Silver Ships, Theodore, Ala., recently completed the first deliveries under the Naval Sea Systems Command of seven 36' open center console (OCC) vessels and two 26' open center console (OCC) vessels, under the Naval Special Warfare Surface Support Craft (NSWSSC) contract.
The Navy has also conducted pre-delivery inspection and testing (PDIT) of three vessel variants included in the contract.
The NSWSSC contract entails construction of five different vessel variants of the Ambar series RIBs. The NSW surface support craft (SSC) are 26' and 36' aluminum deep-vee hulled boats with a protective collar. Both boat series have a multipurpose deck for carrying various payloads or mission gear. Variants of the SSC include both open center console (OCC) and cabin versions, in addition to the SPC-LE2 variant.
The craft are used from inland bays and waterways to deep water over-the-horizon transits, in all operating conditions and weather. The Navy SSC vessels will support the Naval Special Warfare community via ocean diver and swimmer support, medical transport, vessel towing and water airdrop training, among other missions.
Silver Ships has also delivered the first SPC-LE2 vessel variants to Coast Guard Station Miami Beach; Coast Guard Station South Padre Island, Texas; and the USCG Maritime Law Enforcement Academy in Charleston, S.C.
The 36' Coast Guard SPC-LE2 vessels are armed and will be operated in varying conditions along the length of the borders of the U.S. and the Caribbean. Typical SPC-LE2 missions involve intercepting suspicious vessels entering U.S. waters and will also be used for port security and other missions. Additional vessel variant under advanced design and production is the 36' cabin version.
The $8.2 million delivery order is a Firm-Fixed-Price Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) single award contract (N00024-21-D-2205) by the Naval Sea Systems Command for the construction and delivery of up to 110 Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Surface Support Craft (SSC) and U.S. Coast Guard Special Purpose Craft, Law Enforcement II (SPC-LE) vessels, in addition to
The contract includes options that, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $51.6 million and production work would continue through 2026-2027.
“We are very pleased with early production and testing of the NSW SSC and SPC-LE2 boats,” Shawn Lobree, Silver Ships federal contracts manager and project lead, said in a statement announcing the deliveries and contracts. “More importantly, our Navy and Coast Guard customers have inspected the first of three variants and are pleased with vessel performance. Initial inspections and testing were completed in a spirit of teamwork, continuous learning and improvement. We will continue to closely team with these partners as we increase production to meet contract requirements in the next several years,”
Silver Ships began building SSCs for the Navy in 2006 and has constructed more than 650 RIBs for all branches of the U.S. military over the past 20 years.
