Birdon Begins Building First Waterways Commerce Cutter
Birdon America announced June 18 that it has started construction on the first new Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC), a milestone in achieving the U.S. Coast Guard’s goal to recapitalize its aging inland waterways fleet.
Birdon said its investment of more than $27 million in capital improvements underway at its shipyard in Bayou La Batre, Ala., will result in the capacity to build six or more WCC vessels at a time. That investment will create “an enduring, modern shipyard capable of delivering high-quality complex and multi-mission vessels into the future,” the company stated.
Birdon was awarded a $1.187 billion contract in 2022 to design and build 27 new WCC vessels for the U.S. Coast Guard, including 16 River Buoy Tenders (WLRs) and 11 Inland Construction Tenders (WLICs).
“Our entire team is thrilled to be entering this next phase of the WCC program with start of construction,” said Tony Ardito, president of Birdon. “We are grateful for our partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard and look forward to continuing to deliver on this critical program.”
Birdon has prioritized growing its workforce in the Gulf Coast through partnerships with local community colleges and high schools, relationships with regionally based contract labor firms and community engagement. The company is providing on-site training and skill upgrade programs and recently launched the Birdon Futures Apprenticeship program, which provides on-the-job training in a variety of shipbuilding specialties. Near the start of 2024, Birdon announced the acquisition of Metal Shark Boats’ 32-acre shipyard in Bayou La Batre for the WCC program. Metal Shark took over that shipyard from Horizon Shipbuilding in June 2018.
“We aren’t just hiring talent,” Ardito said. “We are growing the shipbuilding workforce through apprenticeships, on-the-job training and other strategic opportunities.”
The WCC program includes small business participation. Birdon has worked to identify small businesses that meet the quality standards required. More than 70 percent of the contract will be performed by small businesses, with many located in the Gulf Coast region.
To support the safe and efficient flow of economic activity along the nation’s rivers, lakes, intercoastal waterways and harbors, WCCs establish and maintain more than 28,200 inland aids to navigation (ATONs). Additional WCC missions include search and rescue, marine safety, marine environmental protection and security of ports, waterways and coasts. Many vessels of the current inland waterways fleet are more than 50 years old and are increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain.
