AUGUSTA – The Navy has awarded Bath Iron Works a contract worth more than $336 million for destroyer design and construction, Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, said Tuesday.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said the funds will enable BIW to complete final design work in advance of construction slated for next year.

“After many years of moving toward the design and construction of the DDG destroyers, this is a good day for not only Bath Iron Works and the state of Maine, but for the United States Navy and the American people,” Snowe said in a statement. “These ships will provide the backbone of American naval supremacy for generations to come.”