Tugcon voyage charter

The Department of the Navy Military Sealift Command (MSC) is soliciting proposals for vessel charter services to provide one U.S. Flag, Jones Act-compliant ocean-going certified tug capable of towing the EX-JUNEAU (LPD-10) naval vessel in support of Exercise Valiant Shield 26. The tug must be capable of towing a 17,326 long-ton displacement vessel (570 feet length, 100 feet beam, 34 feet maximum draft) at a minimum speed of six knots in Beaufort 5 sea conditions, with the vessel built in 1970 or later and possessing sufficient bollard pull and fuel capacity for approximately 30 days of standby operations. Award will be made on a lowest-price, technically-acceptable basis using FAR Part 12 simplified procedures, with evaluation criteria emphasizing vessel technical capability, fair and reasonable pricing, domestic shipyard usage, and VISA cargo preference factors. Proposals must include a ship name, price, signature, evidence of USCG Certificate of Inspection, Certificate of Documentation, ABS Class certification, vessel specification sheets with photographs, and completed Shipyard Data Template documentation. The proposal due date is April 2, 2026, at 1100 Eastern Time, with a Questions and Answers document issued on March 31, 2026, and Amendment 0001 issued the same date providing the required Shipyard Data Template.

This procurement is designated as a Total Small Business Set-Aside under NAICS Code 483111 (Deep Sea Freight Transportation), with no identified incumbents or current contractors. The contract will be a firm-fixed-price agreement with payment made through the Wide Area Work Flow (WAWF) system via ERP DFAS-CL, though no specific award value or budget range is disclosed in the solicitation. The chartered tug must depart Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on or after May 18, 2026, proceed to Guam for a one-week intermediate stop to support Navy training activities, and then transit to the Marianas Island Testing and Training Surveillance Area (approximately 250 nautical miles southeast of Guam) with arrival at the drop location no later than sunset June 26, 2026. The four-day laytime includes the intermediate stop in Guam and the final transit to the SINKEX event location, with the contractor required to provide position reports four times daily at sea and maintain standby capability within 100-200 nautical miles for potential emergency reconnection. Performance location is Hawaii, USA, with operations extending to the Marianas Island area.