Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Member Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Senate Armed Services Committee Member Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) announced on Thursday the Navy has awarded Bath Iron Works a contract modification worth approximately $74 million.
The contract modification calls for BIW to continue providing design, planning and material support services to the Navy for two ship classes, DDG-51 class destroyers and FFG-7 class frigates.
“We are pleased that the Navy chose to modify BIW’s contract, which will allow the highly-skilled workforce at the Bath shipyard to continue to make important improvements to the ships responsible for the future of our national security,” Collins and King said.
BIW has long partnered with the Navy on planning yard contracts for the two ship classes.
The contract work will be carried out in Bath, Maine, and is set for completion by December 2016.
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel visited BIW’s facility in Bath last month to celebrate the launch of the USS Zumwalt. The ship is the first of three DDG-1000 guided missile destroyers the Navy has contracted BIW to build. It’s slated to begin patrols in 2015.
BIW is a subsidiary of General Dynamics, which is among the world’s largest defense contractors.