US Navy awards contract for design studies of new cable ship

The US Navy has awarded naval architects BMT a prime contract to conduct industry studies for the navy’s T-ARC(X) cable installation and repair ship replacement program.

The contract consists of capability and cost trade studies in key areas, investigation of options to maximise affordability and producibility, and development of a concept design.

BMT’s partners on this project include Fincantieri Marine Group, ABB Marine and Ports, and Noise Control Engineering. BMT will develop a T-ARC(X) design that will be based on its existing cable ship designs but with a newly tested hull form.

The new vessel will replace USNS Zeus, the US Navy’s only operational cable installation and repair ship, which is nearly 40 years old.

Additional missions for the vessel include acoustic, hydrographic, and bathymetric survey; towing projectors; and deploying and recovering unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) and other packages through its moonpool.