Pacific Power Group Awarded Exclusive $39 Million Engine Overhaul Contract for US Coast Guard
The US Coast Guard (USCG) recently announced that Pacific Power Group has been awarded the contract as sole provider for rebuilding MTU 8V396 diesel engines for their Marine Protector class 87’ Coastal Patrol Boats. After months of review, we were selected as the provider best able to fulfill the stringent requirements of the USCG RFP. Pacific Power Group fulfilled the previous 5 year USCG MTU overhaul contract as well.
About the Project
The USCG originally ordered 50 Marine Protector class boats in 1999, but expanded the fleet over several additional orders to its current size of 73 boats. Each are named for sea creatures which fly or swim. Marine Protector class Coastal Patrol Boats are critical to the safety of United States ports and waterways, and are used for activities including combatting drug smuggling, illegal immigration, marine fisheries enforcement, search and rescue support, as well as security patrols. They pack a lot of performance and technology into their 87’ hulls, including one AN/SPS-73 surface search radar and two .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns. Boarding parties can be launched while the vessel is underway, requiring just a single crewmember to remain on deck to launch or retrieve the boarding party.
The MTU engines are critical to these vessels due to their requirements for speed and fuel efficiency. Each boat has two engines, which provide a maximum speed of 26 knots. Some of the vessels are approaching 20 years of active service, and the RFP provides for overhaul of the ships’ MTU engines as they become due to ensure the ongoing safety, effectiveness, and endurance of the boats.
USCG Background
PPG has pushed continuous process improvement throughout its business units, and during the first USCG project the production rate was increased over four-fold. The overhaul requires a complete tear down of the entire engine: every part and component is cleaned, inspected, measured, and qualified using non-destructive testing to determine if it meets quality standards. If not, new parts are purchased. The completed overhaul results in a like-new engine.
Due to the increased age of the fleet and the maintenance needs of the engines, the new contract specifies an advanced timetable–to overhaul 22 engines per year for 5 years. PPG’s refined process provides for a production rate that can meet and exceed the USCG needs. And, even though the contract will end up costing around $39 million, PPG process improvement and component qualification/reconditioning work has resulted in cost reductions to the USCG.
A Mertitorious Process
Since the overhaul process is so complex and precise, the USCG also carefully weighed its candidates based on their technical capabilities. With the most factory-certified MTU 396 technicians in North America, years of experience completing major engine overhauls, and a fast turnaround rate, Pacific Power Group offers customers unmatched capability.
“We are excited and honored to be selected for this contract,” said Dan Miller, Off-Highway Service Manager at Pacific Power Group. “Our team has worked hard to be a leader in customer support with high quality, capability and competency standards, and we’ve managed to achieve a level of efficiency now recognized by the Coast Guard as best in class. We are proud to support the USCG and their forces.
Trusted Marine Defense Experts
Both Pacific Power Group and our partner MTU have worked with marine defense projects for decades, pooling our expertise to provide power systems for Naval, coast guard, law enforcement, and other government agencies both worldwide and in the Pacific Northwest. MTU systems are continuously recommended to and adopted by defense contractors due to their performance, reliability, economy, and environmental friendliness.
“Pacific Power Group invests heavily in its people, facilities and processes in order to meet our customer’s needs, expectations and standards of service and quality,” said Bill Mossey, Vice President of PPG. “In addition to the performance of the MTU engine being a top match for one of the most demanding marine performance applications, it’s a real strength to our organization to be able to so successfully meet all requirements when working with organizations like the US Coast Guard.”
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