Garamendi seeks answers on why Mare Island Dry Dock was not awarded key USCG contract

When California ship repairer Mare Island Dry Dock LLC (MIDD) informed the City of Vallejo that it would permanently close its facility, resulting in the termination of all employees, it cited “unforeseen business circumstances, including the loss of a critical U.S. Coast Guard contract.”

That contract, with a total value of $11,326,204 was for the drydocking of the Coast Guard icebreaker Healey and was awarded to Vigor Marine.

The decision did not sit well with Rep. John Garamendi (D.-Calif), a member (and former Chair) of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. In a post on X, he said that Mare Island Dry Dock was the low bidder on the contract by more than $1 million.

“They used a process called ‘Best Value’ to jimmy up some sort of expenses that put the Mare Island Dry Dock at a disadvantage,” he said.

In a letter sent Jan. 6 to Coast Guard Commandant Kevin E. Lunday, Rep. Garamendi demanded that the Coast Guard explain why the administration chose to award a contract to a higher bidder rather than Mare Island Dry Dock. The letter was also signed by Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12), Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA-02), Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA-11), Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA-09) and Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA-04).

You can read the full letter HERE:

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