Bellingham, WA September 28, 2020:
All American Marine, with Birdon America, has successfully completed the self-righting test for the first Motor Life Boat as part of Phase I of a contract to perform a Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) on a number of United States Coast Guard’s (USCG) fleet of Motor Life Boats (MLB). Birdon America was awarded the prime contract to perform Service Life Extension work on all MLB’s in the U.S. Coast Guard’s Fleet, and has chosen AAM as it’s West Coast partner to fulfill construction work as part of this program. The current in-service MLBs were designed by the USCG and built from 1997 to 2003.
The 47-foot MLB is the Coast Guard’s primary search-and-rescue platform operating in surf and heavy weather conditions. It has self-righting capability and the ability to operate in winds up to 50 knots, seas up to 30 feet, and surf up to 20 feet. The USCG’s need for these unique capabilities in search-and-rescue, maritime law enforcement, and contingency response is a high priority due to their effectiveness on the water.