Eastern Shipbuilding, the shipbuilder in charge of constructing the U.S. Coast Guard’s new offshore patrol cutters, has picked MAN’s 28/33D STC engines as the main propulsion for the new vessels.
The offshore patrol cutter (OPC) program is the replacement platform for the 13 Famous-class and 14 Reliance-class cutter vessels, making the order the largest vessel procurement order in the Coast Guard’s history.
Eastern Shipbuilding is currently contracted to build the first vessel in the class and up to eight follow-on cutters, the Coast Guard intends to build as many as 25 vessels in the class.
The estimated cost for the 25 ships is over 10 billion dollars.
Each of the new 360-foot (110-m) cutters will be powered by two (2) MAN 16V28/33D STC engines, developing 7,280 kW each.
Fairbanks Morse Engine (FME) will produce and test the engines at its Beloit, Wisconsin plant, while Eastern Shipbuilding Group Inc., based in Panama City, Florida, will design and construct the OPC ships.
“We are very pleased to have won this major order within such a key, domestic market. It’s a breakthrough for us as this is the first time that the USCG has ordered MAN 28/33D STC engines, ” Lex Nijsen of MAN Diesel & Turbo said. “Indeed, the engine’s sequential turbocharging (STC) concept continues to make inroads into the Navy and Governmental segments where its inherent power characteristics offer a manoeuvrability that matches such demanding applications well. This success was achieved in great part through close cooperation with our longstanding partner and licensee, Fairbanks Morse Engine (FME).”
The sequential turbocharging (STC) concept operates with twin, high-efficiency MAN TCA33 axial turbochargers – specially developed for the MAN 28/33D STC engine – with the option to switch the second turbocharger off at low engine loads.
Eastern Shipbuilding Group earlier contracted Northrop Grumman Corporation for the design of C4ISR and machinery control systems (MCS).