
The Coast Guard this week expects to award Eastern Shipbuilding Group a contract to begin production of the third Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) and long-lead time materials for the fourth vessel, and construction of the first ship remains on track for delivery in late 2022, Adm. Karl Schultz, the service’s commandant, told a congressional panel on Wednesday. Construction of the first OPC, the Argus, is more than 40 percent complete and work on the second ship, the Chase, is in…