Miss. HII angling for oiler pact

Huntington Ingalls Industries is trying to angle a contract to construct a new fleet and class of Navy oilers at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss. In January, Defense News and Inside The Navy trade publications reported that the Navy wants to bundle a limited-competition for the new oiler between Ingalls and General Dynamics’s NASSCO. Combining the contracts, the Navy says, is justified because Ingalls and NASSCO are the only two shipbuilders capable of building both a new class of oiler and the new amphibious assault ship class (LHA-8). A Congressional Research Service report says the $674.2 million requested in the Navy's FY 2016 budget would purchase the first 17 oilers. Oilers handle the Navy’s underway replenishments (UNREPS) delivering fuel to warships and their aircraft. The current fleet of Navy oilers includes 15 Henry J. Kaiser class ships. Ship-life expectancy is 35 years. The oldest reaches that age in 2021. The Kaiser ships were built at Avondale (La.) Shipyards, which is now under HII. Avondale no longer builds ships for the Navy. HII is considering ways to redevelop the site with an eye on the oil and gas sector. (Newport News (Va.) Daily Press 02/20/15)