Shipyard to build ?pier at sea?

Shipyard to build æpier at seaÆ    The U.S. Navy has awarded the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego a $744 million contract modification to fully fund construction of two Mobile Landing Platforms.
   The MLP is a new class of auxiliary ship that the Navy said will change the way the Maritime Prepositioning Force operates. MLPs will provide a “pier at sea” that will become the core of the Navy and Marine Corps seabasing concept. This capability will allow prepositioning ships like LMSR’s and T-AKE’s to offload equipment and supplies to the MLP for transshipment to shore.
   The MLP ships will be 765 feet long and 164 feet in beam, with a design draft of 29 feet. The deadweight tonnage is in excess of 60,000 metric tons.
   Construction of the first ship will begin immediately, with delivery to occur by the spring 2013. The contract includes an option for the construction of a third MLP which, if exercised, would increase the total contract value to about $1.3 billion.