Demonstrating the rapid progress of the Cape Class Patrol Boat Program, Austal hosted a keel-laying ceremony for the first of eight high performance patrol boats it is building for the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service. Keel-laying traditionally marks the first significant milestone in a ship’s construction. Historically this was the “laying down” of the main timber making up the backbone of a vessel. Austal’s advanced shipbuilding techniques means fabrication of ship modules begins well before they are actually joined. So today Austal celebrates keel-laying when modules are brought together for final assembly. Although Austal’s design and manufacturing approach is thoroughly modern, the ceremony retained long held shipbuilding traditions.