Cape Vessel Delivered To Navy Marking The 73rd Patrol Boat Built By Austal

Austal (ASX:ASB) is pleased to advise that the first of two Cape-class Patrol Boats for the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Cape Fourcroy, has been delivered from the company’s Henderson shipyard in Western Australia.

The two 58 metre patrol vessels are to be chartered by the Commonwealth of Australia on behalf of the Royal Australian Navy, which awarded the A$63 million contract to Austal in December 2015.

Austal Chief Executive Officer David Singleton said the delivery highlights Austal’s proven capability to design and build defence vessels a record that has seen the company build 72 patrol boats for domestic and international markets before this delivery.

“This latest Cape-class, for the Royal Australian Navy, further strengthens Austal’s position as the only patrol boat designer and builder in Australia and a major world class exporter for this class of vessels. The delivery of the Cape Class vessel clearly shows Austal’s unrivalled ability to design and construct defence vessels on-time and on-budget,” Mr. Singleton said.

“Austal has been building patrol boats for over 20 years and we look forward to more work in the future. This includes the opportunity to design and build 12 new Offshore Patrol Vessels for the Australian Navy with our design partner Fassmer in a continuous shipbuilding initiative being driven by the Government,” he said.

Austal currently has an order book of 20 patrol vessels to be delivered over the next 4 years and has successfully competed in a number of overseas markets. Austal is currently proposing variations of its Bay Class, Cape Class and Guardian Class Patrol Boats for customers in the Middle East and Asia and expects this activity to bring further construction work to Australia. Mr Singleton said, “Exports derived from national defence programs show the multiplier effect on creating jobs out of Austal’s strong and hard won reputation in overseas markets”.

-ENDS-

About Austal

Austal is a global defence prime contractor and a designer and manufacturer of defence and commercial ships. For more than 28 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 255 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 Transport (EPF) ships for the U.S. 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. 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.