(NEWS CENTER) -- An announcement was made Thursday evening by the US Coast Guard -- Bath Iron Works will not be awarded a government contract to manufacture Coast Guard cutter vessels. I
In the past, shipyard management had said this deal was crucial for maintaining current employment levels. In fact, they renegotiated labor contracts with unions here to try and cut costs to make their bid to the coast guard less costly. The contract was awarded to Eastern Shipbuilding in Panama City, Florida. That yard will produce a prototype ship and then could have at least $2.4 billion dollars of work secured, if more cutters are ordered.
Below is a complete list of pertinent public comments on the US Coast Guard deal.
- In response to the contract rejection: “We plan to meet with the Coast Guard to understand their selection decision,” - General Dynamics BIW President Fred Harris
- “We are deeply disappointed by the Coast Guard’s announcement and believe that Bath Iron Works, with its outstanding shipbuilding record, would have delivered nothing but the best, highest-quality cutters to the Coast Guard.” “We intend to evaluate the details of the award to ensure that the Coast Guard properly met all of its decision criteria, and we will continue to do all that we can to support the highly-skilled men and women at BIW who do so much to support our nation’s security.” - Maine Senators Susan Collins (R) and Angus King (I)
- "No one builds higher quality ships than the men and women at Bath Iron Works. They have consistently turned out the best-built vessels possible for the Navy and would have done so for the Coast Guard. Going forward this makes it even more important to continue the fight to bring enough work to Bath to maintain employment levels. The workforce at BIW is an important national security asset that we must preserve." - Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D)
- "The hardworking men and women at Bath Iron Works have an unmatched reputation for producing the best, most effective and most reliable ships in the world, providing an invaluable contribution to our national security and military strength around the globe," - Congressman Poliquin (R)