USCG’s Eagle nears SLEP completion

The US Coast Guard’s (USCG) cutter, Eagle, has returned to the water from drydock at the USCG yard in Curtis Bay, Maryland, the agency announced on 22 March.

With this, the cutter is now a step closer to completing the final phase of its service life extension project (SLEP) work under the In-Service Vessel Sustainment (ISVS) programme.

The ISVS programme is the USCG’s strategic class-by-class evaluation of its vessels to determine what maintenance and/or upgrades are necessary for them to reach or extend their service life. The SLEP work for Eagle was divided into four phases to ensure that the cutter remained available for the USCG Academy’s summer sessions.

The last phase of renovation included the replacement of the main propulsion system and the ship is now undergoing testing before the final acceptance of its service life extension work. The renovation work will provide an additional 15 years of service life to the ship.