Sept. 30, 2025 —
Notional vendor rendering of two Waterways Commerce Cutter variants: a River Buoy Tender (left) and an Inland Construction Tender (right). The Coast Guard ordered production of the first River Buoy Tender, long lead time material and production for the second Inland Construction Tender, and long lead time material for three additional cutters. Image courtesy of Birdon America, Inc.
The Coast Guard continues to move forward with the acquisition of the new waterways commerce cutter (WCC) class which will replace the legacy fleet of inland tenders and facilitate commerce vital to economic security and strategic mobility in the nation’s marine transportation system. The Coast Guard ordered production of the first river buoy tender (WLR) and long lead time material and production for the second inland construction tender (WLIC). Construction will occur at Birdon America, Inc.’s shipyard in Bayou La Batre, Alabama.
The Coast Guard also placed an order for three sets of long lead time material (LLTM) to support future production. The total value of the production and long lead time material orders is approximately $110 million. Public Law 119-21, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, provided $51 million, covering production of the second WLIC and two sets of long lead time material. The balance of the order was funded through regular appropriations.
“Our nation’s marine transportation system facilitates over $5.4 trillion in economic activity every year and supports millions of jobs throughout the United States,” said Rear Adm. Mike Campbell, the Coast Guard's Director of Systems Integration and Chief Acquisition Officer. “Putting new waterways commerce cutters on contract ensures we have the capabilities needed to support the safe and efficient flow of commerce in our inland waterways systems.”
Inland construction tenders construct, repair and maintain fixed aids to navigation (AtoN) within inland waterways along the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf Coast. They are the only Coast Guard platform with the capability to drive and remove piles, erect towers and effect major structural changes. Construction of the first WLIC, ordered in June 2025, is expected to be completed in 2027.
River buoy tenders service short-range aids to navigation on the Western Rivers. The cutters set, relocate, and recover buoys to mark the navigable channel as water levels change. They also establish and maintain fixed aids, lights and daybeacons. Construction of the first WLR is also expected to be completed in 2027. The WLICs and WLRs are being acquired under the same contract due to their substantial design similarity.
The WCCs will replace the legacy inland tender fleet, which has an average vessel age of nearly 60 years and includes ships still in service at 81 years old. The Coast Guard inland fleet is responsible for maintaining more than 28,200 marine aids throughout 12,000 miles of inland waterways, through which an estimated 630 million tons of cargo move annually. Modernizing this fleet will bolster the Coast Guard’s capacity to control, secure, and defend U.S. ports and waterways.
For more information: Waterways Commerce Cutter page