T-AK 9655 MV Green Ridge

MV Green Ridge is a multipurpose vessel formerly used to preposition a 500-bed U.S. Navy fleet hospital in the Indian Ocean off the island of Diego Garcia. Periodically part of the MSC fleet since 1988, Green Ridge carried containerized, breakbulk and vehicular cargo. Green Ridge is a self-sustaining vessel that can load and unload cargo alongside a pier with minimal shore support.

MV Green Ridge was under charter to support the US Navy's Fleet Hospital afloat prepositioning mission. Green Ridge is a multi-purpose ship built in 1979. She is 508 feet long, 70 feet wide and has a deadweight tonnage of 12,702 long tons. It has 62,000 square feet of cargo carrying capacity, or room for 619 20-foot containers. Green Ridge sails at a speed of 16 knots. The ship carries a 500-bed Navy fleet hospital used to support Fleet and Fleet Marine Forces engaged in combat operations ashore. The hospital materials--comprised of 75 wheeled vehicles, 80 pieces of general cargo and 450 20-foot containers of tents, subsistence and medical supplies--must be rotated back to facilities in the United States to be refurbished every five years. Green Ridge was prepositioned in Diego Garcia.

In January 1997 the Military Sealift Command awarded a time charter contract to Central Gulf Lines of New Orleans, La., for the charter of the MV Green Ridge beginning July 1997. The base charter period was 17 months, and the contract had two 17-month options. If both options were exercised, the total value of the contract was $31.7 million.

In August 2000 Central Gulf Lines of New Orleans announced that the foreign-built M/V GREEN RIDGE would be sold to a non-U.S. entity and reflagged for operation under foreign registry. The 12,000 dead weight ton (dwt) multi-purpose vessel was built in Germany in 1979 and reflagged to U.S. registry in 1989 by Central Gulf Lines to participate in the Military Sealift Command's Prepositioning Program. The Company was aware that the MSC would soon be terminating the vessel charter and it had been aggressively trying to find long-term employment for the vessel and its crew. Due to the vessel's age and size, it is not fit for any commercial venture and there is no current military solicitation for which the vessel would be suited. The ship was eligible for the Maritime Security Program (MSP) but not selected in 1996 hence the vessel did not require MarAd approval under Section 9 of the Shipping Act of 1916 as amended. As of August 2000 the vessel was located in Norfolk, VA and the company expected cargo offload to be completed and the vessel to be redelivered from MSC to Central Gulf Lines on August 13, 2000. The actual reflag date was 14 August 2000.

Green Ridge was replaced in FY 2000 by Maritime Prepositioning Force (Enhanced) ship USNS 1st Lt. Harry L. Martin.