USA: Waterman Steamship Corp. Gets Contract for Charter of Ice-class Cargo Ship

Waterman Steamship Corp., is being awarded a one-year $10,008,967 firm-fixed-price contract for the worldwide charter of one United States-flagged, Ice-class, self-sustaining cargo ship.

The cargo ship will be employed in worldwide cargo delivery to support the Department of Defense. This contract includes three 12-month option periods and one 11-month option period, which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative firm-fixed-value of this contract to $49,953,037. Work will be performed at sea worldwide, including a delivery each year to Antarctica for the National Science Foundation, and a delivery each year to Greenland for the Department of Defense. Work is expected to be completed December 2012, and if all option periods are exercised, by November 2016. Contract funds are subject to availability of fiscal 2012 funding, and funds will expire at the end of that fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via solicitations posted to Military Sealift Command, Navy Electronic Commerce Online and Federal Business Opportunities websites, with more than 50 companies solicited and six offers received. The Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00033-11-C-5503).

Waterman Steamship, originally founded in 1919, is a deep sea ocean carrier operating U.S. flag vessels in liner service and time charter contracts. Liner service includes scheduled Pure Car/Truck Carrier vessel transit between the United States, Middle Eastern and Far Eastern ports. Time charter contracts utilize U.S. flag Roll On/Roll Off vessels under contracts to the Military Sealift Command. Additionally, U.S. flag container ships are time chartered to liner companies.

A United States flag shipping company since its founding in 1919, Waterman Steamship Corporation is a principal subsidiary of International Shipholding Corporation.