Evergreen Helicopters wins $6.7 million Navy cargo delivery contract

Evergreen Helicopters wins $6.7 million Navy cargo delivery contract    The U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command has awarded a one-year $6.7 million contract to Anchorage, Alaska-based Evergreen Helicopters to provide cargo deliveries for the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force ships.
   The Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force ships provide fuel, food, ammunition, spare parts and other supplies to U.S. Navy ships, enabling the Navy fleet to remain deployed and combat-ready.
   One detachment, comprising two Puma 330J helicopters, will deploy aboard the Military Sealift Command combat stores ships “USNS Spica” and “USNS Saturn.” The Evergreen helicopters will transfer pallets of supplies, spare parts, mail and food from the combat stores ships to the U.S. Navy ships.
   The Evergreen Helicopters contract contains five one-year options and an option to add a second detachment. “The cumulative value of this contract, if all options are exercised, will be $65.5 million over five years,” the Military Sealift Command said.
   Since January 2000, a commercial contract helicopter detachment has provided “vertical replenishment” services for the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Fleet ships.
   “Commercial helicopters have demonstrated the ability to perform vertical replenishment missions more efficiently with fewer personnel and at a lower cost than the existing military cargo helicopters,” the Military Sealift Command said. “This program enables Navy commanders to reallocate Navy helicopter assets previously used in support of this mission to more critical areas.”
   The Military Sealift Command operates more than 100 noncombatant, civilian-crewed ships, and moves 95 percent of the military equipment and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces.
   Since Sept. 11, 2001, the command has moved more than 57.8 million square feet of combat cargo and 5.8 billion gallons of fuel worldwide for the war against terrorism.