VT Halter Begins Building 3rd USN Berthing Barge
VT Halter Marine, a company of ST Engineering North America, has started construction on the third Auxiliary Personnel Lighter – Small (APL(S)), a new class of berthing barges commissioned by the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA).
VT Halter Marine received a $77.9 million contract to design and build two firm units of the new class of berthing barges in September 2018, with options for another four. The company expects the first two vessels to be delivered in the third quarter of 2020, and the third unit to be delivered in 4Q 2020.
This barge is the first of these four options, and was awarded to VT Halter Marine in February 2019, bringing the total value of this contract award to $118 million.
When completed, the Navy will use these berthing barges to house crewmembers when ships are in port for maintenance and Inter-Deployment Training Cycles. The APLs are mobile and can be towed to new bases or shipyards to support changing fleet requirements and also offer potential use for humanitarian missions and other temporary assignments.
The new vessels will be 82 meters long x 20.95 meters wide x 2.2 meters draft. Additionally, the vessels will be capable of seating 228 enlisted personnel and 56 officers for each meal. Each vessel is equipped with offices, classrooms, washrooms, laundry facilities, medical treatment areas, a barber shop and a fitness center. The vessels are being fitted with mixed gender berthing spaces for 74 officers and 537 enlisted personnel, for a total of 611 people.
