U.S. Coast Guard Issues RFP for Next-Generation Light Icebreaking Cutters

The U.S. Coast Guard has formally launched the procurement process for its next generation of light icebreakers, issuing a request for proposals (RFP) for up to seven Homeland Security Cutter-Light (HSC-L) vessels as it moves to replace an aging fleet that has served for more than six decades.

The solicitation, released June 30, covers the design, production, testing and delivery of the vessels through an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract. Industry proposals are due by July 14.

The new cutters will replace the Coast Guard’s fleet of 65-foot light icebreaking tugs, commissioned between 1961 and 1967, which are now well beyond