MARINETTE, WI-- The U.S. Navy has awarded Fincantieri Marinette Marine a contract to build guided-missile frigates.
The contract for the first ship and options for up to nine others would be worth $5.5 billion if all options are exercised.
The project is expected to create about 1,000 additional jobs at the Wisconsin shipyard. A number of Upper Peninsula residents also work there.
Meanwhile, the new coronavirus has infected at least four workers at the shipyard. The company reported its first employee infection on April 23 and announced this week that three more have since tested positive.
Officials believe about a dozen workers in Wisconsin and Michigan may have been exposed to the first patient.
