Gripen International has now delivered its bid to the Norwegian government, on the same day that it submitted its bid for India’s much larger MMRCA fighter competition. Dagbladet reported, and Gripen’s release confirmed, that Norway added a new wrinkle to its competition requirements:
Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Inc. in Federal Way, WA won a $7.9 million firm-fixed-price contract to charter the Ponce class self-sustaining, roll-on/roll-off (RO-RO) vesselSS Westward Venture, a U.S.-flagged and U.S.-built, contractor-owned ship. The 6-month charter also includes a 6-month option that would extend the contract to a year, and bring the total contract value to $15.8 million. To see where in the world the SS Westward Venture is at the moment, click this handy web page.
Work will be performed primarily between the U.S. East Coast and the Persian Gulf, in support of the war on terrorism and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), and is expected to be complete in May 2008 (November 2008 with option). SS Westward Venture has already been used in this role for some time. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website and the Military Sealift Command’s website, with more than 80 proposals solicited and 3 offers received by The U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command in Washington, D.C.
