Austal Delivers Second High Speed Catamaran Ferry

Austal Limited (Austal) (ASX:ASB) is pleased to announce it has delivered a second high speed catamaran ferry to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

Two High Speed Catamaran Ferries docked at Austal Philippines Shipyard

The  contract  for  two 45 metre catamaran  ferries  was  awarded  in  April  2014  and  valued  at approximately $30 million, with the vessel constructed at Austal’s Philippines shipyard.

Austal Chief Executive Officer Andrew Bellamy said the delivery of the second vessel further reinforces Austal’s position to compete in this growth market.

“As this delivery demonstrates, Austal has the right production cost base in the Philippines to compete for commercial vessel contracts and successfully leverage our intellectual property with a proven design,” Mr Bellamy said.

“The capacity and efficiency of our Philippines shipyard proves we are able to meet market demand for this type of vessel. We continue to pursue further opportunities in the Middle East and the energy sector.”

Austal is also building a 57.6m high speed catamaran crew boat for an undisclosed operator based in S.E Asia, for USD$20 million (approximately $26 million) at its Philippines shipyard.

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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.