06 Sep 2007 | Ref. 270/2007
NORFOLK, Virginia – BAE Systems has been awarded a contract by Maersk Line, Limited for the drydocking and preservation of the USNS Soderman (T-AKR 317), one of nineteen Military Sealift Command (MSC) Large, Medium-Speed Roll-on/Roll-off (LMSR) Ships. The 55-day work package will begin in mid-September and is valued at $9.3 million, not including options. All work will take place at BAE Systems Ship Repair in Norfolk.
BAE Systems will conduct drydocking and underwater work on the Soderman, including maintenance and repairs to propulsion systems and machinery, and preservation of the vessel’s hull, tanks and topside areas.
Additionally, the contract includes ship security upgrades, ship-specific voyage repairs and general maintenance and repairs to machinery, valves, pumps, and structural components, along with electrical and piping systems.
The Soderman, which Maersk Line, Limited operates for MSC, is the fourth MSC ship BAE Systems Ship Repair has worked on since May. Repairs on the USNS Arctic, MSC’s fast combat support ship, and USNS Kanawha, a fleet replenishment oiler, are currently ongoing. The vessels are due to depart the shipyard in September and October respectively. The company also completed the overhaul of another MSC LMSR, USNS Brittin, in July.
“Maersk’s confidence in our services is a testament to our workforce’s ability to deliver, time and again,” said Al Krekich, president, BAE Systems Ship Repair. “Our partnership represents the best in joint commercial support to the operation and maintenance of these important Military Sealift Command vessels.”
LMSRs are among the largest cargo ships in the world and can carry up to 380,000 square feet of combat cargo -- the equivalent of more than six football fields of wheeled and tracked vehicles -- at speeds up to 24 knots. They are equipped with on-board ramps and cranes to assist in loading oversized cargo including helicopters, M1A1 tanks and Bradley Combat Systems vehicles.
BAE Systems Ship Repair is the United States’ leading non-nuclear ship repair, modernization and conversion company – focused on dry dock and ship repair services for the U.S. Navy, other defense agencies and commercial customers. It has major operations in Norfolk, San Diego, San Francisco and Hawaii.
About BAE Systems
BAE Systems is the premier global defense and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. BAE Systems, with 96,000 employees worldwide, had 2006 sales that exceeded $27 billion on a pro forma basis, assuming BAE Systems had owned Armor Holdings, Inc. for the whole of 2006.
For further information, please contact:
John Kowalczyk, BAE Systems
Tel: +1 757 494 2977 Mobile: +1 757 717 8391
john.kowalczyk@baesystems.com
Susan Lenover, BAE Systems
Tel: +1 703 907 8259 Mobile: +1 703 850 1621
susan.lenover@baesystems.com
www.baesystems.com
