US Coast Guard receives 200th small response boat

The U.S. Coast Guard has recently received its 200th response boat-small II at Station Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

Since the first RB-S II delivery in June 2012, the boats have been delivered to 108 units in 26 states and territories.

According to the Coast Guard, the boats are designed for year-round use in shallow water to conduct search and rescue; law enforcement; ports, waterways and coastal security; environmental response; and drug and migrant interdiction missions.

The RB-S replacement is one of the largest boat buys of its type for the Coast Guard. Under a phased, competitive procurement, the Coast Guard selected two vendors’ designs to compete in a down select process, testing each design against Coast Guard requirements.

The Coast Guard awarded a delivery order valued at approximately $13 million Sept. 26, 2011, to Metal Shark Aluminum Boats for the production of 38 RB-S IIs. The contract allows for the procurement of up to 500 boats. Up to 470 boats will be delivered to shore units throughout the Coast Guard to perform port and waterway security, search and rescue, drug and migrant interdiction, environmental and other law enforcement missions.

Up to 20 boats may be ordered by Customs and Border Protection and up to 10 by the U.S. Navy.