By Troy Turner
The U.S. Navy has awarded Waterman Transport Inc., based in Mobile, an almost $9.5 million contract for the chartered use of a roll-on/roll-off vessel to transport military cargo.
Roll-on/roll-off ships allow wheeled and tracked vehicles such as trucks or tanks to drive on and off the ship at cargo docks.
The contract is for a 63-day period of performance with a U.S.-flagged vessel. Work will be performed between the U.S. West Coast and the Far East region and is expected to be completed by March 2026
Waterman is part of the SEACOR family, and both names have a history of filling contracts for the military.
Waterman is a longtime shipping company experienced in transporting equipment such as armored vehicles and other supplies, while SEACOR has worked to diversify its various companies and operations into a wide array of services surrounding and beyond the transportation and logistics fields.
An example of Waterman’s service came in 2018 when it transported two armored brigades across the Pacific, according to company materials.
“On a roundtrip voyage to Busan, South Korea, SEACOR PCTC M/V GREEN COVE delivered more than 20,000 metric tons of military cargo, including 150 M-1 Abrams tanks and nearly 300 M-2/M-3 Bradleys safely and ahead of schedule.”
Its history in Alabama’s port city dates back more than a century, including a strong shipping support record provided during World War II.
Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting agency for the most recent contract.
Troy Turner is the editor and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. His bio can be found here.
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