Alabama Shipyard wins $30 million USNS Comfort contract

USNS Comfort was a New York City landmark during the worst days of the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo: McAllister/ David Rider

Alabama Shipyard LLC, Mobile, Ala., has been awarded a $30,085,225 firm-fixed-price contract (N3220524C4073) for a 156-calendar day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul and dry dock availability of the Military Sealift Command’s hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20).

This is not the hospital ship’s first visit to Alabama Shipyard and this latest contract includes a base work package and five unexercised options for additional work and time that, if exercised, would increase the contract’s cumulative to $30,900,268.

Work on the USNS Comfort will be performed in Mobile, beginning Aug. 1, 2024, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 3, 2025.

Working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $30,085,225 are obligated for fiscal 2024 and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a small business set-aside solicited via the sam.gov website and two offers received. The Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N3220524C4073).

The USNS Comfort and sister ship USNS Mercy were originally delivered by NASSCO as San Clemente class tankers in 1974 and 1978 and were subsequently converted by NASSCO and delivered as hospital ships in 1984 and 1985. Navy thinking on what hospital ships should do has changed since then and, last year, Philly Shipyard was awarded a contract by Gibbs & Cox to conduct the T-AH(X) Hospital Ship Feasibility Study, covering a solution for preliminary designs to replace the two current hospital ships .