Bollinger Shipyards has been awarded a detailed design and construction contract for the sixth Auxiliary Personnel Lighter–Small (APL(S)) 67-class berthing and messing barge.
Construction will take place at Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi and is due to begin in the second quarter of 2023. The previous five APLs were built by VT Halter Marine, which Bollinger acquired in late 2022. Halter received the initial contract in 2018.
APLs are used by the US Navy to house crew members when ships are in port for availabilities and inter-deployment training cycles. The barges are mobile and can be towed to new bases or shipyards to support changing fleet requirements and also offer potential use for humanitarian missions and other temporary assignments.
APLs are 269ft long with a beam of 69ft and have a draft of 7ft. Each is equipped with offices, classrooms, washrooms, laundry facilities, medical treatment areas, a barber shop and fitness centre. They have mess seating for 224 enlisted personnel and 28 officers.
