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SCogressional Research Service
Updated July 31, 2023
Coast Guard Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) Program:
Background and Issues for Congress
Introduction
The Coast Guard's Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC)
program envisages procuring 30 replacements for the Coast
Guard's 35 aging river buoy tenders (WLRs), inland
construction tenders (WLICs), and inland buoy tenders
(WLIs). The Coast Guard wants to have the first new WCC
be in service by 2025. On October 5, 2022, the Coast Guard
awarded a contract to Birdon America, Inc. of Denver, CO,
to build up to 16 WLRs and 11 WLICs. The Coast Guard's
proposed FY2024 budget requests $98.0 million in
procurement funding for the WCC program.
Terminology
Cutters are Coast Guard vessels that are more than 65 feet
long and have accommodations for a crew. (Those less than
65 feet long are called boats.) Waterways refers here to the
intra-coastal waterways along the U.S. East and Gulf
coasts, and to U.S. inland waterways such as the
Mississippi River. Tenders are vessels whose primary
mission is to maintain or repair something. Coast Guard
tender designations begin with WL, meaning Coast Guard
vessel (W) and tender (L). (The W in the acronym WCC,
however, stands for waterways.)
WCC Missions
WCCs perform three primary missions under the Coast
Guard's statutory role of providing aids to navigation
(ATON): river buoy tending; inland construction tending
(which involves driving and removing piles and erecting
and repairing range towers and major lights); and inland
buoy tending. WCCs are used for maintaining more than
28,200 marine aids to navigation on 12,000 miles of inland
waterways on which 630 million tons of cargo move each
year. Additional WCC missions include search and rescue
(SAR), marine safety, marine environmental protection, and
ports, waterways, and coastal security.
Existing Waterways Cutters
The Coast Guard's 35 existing WCCs are built to nine
different designs, and include 18 WLRs, 13 WLICs, and 4
WLIs. As of 2022, the 35 vessels were an average of 57
years old.
Geographic Distribution
As of 2019, the 18 WLRs were based at cities along the
Mississippi and other inland rivers in Alabama, Arkansas,
Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky (two cutters), Mississippi (three
cutters), Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and
Tennessee (four cutters). Although these locations are in the
central and eastern United States, the rivers in question are
referred to by the Coast Guard as the western rivers.
As of 2019, the 13 WLICs were based at cities along the
U.S. East and Gulf coasts in Alabama, Florida (three
cutters), Louisiana (two cutters), Maryland, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Texas (three cutters), and Virginia. As of
2019, the four WLIs were based at locations in Alaska,
Michigan, Oregon, and North Carolina.
Rationale for Building New WCCs
The Coast Guard states in its FY2024 budget submission
that it wants to replace the 35 existing waterways cutters
with new WCCs because [i]n addition to age concerns and
the associated equipment obsolescence issues, the legacy
fleet presents other sustainment challenges, including
hazardous materials stemming from the use of asbestos and
lead paint during construction of these assets. Outdated
technology and vessel designs have also led to crew safety
concerns, maintenance cost increases, and non-compliance
with environmental regulations. Finally, legacy vessel
configuration does not allow the assignment of mixed
gender crews in accordance with the Coast Guard's
workforce goals.
WCC Program
Program Initiation and Name
The WCC program was initiated in the Coast Guard's
FY2018 budget submission. It was earlier called the Inland
Waterways and Western Rivers Tender (or Cutter) program.
Acquisition Strategy
The Coast Guard wants to replace the 35 existing waterway
commerce cutters with 30 new WCCs, including 16 WLRs,
11 WLICs, and 3 WLIs. The Coast Guard states that the
WCC program
determined that three WCC variants will best meet
mission needs. All three variants will be monohull
ships, meaning self-propelled cutters instead of tug
and barge configurations. The River Buoy Tender
[WLR] and Inland Construction Tender [WLIC]
variants will be acquired on one contract; these
variants will maximize commonality with notable
exceptions for hull length, working deck layout, and
deck equipment, including the crane.
The Inland Buoy Tender will be acquired separately
from the other two variants. In June 2021, the WCC
Program began partnering with the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers Marine Design Center, which
has experience with similar acquisitions, to develop
a Government-led design for the Inland Buoy
Tender variant. The Inland Buoy Tender will be
contractor-built.
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