Navy approves $54 million award for United States Marine Inc. and $9.2 million for Rolls Royce foundry work.
Mississippi U.S. Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, along with Fourth District Congressman Steven Palazzo, praised the award of two U.S. Navy contracts for shipbuilding-related work on the Mississippi Coast.
The Navy awarded a five-year, $54.3 million contract to United States Marine, Inc. (USMI) of Gulfport to build up to thirty-five 11-Meter Navy Special Warfare Rigid Inflatable Boats, with work to be performed in Gulfport and Corinth.
Rolls Royce Marine North America will receive 75% of a $9.2 million contract for Virginia-class submarine propulsors with work to be performed in Pascagoula.
“I am glad to see United States Marine Inc. and Rolls Royce Marine be selected for this work. A strong Coast Guard and Navy will be essential to securing American freedom and prosperity for years to come, and Mississippi’s skilled manufacturers are well-equipped to meet those needs,” Senator Wicker said.
Senator Hyde-Smith agreed.
“The Navy contracts to USMI and Rolls Royce will not only tap the shipbuilding expertise of the Mississippi Gulf Coast for our national security. They will also solidify a growing economy in South Mississippi through investments and job growth,” Senator Hyde-Smith said.
In July, the Navy awarded VT Halter Marine, a shipbuilding company on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, a $41 million contract to build another barge for U.S. Navy crews to live aboard.
In April of 2020, Senator Hyde-Smith acknowledged the award of a $1.5 billion contract to Huntington Ingalls, a Mississippi shipbuilder, as part of federal actions to promote national security, jobs, and the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In June of 2021, Wicker, Hyde-Smith and Palazzo announced the award of a $936.0 million contract to construct a DDG-51 Flight III Destroyer at Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula.
“Access to the Mississippi Sound and Gulf of Mexico in addition to the unrivaled skill and experience of our south Mississippi workforce make our great state strategically qualified to produce world-class naval vessels. Our shipbuilding industry creates jobs, boosts our local economy, and supports our American service members at sea. I am proud of the invaluable contribution south Mississippi makes to our nation’s naval and national security, and am always glad to see investments like these that make our continued success possible,” said Congressman Palazzo.
