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Bob Browning News

03 May 2010

Austal Opens European Service Hub

Photo courtesy Austal

Austal announced an expansion of its European service presence with the establishment of a maintenance hub on the Strait of Gibraltar. Based in Southern Spain and Northern Morocco, the new operations will support the extensive fleet of Austal and non-Austal high speed craft currently operating on the Strait of Gibraltar. The new operations will support the ports of Algeciras and Tarifa in Spain, and Tanger Ville and Tanger Med in Morocco, and will be staffed by members of Austal’s existing maintenance team as well as local personnel.

19 Nov 2009

ABS Adds to Membership

At the recent ABS Council meeting in N.Y., 40 prominent members of the shipping and offshore industries were elected as new members of the international classification society. The ABS Council also elected two new members to the society’s Technical Committee. “ABS governance is vested in a membership comprised of distinguished individuals drawn from the international shipping, shipbuilding and offshore industries, from academia, the insurance sector and other related disciplines,” said ABS Chairman and CEO Robert D. Somerville. Akimitsu Ashida, President, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. Noel L. Captain Ali M. Belhag, Chairman, GNMTC – General National Maritime Transport Co. Joseph L. Takatoshi Funada, President, Funada Kaiun Co., Ltd. Kevin M.

10 Nov 2009

Austal Opens New Shipbuilding Facility

Photo courtesy Austal

Austal has officially opened its new Modular Manufacturing Facility (MMF), equipping its U.S. shipyard with the ability to build up to three 328-ft-plus vessels each year. Phase One of the new $88m facility boasts 35,000m2 of manufacturing space under one roof, including a 7900m2 warehouse, as well as paved parking for more than 2000 vehicles. An official ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of Phase One was held at Austal’s Mobile, Ala. shipyard. The event was attended by more than 300 dignitaries, including Alabama Governor Bob Riley, U.S.

15 Sep 2009

Trinidad and Tobago Order Ferry Fleet

Photo courtesy Austal

In its third significant commercial order for the year, Austal will design and construct four 134.5 ft high speed passenger catamaran ferries for the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Designed to carry 405 passengers at a speed of approximately 37 knots, the aluminium vessels are intended to help reduce road congestion in Trinidad and Tobago by establishing a water taxi service between San Fernando and Port of Spain in southwest Trinidad. The water taxi service is part of the Trinidad and Tobago Government’s “Vision 2020” strategy plan…

23 Jun 2009

Austal Celebrates Partnership with Alabama

An official visit by the Governor of Alabama to Austal’s Western Australian shipyard has underlined the mutually-beneficial relationship that exists between the two parties. The visit by Governor Bob Riley allowed Austal to recognise the State of Alabama’s support during the establishment of its US shipyard, which over the past 10 years has grown to become the largest aluminium shipyard in the world. The facility, located in Mobile, Alabama, currently employs almost 1,000 workers and is responsible for building the largest-ever aluminium ferry in the US.

09 Dec 2008

Austal Appoints Hogan COO

Austal is pleased to announce the appointment of former Boral Limited Divisional General Manager Peter Hogan to the position of Chief Operating Officer – Australian Operations. Hoganr brings a strong background in business growth and operational improvement as well as proven success at all levels of management, both in Australia and overseas. He has previously held senior management positions with Hanson Israel Limited, Pioneer International Limited, and most recently with Midland Brick - a subsidiary of Boral Limited and the largest clay brick manufacturing facility in the world.

25 Aug 2008

Austal COO Promoted to President

Joe Rella has been promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Austal.

Joe Rella has been promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Austal. Rella will be replacing Bob Browning as President of Austal’s US operations in . As of August 22, Browning will assume the role of managing director and CEO of Austal Limited. Rella was introduced as Austal ’s COO almost a year ago. Since joining Austal, Rella has coordinated several major efforts, including the successful rollout and launch of the Littoral Combat Ship, (LCS 2), which is scheduled to be Christened on October 4.

01 Aug 2008

Austal USA Expands

Austal’s operation located in , celebrated the start of work on its Modular Manufacturing Facility (MMF) with a groundbreaking ceremony on July 31, 2008. Located on , just south of , the MMF project when complete will include 700,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space, 80,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space, and 60,000 sq. ft. of office space. The MMF expansion will be constructed in two phases and will ultimately accommodate a total workforce of up to 1,200 personnel in the new buildings.

01 Feb 2008

Austal Awarded Preliminary Design Contract for JHSV

The JHSV requirements and concept of operations are similar to those of the Austal built WestPac ExpressAustal announced the award of a $3m Preliminary Design Contract for the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) program for the US Navy and Army. The JHSV requirements and concept of operations are similar to those of the Austal built “WestPac Express”, which has been successfully serving the III Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa, Japan for more than six years. At the conclusion of the six-month JHSV Preliminary Design Contract…

16 Mar 2007

Browning Appointed CEO at Austal USA

The Executive Chairman of Austal Limited, Mr John Rothwell AO, today announced the appointment of Mr Bob Browning as Chief Executive Officer of Austal USA, effective mid August this year. Mr Rothwell said Mr Browning would add substantial experience to Austal’s existing executive team, and assist the company achieve its strategic growth plans across all sectors of the business. Mr Browning has been a non-executive Director of the Company since September 2003. In his new executive position with the Company, he will be based in Mobile, Alabama, where Austal opened its US shipyard in 1999. He will retire as a Director upon commencing in his new role. “We are pleased to welcome Bob to the executive team.