Austal won a contract for the design, construction and supply of six 16-m aluminium monohull boats for the Water Police in the Australian state of New South Wales. This order will add to the previous Austal delivery of two 22 m and seven 16 m patrol boats delivered in 2000. As with the previous vessels this order will be built over a period of approximately 10 months.
The boats have been ordered as part of a four-year upgrade of the Water Police fleet. New South Wales Minister for Police, Carl Scully, said that once the upgrade was complete the Water Police would have a virtually new fleet, with the latest technology and an expanded counter-terrorist capability. “New South Wales will have the best equipped Police fleet in Australia, able to target maritime security, marine crime and search and rescue operations,” he said.
The first of these vessels is due for delivery in early 2006, with all six expected to be in operation by July of that year.They will be based at water police facilities in Sydney, Coffs Harbour, Port Stephens, Port Botany, Port Kembla and Eden.