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Austal Ltd News

18 Jul 2023

U.S. Navy Shipbuilders & Disaggregated, Dispersed Production

The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine, USS Columbia (SSN 771) moors alongside the submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) in Apra Harbor, Naval Base Guam, Jan. 4.  (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Joshua M. Tolbert)

With a lame-duck CNO, a divided Congress and the impending launch of the next Presidential election cycle, America’s naval market is locked into something of a fragile and fearful autopilot, cruising inexorably towards whatever excitement 2024 might bring.Materially, don’t expect much change: The demand for naval platforms will continue to outstrip available funding, meaning there will be little movement or growth in America’s major shipbuilding programs of record. The procurement outlines are already set.

03 Apr 2023

Shipbuilder Austal Sinks on Former U.S. Executives' Indictment for Financial Fraud

Credit: Naval Surface Warriors ©CC BY-SA 2.0

Australian shipbuilder Austal Ltd sank as much as 8.4% to its lowest level in more than four years on Monday after the United States Department of Justice indicted three of its former U.S. employees on manipulating financial information. Austal, which builds ships for the U.S. Navy and is working on parts of the Virginia class submarines, plunged to its lowest level since October 25, 2018, and marked its worst intraday drop since January 17. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)…

28 Jul 2021

Philippine Creditors Set to Sell Debt-laden Shipyard

Credit: HHIC Phil (File Photo)

Philippine creditors are close to selling a strategically located but debt-laden shipyard north of the capital Manila, government officials said on Tuesday, with a North American company cited as being an investor in the deal.Hanjin Philippines, a unit of South Korea's Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co Ltd, in 2019 defaulted on $1.3 billion in loans, of which $900 million is owed to South Korean banks and the rest to five Philippine lenders.Talks with investors were almost complete…

09 Oct 2019

Austal, Cerberus Mull JV on Hanjin's Philippine Yard

AdobeStock / © Bernell11

Australian shipbuilder Austal Ltd and U.S. private equity firm are considering a joint bid for a strategically located but debt-laden Philippine shipyard, the facility's trustee said on Wednesday.Hanjin Philippines, a unit of South Korea's Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co Ltd, in January defaulted on $1.3 billion in loans, of which $900 million is owed to South Korean banks and the rest to five Philippine lenders.Austal and Cerberus are interested in the distressed shipyard…

17 Dec 2018

Austal Rises on U.S. Contract Win

LCS vessels, hulls 4 & 5, alongside at Austal's U.S. manufacturing facility. (CREDIT: Austal)

Shares of ship builder Austal Ltd rise as much as 4.6 pct to A$1.940.Austal said that it has a news contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to build two more Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), bringing the total new LCS orders booked in 2018 CY to four ships. Reportedly, the new award is under the congressional cost cap of $584 mlnSeparately, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia will fund Republic of Trinidad & Tobago with a loan of A$80 mln ($57.40 mln) to assist it to purchase…

13 Nov 2018

Austal Cyber Hack Probe May Take Years

(File photo: Austal)

Australia's chief cyber security chief said on Tuesday an investigation into the hacking of defense contractor Austal Ltd could take years, rejecting a local media report that his agency had concluded the attack originated from Iran.Austal said earlier this month hackers had breached its defenses to gain access to ship designs and that some staff email addresses and mobile phone numbers were accessed.The attack triggered an investigation by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), the country's top cyber security unit.

01 Nov 2018

Shipbuilder Austal Reports Data Breach

(File photo: Austal)

Shipbuilder Austal Ltd said on Thursday its Australian business had detected and responded to a data breach in which some staff email addresses and mobile phone numbers were accessed.The breach, which affected the company's data management systems, has had no impact on Austal's ongoing operations, it said in a statement.The attacker tried to sell certain materials on the internet and engage in extortion. However, the company does not intend to respond to such threats, Austal said."There…

27 Feb 2018

Austal Climbs on Strong H1 Profit

(File photo: Austal)

Shipbuilder Austal Ltd shares have risen as much as 4.5 percent to A$1.85, its highest since February 1.   The company's H1 net profit after tax has surged 174 percent, driven by strong performance in shipbuilding programs for U.S. Navy.   Over 900,000 shares have changed hands, compared with the 30-day average of 229,350 shares   The stock is among top percent gainers on the ASX All Ordinaries Index.

18 Dec 2015

Pentagon to U.S. Navy: Buy fewer LCS Ships, More Planes

Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the U.S. Navy in a sharply worded memo this week to buy 12 fewer small littoral combat ships (LCS) and more fighter jets, electronic warfare equipment and other weapons in the upcoming budget year instead. If approved by Congress, the changes would have a huge impact on many big weapons makers, including Lockheed Martin Corp and Australia's Austal Ltd, which would have to compete to build eight remaining LCS ships in fiscal 2019. The Navy had been buying ships in recent years "at the expense of critically-needed investments in areas where our adversaries are not standing still, such as strike, ship survivability, electronic warfare and other capabilities," Carter said. A copy of the memo, first reported by Defense News, was seen by Reuters.

08 Sep 2015

Lean Manufacturing Transforms Maker of US Navy Warships

Photo: Fincantieri Marinette Marine

Big investments, lean manufacturing techniques borrowed from the automotive industry, and a more engaged workforce have revamped the Wisconsin shipyard where Italy's Fincantieri SpA builds the Freedom variant of the U.S. Navy's coastal warships for prime contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. Fincantieri invested $100 million in recent years to transform the 1940s era shipyard into a state-of-the-art facility, where seven LCS ships are now under construction, including three that have already been launched into the river.

22 Aug 2015

Lockheed Welcomes US Plan to Use Its Combat System for Frigates

Lockheed Martin Corp on Friday welcomed the U.S. Navy's decision to use Lockheed's integrated combat system for future frigate-class ships to be built beginning in fiscal 2019, saying it would allow greater commonality across the entire Navy fleet. "It's great news," Joe North, vice president of Littoral Ships and Systems at Lockheed, told Reuters in a telephone interview. Neither the Navy nor Lockheed provided an estimate for the value of the combat system, but North said each system accounted for less than 10 percent of the cost of the ship. The last three ships ordered by the Navy ranged in price from $345 million to $441 million. The decision will make it easier for the future frigates that will succeed the current Littoral Combat Shipsp (LCS) to work together with U.S.

11 Mar 2014

U.S. Navy awards contracts to Lockheed, Austal for 4 more ships

File Photo: LCS hulls 4 & 6 alongside the pier at Austal Shipyard..

The U.S. Navy has awarded contracts worth nearly $1.4 billion to buy four more Littoral Combat Ships from Lockheed Martin Corp and Australia's Austal Ltd, the U.S. Defense Department said on Monday. Lockheed won a contract valued at $699 million to build two more of its steel monohull-design ships, while Austal won a contract worth $684 million to build two more of its aluminum trimaran design, the Pentagon said in its daily digest of major weapons contracts. Lockheed welcomed the contract…

25 Feb 2014

Quest for More Lethal U.S. Warship Could Raise Cost

The littoral combat ship USS Independence (LCS 2). U.S. Navy photo by Doug Sayers

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's decision to stop building the current class of coastal warships after 32 vessels and focus on ships with more firepower and protection will result in higher costs, U.S. defense officials said on Monday. Hagel said that given the new threats, he had "considerable reservations" about building all 52 coastal warships as planned, which would account for one-sixth of the future 300-ship Navy. "I recognize the importance of presence, which is tied to the number of ships.

15 Dec 2010

U.S. Navy Urges Senate to Approve LCS Plan

According to a Dec. 14 report from Reuters, four top U.S. Navy officials appeared at a hastily arranged Senate hearing to press for approval of a $9.8b plan to buy 10 new coastal warships each from both Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and Australia's Austal Ltd (ASB.AX), instead of selecting just one. (Source: Reuters)

08 Oct 2008

LCS 2 Christened

The General Dynamics Littoral Combat Ship Team (GD LCS Team) christened the LCS 2 Independence October 4, on the waters of the at the Austal USA shipyard. Present at the Christening Ceremony were over 1,000 guests and dignitaries. The Ship Sponsor was Doreen A. Scott, wife of the 10th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, Terry D. Scott. She was joined by her daughter, Maid of Honor, Lauren A. Scott, but her daughter, Matron of Honor Ensign Lindsay Fatz, USN, was out of the country on orders.

23 Feb 2001

Austal USA Secures Candies Vessel Duo

Austal Ltd. has reported that its U.S. operation, Austal USA, has secured a two vessel order for the construction of 150 ft. (45.7 m) aluminum crew supply vessels to operate in the Gulf of Mexico. The vessel pair, which has been ordered by Otto Candies of Des Allemands, La., is scheduled for delivery in early 2002. This new order adds on to the current 82 ft. (25 m) high speed passenger catamaran that Austal USA is constructing for an unnamed owner. The monohull designed vessels will be used to service the offshore industry in the Gulf of Mexico. Operating at a speed of 26 knots, each will house two forward cabins on the main deck to provide seating for 80 passengers; the vessels' aft cargo deck has been designed to carry up to 150 long tons of cargo.

08 Mar 2001

Austal USA to Build Two Supply Vessels for Candies

Austal USA, the joint venture company of Australia's Austal Ltd. and Bender Shipbuilding & Repair, has secured a two-vessel order for the construction of 150 ft. aluminum crew supply vessels to operate in the Gulf of Mexico. The vessel pair, which has been ordered by Otto Candies of Des Allemands, La., is scheduled for delivery in early 2002. This new order adds on to the current 82 ft. high-speed passenger catamaran that Austal USA is constructing for an unnamed owner. The monohull designed vessels will be used to service the offshore industry in the Gulf of Mexico. Operating at a speed of 26 knots, each will house two forward cabins on the main deck to provide seating for 80 passengers; the vessels' aft cargo deck has been designed to carry up to 150 long tons of cargo.

18 Nov 2005

Austal Opens New U.S. Shipbuilding Facility

On November 17, Mobile, Alabama-based Austal USA celebrated the grand opening of its new construction facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. This event took place just 11 months to the day after breaking ground on the project on January 17, 2005. Several notable VIPs participated in the ceremony, including: State of Alabama Director of Development Neal Wade, Mobile County Commission President Mike Dean, Mobile Mayor Sam Jones, John Rothwell (Austal Ltd. Executive Chairman), Greg Metcalf (CEO, Austal USA), Tom Bender (CEO, Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc.) and Henry Seawell (CEO, Thompson Engineering, the company that was contracted for the design and construction of the expansion).

27 Nov 2002

Lerchbacker Leads Austal USA to the Top

When Austal Ltd. of Henderson, Western Australia, started looking last year for a CEO to lead its U.S.-based operations, the job description must have been daunting. They wanted a leader to take the helm of their newly built shipyard in Mobile, Ala., and turn it into a major contractor for both military and commercial vessels in the United States. Austal had recently entered the U.S. market for the first time, intent on competing with higher-profile rivals such as Incat/Bollinger, Derecktor Shipyards and Kvaerner. The company settled on Alan Lerchbacker, 50, an energetic former Navy Aquanaut with a business background, who took the position in February 2002. Lerchbacker had never heard of Austal until a headhunter contacted him.