Vigor Wins Repair Contract for Hospital Ship USNS Mercy
Vigor Marine has been awarded a contract for a 93-calendar day shipyard availability for a mid-term availability of Military Sealift Command’s (MSC) hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19).
The $21,198,656 firm-fixed-price contract includes a base period and options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $21,711,746. Vigor was the sole bidder for the project.
Work will be performed in Portland, Ore., beginning March 15, 2024, and is expected to be completed by June 15, 2024.
USNS Mercy is the lead ship in a class of hospital ships owned by the Navy and operated by MSC.
Originally built as an oil tanker, SS Worth, by National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, in 1976. the ship was renamed and converted to a hospital ship by the same company starting in 1984. Mercy was placed in service in 1986 with the primary mission is to provide rapid, flexible, and mobile acute medical and surgical services to support Marine Corps Air/Ground Task Forces deployed ashore, Army and Air Force units deployed ashore, and naval amphibious task forces and battle forces afloat. Secondarily, it provides mobile surgical hospital service for use by appropriate U.S. Government agencies in disaster and humanitarian relief, and limited humanitarian care incident to these missions and to peacetime military operations.
The United States' current hospital ships, USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort, will reach the end of their expected service lives in the mid-2030s.
The Navy is currently evaluating future hospital ship (T-AH(X)) requirements, taking into consideration required capacity, the need for inter-modality, and technology advances to ensure the replacement ships meet the requirements of the future force.