Austal Secures High Speed Crew Boat Contract

Austal Limited (Austal) (ASX:ASB) is pleased to announce it has secured a further offshore vessel contract for the construction of one 57.6m High Speed Catamaran Crew Boat for an undisclosed operator based in S.E. Asia, for USD$20 million (approximately $26 million).

The advanced, multi-task crew boat is capable of quickly and safely transferring 90 offshore personnel plus cargo at up to 40 knots and shall be wholly constructed at Austal’s Philippines shipyard for delivery in the third quarter of 2016.

In addition to a large, 200sqm cargo deck (allowing up to 100 tonnes of cargo to be transported), the vessel features DP2 ‘Dynamic Positioning’ that allows stable, heave-compensated walk-to-work transfer of personnel to offshore facilities. The vessel also has search and rescue capability, with an on-board Fast Rescue Craft (FRC) available for launch quickly when necessary.

Announcing the contract whilst in the US for the christening of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS10), Austal Chief Executive Officer Andrew Bellamy made the comment:

“This is the second offshore vessel contract secured by Austal within as many weeks; further reinforcing our position as a preferred partner in the global offshore vessel market. With the recent announcement of a contract to deliver a 70m Fast Crew Boat for Caspian Marine Services, this new contract further demonstrates Austal’s capability to develop effective, customised solutions for any offshore operational requirement.”

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About Austal

Austal is a global defence prime contractor and a designer and manufacturer of defence and commercial ships. For more than 25 years Austal has been a leader in the design, construction and maintenance of revolutionary ships for Governments, Navies and Ferry operators around the world. More than 250 vessels have been delivered in that time.

Ships

Defence vessels designed and built by Austal include multi-mission combatants, such as the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) for the United States Navy and military high speed vessels for transport and humanitarian relief, such as the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) for the United States Navy and High Speed Support Vessel (HSSV) for the Royal Navy of Oman. Austal also designs, constructs, integrates and maintains an extensive range of patrol and auxiliary vessels for government agencies globally, including the Cape Class Patrol Boat Program for Australian Customs and Border Protection. Defence vessels are designed and constructed in Mobile, Alabama and in Henderson, Western Australia.

Austal has been at the forefront of the high speed ferry market since the early days of the industry. Our market leading designs of high performance aluminium vessels have long been at the heart of Austal’s research and development. Today, commercial ship construction is centred on our shipyard in Balamban, Philippines.

Systems

Austal has expertise in integrating complex systems into its ships, including ride control, ship management, and communication, sensors and weapon systems.

Support

Austal provides a wide range of support services, including through life support, integrated logistics support, vessel sustainment and systems support. These services are delivered through our global support network in the USA, Australia, Asia and the Middle East together with partner shipyards worldwide.