beginning. Boats are just as important, if not more so, than ever.America’s first “boat force” came about in 1878, with the creation of the United States Life Saving Service (USLSS), whose boat crews rescued mariners in distress along the nation’s coast line. In 1915, the USLSS merged with the United States Revenue Cutter Service (established in 1790) to form the modern-day United States Coast Guard.

The U.S. Coast Guard welcomed the nearly $25 billion investment included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Friday — marking the largest single commitment of funding in service history. The investment strengthens every facet of Coast Guard operations and supports the Service's role as the Nation’s leading drug interdiction and maritime border security force. It will allow the Coast Guard to procure an estimated 17 new icebreakers, 21 new cutters, over 40 helicopters and six C-130J…

Members of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, at a hearing today with President Trump’s nominee for Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, Admiral Kevin E. Lunday, highlighted the importance of the historic $21.2 billion investment in the Coast Guard included in the House-passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1).These investments will support the Coast Guard’s missions to protect our national security and stop illegal drugs and migrants from crossing our maritime borders. H.R.

The US Coast Guard decommissioned Coast Guard Cutter Mustang (WPB 1310) after nearly 40 years of service.Commissioned on August 29, 1986, Mustang was the 10th Island-Class cutter to join the fleet.Mustang has been stationed in Seward since it was commissioned, and its crews have since responded to over 200 search-and-rescue cases and completed over 2000 law enforcement sorties.Mustang is a 110-foot, Island-Class patrol boat, a multi-mission platform that conducted operations to support search and rescue response…

The U.S. Coast Guard decommissioned Coast Guard Cutter Naushon (WPB 1311) during a ceremony in Homer on March 21.Rear Adm. Megan Dean, the commander of Coast Guard District 17, presided over the ceremony honoring the nearly 40 years of service Naushon and its crews provided to the nation.Commissioned on October 3, 1986, Naushon was the 11th Island-Class cutter to join the fleet.Naushon has been stationed in Homer since 2016 and has since responded to over 50 search-and-rescue cases and completed nearly 900 law enforcement sorties.Naushon is a 110-foot…

The 39-metre tug Silivri has been delivered to The BOTAS Petroleum Pipeline Corporation in Turkey.The TRAktor V3900-DF series tug was recently completed at Uzmar Shipyard to a design by Robert Allan Ltd.Silivri is only the second vessel in the world to combine Voith Schneider propulsion with dual-fuel LNG/diesel engines. This unique arrangement has only been combined once before, on her sistership Sultanhani, delivered earlier in the year to the same owner.Equipped with Wärtsilä 6L34DF engines and 32X6 Voith Schneider propellers…

The crew of Coast Guard Cutter John Witherspoon (WPC 1158) arrived at the cutter’s new homeport in Kodiak, Tuesday.The cutter is scheduled to be commissioned during a ceremony in April.The Witherspoon is the first of three Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) scheduled to be homeported at Coast Guard Base Kodiak and is now the fourth FRC currently based in Alaska. While these ships will be homeported in Kodiak, they will operate throughout the 17th Coast Guard District to include the U.S. Arctic, Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea.

MPT announced the addition of Dr. Crystal Allen Craft as Vice Principal of Academic Affairs. Dr. Craft brings extensive maritime, engineering, and leadership history to this role, contributing to MPT’s position as the U.S.’s largest private maritime training school.Dr. Craft began her professional career at New York Maritime College (SUNY), earning a dual degree in engineering and humanities in 2001. Her early years at sea saw her managing complex engineering operations as a licensed unlimited engineer with the American Maritime Officers (AMO).

Bollinger Shipyards announced the delivery of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) John Witherspoon at Coast Guard Sector Key West. This is the 58th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) delivered under the U.S. Coast Guard's current program and the 184th vessel built by Bollinger for the U.S. Coast Guard over a 40-year partnership and will be homeported in Kodiak, Alaska. The John Witherspoon will be homeported in Kodiak, Alaska. This vessel is the fourth FRC to join the fleet in Alaskan waters, reinforcing maritime security and bolstering the U.S.

Alternative fuels are not top of the list of naval requirements for gensets, but they are inching their way up.The naval world is largely exempt from the decarbonization pressure faced by commercial shipping, but it can’t ignore it entirely. As a famed naval strategist once said: “Fuel stands first in importance of the resources necessary to a fleet.”Navies must therefore consider their fuel supply options carefully given that commercial shipping is currently rewriting supply and demand dynamics.Indeed…

Austal USA held a ceremony marking the official start of construction on the first U.S. Coast Guard Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) to be built at its Mobile, Ala., shipyard. The vessel, named Pickering (WSMM 919), is the lead vessel in a series potentially comprising up to 11 cutters under a contract valued at $3.3 billion.Designed at 360 feet in length, the OPC program is set to replace the Coast Guard's aging medium endurance cutters, filling a crucial role between the open-ocean national security cutters and the coastal fast response cutters.

Silver Ships, a boatbuilder based in Theodore, Ala., announced the successful completion of reactivation and crew familiarization training for four Coastal Fast Response Boats (CFRBs) recently delivered to the Montenegrin Navy. The training, which spanned two weeks, concluded with a graduation ceremony attended by officials from the Montenegrin Navy, the Ministry of Defense, and the U.S. Embassy. U.S. Ambassador Judy Rising Reinke was present to commend the crews and present training…

The U.S. Coast Guard late last month exercised an option to extend its contract with Birdon America for a program to upgrade its fleet of 47' Motor Lifeboats (MLB).The modification, announced on July 25, extends the term of Birdon's 47' MLB Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) contract through Order Years 6-10 and will allow up to another 72 MLBs to receive significant overhauls and upgrades.The Coast Guard's primary search and rescue platform, the 47' MLB is an all-weather fast response vessel used to patrol vast areas of the country's coastline.

Six people were rescued after abandoning their fire-stricken fishing vessel off the U.S. East Coast, Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.At 8:56 p.m., Coast Guard Sector Northern New England command center watchstanders received a mayday call from the 81-foot trawler Three Girls stating that the vessel was ablaze and the captain, NOAA observer and four crew members on board were preparing to abandon ship about 105 nautical miles east of Portsmouth, N.H. The First Coast Guard District command center also received an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon from the vessel.At 9 p.m.…

The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned its 56th Fast Response Cutter and first one to be stationed in the Pacific Northwest during a ceremony held in Astoria, Ore., Thursday, marking the vessel's official entry into active service.Built by Bollinger Shipyards and delivered to the Coast Guard earlier this year, the Coast Guard Cutter David Duren (WPC-1156) is the first of three planned Fast Response Cutter’s (FRC) to be homeported in Astoria.The ceremony was presided by Vice Adm. Andrew Tiongson, Pacific Area Commander.

Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Silver Ships announced it has delivered the first four coastal fast response boats (CFRB) under a contract award worth $6.12 million from the Naval Sea Systems Command.The vessels were designed and constructed as a part of the U.S. Navy Foreign Military Sale (FMS) program and will benefit the NATO Navy, while the other three boats support a Central American Navy upon delivery.The seven custom-designed military CRFBs feature specialized communication and navigation equipment. These durable, 46-foot deep-vee hull vessels feature a cabin and WING collar system.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has opted to extend its Sentinel-Class Fast Response Cutters (FRC) build program, exercising a contract option with Bollinger Shipyards for two additional vessels.The move brings the total number of FRCs awarded to Bollinger up to 67 vessels since the program’s inception. To date, the U.S. Coast Guard has commissioned 55 FRCs into operational service.“We’re incredibly proud of our long history supporting the U.S. Coast Guard that now stretches four decades,” said Bollinger Shipyards President and CEO Ben Bordelon.