THOR was a member of the Chugach Alaska Corporation team recently awarded a follow-on contract to pro-vide acquisition support to the USGC Fast Response Cutter (FRC) Project Resident Office (PRO) in Lockport, Louisiana. THOR has been supporting PRO Lockport since April 2014, on two prior contract vehicles. The USCG PRO manages FRC production on-site for the Coast Guard and is staffed by active duty Coast Guard, civilian personnel, and the Chugach support team. THOR’s Subject Matter Experts (SME), Mr. John Petrie and Mr. Darrell Schofield, provide over-sight of the FRC acquisition to ensure that the contractor is meeting the con-tract’s provisions.

In early August 2019, the Coast Guard exercised a contract option for the pro-duction of six more Sentinel-class FRCs and associated deliverables worth just over $297.4M with Bollinger Shipyards of Lockport, Louisiana. This option brings the total number of FRCs under contract with Bollinger to 56 and the total value of the contract to approximately $1.23B. The contract has a potential value of $1.42B if options to procure all 58 cutters are exercised. The FRCs built under this option will be delivered beginning late 2022 into late 2023. To date, there are 33 FRCs in operational service. The Coast Guard accepted delivery of the 35th fast FRC, Angela McShan, in Key West, Florida, Aug. 1, 2019. The Sentinel-class FRC is a key component of the Coast Guard’s offshore fleet. The FRC can deploy independently to conduct missions that include port, waterways and coastal security; fishery patrols; search and rescue; and national defense. Named after Coast Guard enlisted heroes, the FRCs are replacing the aging Island-class 110-foot patrol boats.

The team will report to Mr. Kevin Nelson, Head of THOR’s Shipbuilding Division. “We are proud to continue our critical acquisition support to PRO Lockport,” said Kevin. “The FRC is a vital asset in the Coast Guard Fleet, and our acquisition expertise will help ensure new vessels with the required capabilities are delivered on schedule.”