Western Australian Facility News

Austal receives a high profile defence delegation, including the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Defence, at its Western Australian facility. The Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP, the UK Secretary of State for Defence, was accompanied by Australia’s Minister for Defence, the Hon Stephen Smith, MP; Australia’s Chief of Defence Force, General David Hurley, AC, DSC; Australia’s Defence Secretary, Mr Dennis Richardson, AO and other defence personnel from both the United Kingdom and Australia.

Guadeloupe-based ferry operator L’Express des Iles has selected Austal to design and construct two 154-ft high speed catamaran ferries. The order consists of one vehicle-passenger ferry and one passenger ferry, and is the company’s third contract with Austal since 1997. The vessels are intended to operate from Guadeloupe to the Caribbean islands of Marie Galante, Dominique, Martinique and St Lucia, where they will provide an important inter-island link for tourism and trade. The vehicle ferry will have the capacity for 364 passengers and 10 cars.

Austal has completed its first European defense contract following the commissioning of four 69.5-ft inshore patrol craft for the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM). The aluminum vessels have a maximum speed of more than 26 knots and will assist the AFM with surveillance and border protection throughout Malta’s coastal waters. “The modern and cutting-edge technology coupled with the best accommodation facilities will also provide a better working environment for the crew,” Prime Minister Gonzi said.

Australian shipbuilder Austal, the world's largest builder of high-speed ferries, has signed a joint venture agreement with Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc. (Bender) to establish a U.S. shipbuilding operation: Austal USA. Austal's Chairman, John Rothwell made the announcement that Bender, located in Alabama, would partner Austal in the U.S. The majority equity will be held by Austal. Currently the coastwise trade laws in the U.S. (primarily the Jones Act and the Passenger Vessel Services Act) generally prohibit foreign-built vessels from operating on domestic routes. More than 3,600 vessels are active in the U.S. passenger vessel industry and they carry nearly 200 million passengers each year.