Austal, the world’s largest builder of aluminium ships, today welcomed The Hon. Tony Abbott MP, Leader of the Opposition, and Senator Mathias Cormann, Senator for Western Australia, to its Henderson shipyard.
Mr Abbott said he was pleased to visit a successful major manufacturer based in Western Australia, and that Austal’s operations were a visible demonstration of Australia’s ability to produce and deliver world leading export services and products besides natural resources.
Mr Abbott and Senator Cormann spent the morning at Austal’s manufacturing facilities and toured the recently completed 113 metre high-speed commercial catamaran, “Leonora Christina” – the largest catamaran Austal has built to date, which has been constructed for Danish company Faergen, and will depart for Denmark in May 2011.
Austal Chief Financial Officer, Richard Simons, welcomed Mr Abbott and Senator Cormann’s visit and said Austal was proud to showcase its world-class facilities and vessels.
“We were pleased to have the opportunity to welcome Mr Abbott and Senator Cormann aboard “Leonora Christina”, and demonstrate some of the unique design and construction features that have enabled Austal to become a leader in its field,” said Mr Simons.
Source: Austal