BIW loses out on $936 million destroyer contract
BATH — Bath Iron Works lost out on a $936 million contract to build an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Monday when the Navy awarded the project to Huntington Ingalls Industries in Mississippi, BIW’s main competitor.
The announcement comes as the shipyard’s largest union continues its strike. Machinist Union Local S6, which represents 4,300 of the shipyard’s 6,700 employees, went on strike June 22 after rejecting the 3-year contract proposal over disagreements about the company’s plans to continue hiring subcontractors and proposed changes to worker seniority privileges.
BIW and Ingalls are the only two shipyards manufacturing that Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. In 2018, the Navy awarded BIW four of the destroyers for $3.9 billion and six to Ingalls as part of the 2018-22 multiyear contract with the Navy. The contract had funding for two ships each year, but allowed the shipyards to compete for a third ship each year if there is enough funding available.
In 2019, BIW won a bid for one additional ship. Ingalls was awarded an additional destroyer project Monday.
Read more: https://www.pressherald.com/2020/07/01/biw-loses-out-on-936m-destroyer-contract/