KETCHIKAN -- The shipyard in Ketchikan has reached an agreement on a multiyear contract with the Army.

The Ketchikan Daily News says the agreement allows Alaska Ship and Drydock to submit fixed-price bids on maintenance and repair jobs for Army vessels. The three-year Army contract provides for up to nearly $46 million of task orders for the current year, with more than $49 million in the first option year. That is followed by up to about $55.5 million during the third option year.

Doug Ward, the shipyard's director of shipyard development, says there is no guarantee that the shipyard will get the work, but he says the Master Vessel Agreement is a good start. It is restricted to ships based on the West Coast and Hawaii.