$1.2 billion patrol boat deal with Saudis is in the works

JULY 15, 2013 — A $1.2 billion Foreign Military sale is in the works. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress July 9 of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Saudi Arabia of 30 Mark V patrol boats and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $1.2 billion.

USMI-built Mk V patrol boat

Though the agency says “the principal contractor for this effort has not yet been determined,” shipbuilding guru Tim Colton notes that “it is presumably USMI, who have built almost all of these boats.”

USMI (United States Marine, Inc.) has yards in Gulfport, MS, and New Orleans, LA.

According to the notification to Congress, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has requested a possible sale of 30 Mark V patrol boats, thirty-two 27 mm guns, spare and repair parts, support equipment, personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical documentation, U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics support. The estimated cost is $1.2 billion.

The notification of the potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded.