Navy Buys Three Maritime Positioning Ships

[ds]

WTAK-1 Inc., Mobile, Ala., is being awarded $49,650,000 to exercise an option under a previously awarded firm fixed price contract (N00033-82-C-1019) for the purchase of Maritime Prepositioning Ship Sgt Matej Kocak. WTAK-1 Inc., which held Military Sealift Command’s (MSC’s) previous long-term contract for Kocak, is executing the sale on behalf of Wilmington Trust Co., as shipowner and UPB Leasing Ventures as beneficiary. The ship has been under long-term charter to MSC since 1984. The ship will remain crewed by about 30 civilian mariners employed by Waterman Steamship Corp., Mobile, Ala. Kocak is one of 15 Maritime Prepositioning ships that strategically preposition U.S. Marine Corps cargo at sea around the world, making the cargo readily available to warfighters who are flown into a theater of operations. The ship will transfer to U.S. government ownership on Jan. 15, 2009 and will continue to operate worldwide. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Braintree V Maritime Corp., North Quincy, Mass., is being awarded $48,585,495 to exercise an option under a previously awarded firm fixed price contract (N00033-82-C-1036) for the purchase of Maritime Prepositioning Ship Sgt. William R. Button. Braintree V, which held Military Sealift Command’s (MSC’s) previous long-term charter for Button, is executing the sale on behalf of Wilmington Trust Company as shipowner and Fifth Household Finance as Beneficiary. The ship has been under long-term charter to MSC since 1986. The ship will remain crewed by about 30 U.S. merchant mariners employed by American Overseas Marine Corporation of North Quincy, Mass. Button is one of 15 Maritime Prepositioning Ships that strategically preposition U.S. Marine Corps cargo at sea around the world, making the cargo readily available to warfighters who are flown into a theater of operations. The ship will transfer to U.S. government ownership on Jan. 15, 2009, and will continue to operate worldwide. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

WTAK-3 Inc., Mobile, Ala., is being awarded $45,650,000 to exercise an option under a previously awarded firm, fixed price contract (N00033-82-C-1023) for the purchase of Maritime Prepositioning Ship Maj. Stephen W. Pless. WTAK-3 Inc., which held Military Sealift Command’s (MSC’s) previous long-term contract for Pless, is executing the sale on behalf of Wilmington Trust as shipowner and UPB Leasing Ventures as beneficiary. The ship has been under long-term charter to MSC since 1985. The ship will remain crewed by about 30 U.S. merchant mariners employed by Waterman Steamship Corp., of Mobile, Ala. WTAK-3 is an affiliate of Waterman Steamship Corp. Pless is one of 15 Maritime Prepositioning ships that strategically preposition U.S. Marine Corps cargo at sea around the world, making the cargo readily available to warfighters who are flown into a theater of operations. The ship will transfer to U.S. government ownership on Jan. 15, 2009, and will continue to operate worldwide. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

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[Jolly Tar]

She's sitting in the Elizabeth river, passed her last week.

[knot-ship]

Buying ships for a premium price when over the past 25years they've been paid for over and over again by the taxpayer! Hmmm, could this be because they've been fully depreciated by their owners?!?

The obscene spending of taxpayer's money by our defence department is beyond grotesque. Yes, I have a very strong opinion for a man who firmly believes the US Merchant Marine is extremely vital to our Nation's defence but to think how $150M could have gone into brand new build and charter vessels or to expand the MSP!

I really have to believe that the DoD spending monster is one of many shovels each helping to dig the hole that will ultimately end up being this great Nation's grave!

Sorry, but this one has me quite p'd...(if you weren't able to tell)

[Captain Skyking]

WTAK-1 Inc., Mobile, Ala., is being awarded $49,650,000 to exercise an option under a previously awarded firm fixed price contract (N00033-82-C-1019) for the purchase of Maritime Prepositioning Ship Sgt Matej Kocak. WTAK-1 Inc., which held Military Sealift Command’s (MSC’s) previous long-term contract for Kocak, is executing the sale on behalf of Wilmington Trust Co., as shipowner and UPB Leasing Ventures as beneficiary. The ship has been under long-term charter to MSC since 1984. The ship will remain crewed by about 30 civilian mariners employed by Waterman Steamship Corp., Mobile, Ala. Kocak is one of 15 Maritime Prepositioning ships that strategically preposition U.S. Marine Corps cargo at sea around the world, making the cargo readily available to warfighters who are flown into a theater of operations. The ship will transfer to U.S. government ownership on Jan. 15, 2009 and will continue to operate worldwide. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Braintree V Maritime Corp., North Quincy, Mass., is being awarded $48,585,495 to exercise an option under a previously awarded firm fixed price contract (N00033-82-C-1036) for the purchase of Maritime Prepositioning Ship Sgt. William R. Button. Braintree V, which held Military Sealift Command’s (MSC’s) previous long-term charter for Button, is executing the sale on behalf of Wilmington Trust Company as shipowner and Fifth Household Finance as Beneficiary. The ship has been under long-term charter to MSC since 1986. The ship will remain crewed by about 30 U.S. merchant mariners employed by American Overseas Marine Corporation of North Quincy, Mass. Button is one of 15 Maritime Prepositioning Ships that strategically preposition U.S. Marine Corps cargo at sea around the world, making the cargo readily available to warfighters who are flown into a theater of operations. The ship will transfer to U.S. government ownership on Jan. 15, 2009, and will continue to operate worldwide. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

WTAK-3 Inc., Mobile, Ala., is being awarded $45,650,000 to exercise an option under a previously awarded firm, fixed price contract (N00033-82-C-1023) for the purchase of Maritime Prepositioning Ship Maj. Stephen W. Pless. WTAK-3 Inc., which held Military Sealift Command’s (MSC’s) previous long-term contract for Pless, is executing the sale on behalf of Wilmington Trust as shipowner and UPB Leasing Ventures as beneficiary. The ship has been under long-term charter to MSC since 1985. The ship will remain crewed by about 30 U.S. merchant mariners employed by Waterman Steamship Corp., of Mobile, Ala. WTAK-3 is an affiliate of Waterman Steamship Corp. Pless is one of 15 Maritime Prepositioning ships that strategically preposition U.S. Marine Corps cargo at sea around the world, making the cargo readily available to warfighters who are flown into a theater of operations. The ship will transfer to U.S. government ownership on Jan. 15, 2009, and will continue to operate worldwide. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

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Both the Pless and the Kocak are pretty well used up despite the fact they get to the yard every 3 years. If you ever get a chance to look at the tanks and engine room you would wonder how they stay afloat. Ballast tank pumping systems are for the most part inoperable and the tank fluid indicating systems are inaccurate and still use the old mercury system. JP 5 tanks and pump room are something out of a bad dream yet they still are passed by the USCG even though if it were a commercial tanker they would take them apart. Not even a personal retrieval system installed to bring any injured seaman out of the bottom of the pumproom.

[c.captain]

you are so right on SkyKing

In the case of the Waterman prepo ships they were already on the way out of the commercial fleet for being too old. The along comes Uncle Shug and they get 25 years of $45k or whatever a day then bam after Maersk can't depreciate them anymore...HELL, we'll sell them to the Navy at premium prices and let them put in all that new steel! I bet when all ios said and done, there will be more than $150M into each of them and they'll still be old.

I have worked on MSC contracted ships and the criminal waste of money is simply staggering to behold. There is just a huge 60" pipeline of dollars flowing out of the Pentagon to Crystal City it is hard to stomach. As I said about, DoD waste and corruption is another shovel digging the great deep hole that our Nation is falling into I am afraid

[drkblram]

Its not just those ships, some of other ships are incredible too. I spent 2 months in D/G a few years back. One ship, a newer one, was so bad they only ran the MSD system around meal times. Another one, stories of her engine failures were the stuff of legend.

The one I was on was older but in better shape than some newer tankers I'd worked on. DNV came out for an inspection (foreign built) and really pulled no punches and we passed. I doubt others would have.