Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding will benefit from a $759-million contract for a U.S. Navy in-class frigate. That project was awarded to Fincantieri Marinette Marine in April. The Sturgeon Bay shipyard will build parts of the frigate hull and transport them to Marinette, similar to current work on the Littoral Combat Ship project. That could be just the beginning of a long-term project. The Navy has an option for nine additional ships at a total cost of $5.5 billion. Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Vice President and General Manager Todd Thayse says that will mean improvements to the Sturgeon Bay yard and additional employment opportunities for those in the skilled trades.
Work on the first U.S. Navy in-class frigates is expected to start in 2021. Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding plans to file permit requests for the shipyard modifications with the City of Sturgeon Bay this week. Thayse says those requests are expected to go before the Sturgeon Bay City Council later this month.
