TOTE Services has awarded Hanwha Philly Shipyard a contract to build a new missile-range instrumentation vessel (MRIV) for the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA), following the signing of a construction management agreement with the US Maritime Administration (MARAD).
The subcontract covers one firm vessel and options for two more. TOTE said delivery of the first ship is scheduled for 2030.
TOTE will act as vessel construction manager under the MARAD agreement. The company said the programme is an inter-agency effort involving the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of War, and the MDA.
The MRIVs will monitor missile interception tests over the Pacific Ocean, gather data critical to the mission, and assist with range safety operations. They will replace Pacific Tracker and Pacific Collector, built in 1965 and 1970 respectively, which TOTE currently manages and operates.
The contract award follows the selection of TOTE and Hanwha Philly for the programme in July. The DOT announced a US$2 billion investment in two MRIVs at that time, with the first vessel targeted for delivery by June 2030.
White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought referred to the first MRIV as Golden Defender in his remarks at the christening of Lone Star State, MARAD’s fourth national security multi-mission vessel (NSMV).
The MRIV design is based on the NSMV platform, with the same hull design and 70 per cent overall commonality, TOTE said. The company intends to use the yard’s production infrastructure and supplier network, along with its workforce, to reduce construction risk.
Hanwha Philly is building the five-ship NSMV series under TOTE’s management for MARAD. The vessels are intended for US maritime academies and have both training and emergency-response roles.
