Maersk Line Ltd. wins U.S. Navy fast sealift ship contract

Maersk Line Ltd. wins U.S. Navy fast sealift ship contract    The U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command has awarded a $26 million contract to Maersk Line Ltd. to operate and maintain eight fast sealift ships.
   The contract, subject to the availability of fiscal 2006 funds, includes four one-year options that, if exercised, would raise the total value of the contract to $135 million.
   Under the contract, Maersk Line Ltd., the U.S.-flag vessel-operating arm of A.P. Moller-Maersk, will be responsible for providing officers and crew for the vessels — “USNS Algol,” “USNS Altair,” “USNS Antares,” “USNS Bellatrix,” “USNS Capella,” “USNS Denebola,” “USNS Pollux,” and “USNS Regulus.”
   “Ordinarily, these ships are maintained pierside in reduced operating status at U.S. East Coast and Gulf ports,” the Military Sealift Command said in a statement Monday. “When needed, they can be activated and underway in less than 96 hours, ready to deliver the supplies needed for military and humanitarian crises anywhere in the world.”
   The eight vessels are considered the fastest cargo ships in the U.S. Navy’s fleet, traveling at speeds up to 30 knots.
   The Military Sealift Command operates more than 110 noncombatant, civilian-crewed ships.