The US Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) has awarded a contract to Fincantieri Marine Systems to provide maintenance support for the Navy’s Avenger-class mine countermeasure (MCM) ships.
The mission-essential maintenance services will be provided to MCM ships deployed in Japan and Bahrain for a one-year base period.
According to NAVSUP division director Joshua Rogers, the agreement offers an “expeditious and cost-effective” means of supporting the ships through “preventive, planned, corrective, and emergent” engine maintenance and repair.
He further noted that the services would assist MCM ship operations to ensure they can perform critical missions.
“This contract took a significant effort from multiple entities, including the contracting team and legal counsel at [NAVSUP], as well as the customer contacts in San Diego, Bahrain, and Japan,” Rogers said. “The contracting team did an exceptional job of developing this complex contract.”
The Avenger-Class MCM Ship
Developed by Marinette Marine Corporation, the Avenger-class minesweeper is tasked with finding, classifying, and destroying moored and bottom mines.
It uses various tools, such as sonar, video systems, cable cutters, and remote-controlled detonating devices to neutralize mines.
The ships are equipped with four Isotta Fraschini diesel engines, which provide “very low” magnetic and acoustic signatures. The engines allow the MCM to cruise at a maximum of 14 knots (16 miles/25 kilometers per hour).
According to the US Navy, the Avenger-class ships are the first large mine countermeasures ships built in the US in nearly 27 years.