Austal Delivers Expeditionary Fast Transport 6 to U.S. Navy

Austal Limited (Austal) (ASX:ASB) is pleased to announce that Expeditionary Fast Transport 6 (EPF 6) was delivered to the U.S. Navy on January 14 during a ceremony aboard the ship at Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, USA.

The delivery of the USNS Brunswick (EPF 6) marks the first ship in its class Austal has delivered to the Navy in 2016.

Rollout of USNS Brunswick (EPF 6)

Austal Chief Executive Officer Andrew Bellamy said it’s a testament to the dedication and skill of Austal’s work force.

“The EPF program is now mature and stable. The entire team at Austal USA has much to be proud of in achieving this.  It’s a great ship and a great program,” Mr Bellamy said.

Three additional EPF, formerly Joint High Speed Vessels (JHSV), remain under construction in Mobile as part of a 10-ship, US$1.6 billion block-buy contract from the U.S. Navy. The future USNS Carson City (EPF 7) will be christened in January 2016 and will launch soon after, while modules for Yuma (EPF 8) and Bismarck (EPF 9) are under construction in Austal’s module manufacturing facility. Construction of Burlington (EPF 10) is expected to begin later in 2016.

EPF 11 and 12 were fully funded by Congress in the 2015 and 2016 Omnibus Appropriations Bills. Shipbuilding contracts for EPF 11 and 12 have not yet been finalised however the Navy awarded Austal a $54 million contract in October to fund long lead materials for EPF 11.

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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 Expeditionary Fast Transports (EPF) formerly 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 Border Force (formerly 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.