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| Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement (PPBR) |
Austal Limited (ASX:ASB) has welcomed Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to the company’s Henderson, Western Australia shipyard, proudly demonstrating the facility’s proven naval shipbuilding capabilities, innovation and export success.
Following the recent awarding of the $305 million Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement (PPBR) contract, comprising 19 vessels made from Australian steel, the Prime Minister took the opportunity to meet Austal’s highly skilled and experienced shipbuilding team that will deliver the program for the Commonwealth of Australia. Twelve Pacific Island nations will benefit from the all new 40m Pacific Patrol Boats, which will be supported from Austal’s Cairns service facilities, from 2018.
Welcoming the Prime Minister to Austal, Chief Executive Officer David Singleton said: “It was a pleasure to have the Prime Minister join us here today to see first-hand how we are gearing up for the Pacific Patrol Boats Replacement Project - and demonstrate our readiness to play a major role in the Commonwealth’s continuous naval shipbuilding program.
“The steel Pacific Patrol Boats represent a significant enhancement to our proven capabilities at this shipyard, which has successfully delivered numerous multiple-vessel naval programs as well as vessels up to 127m long for export customers.”
Joined by Senators Linda Reynolds and Chris Back, the Prime Minister viewed three separate shipbuilding programs currently underway at Austal in Henderson; two new 58m Cape Class Patrol Boats for delivery to the Royal Australian Navy in 2017, plus two export orders; a 70m offshore fast crew transfer vessel for Caspian Marine Services and two 72m High Speed Support Vessels that were custom designed and constructed for the Royal Navy of Oman.
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| Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement (PPBR) |
Speaking to media at today’s tour, the Prime Minister said “Well, how awesome is this? Australian jobs. Australian workers. Australian technology. Building some of the most sophisticated naval vessels in the world, right here in Perth.
“What John Rothwell (Austal Chairman) has done here, as a great leader of Australian industry, as a great ship builder, he has taken Australian technology and created Australian jobs and built a global business and I am delighted that we are supporting Austal and they are providing these 19, up to 21 Pacific Patrol Boats and they'll be built right here and we expect the Offshore Patrol Vessels, of course after the first two are built in Adelaide, they will be built here at Henderson as well.”
With proven success in delivering advanced defence vessel platforms from modern modular manufacturing facilities in Australia and the USA - including the frigate-sized, 127m Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and 103m Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) programs for the US Navy - Austal continues to pursue all opportunities to participate in the Commonwealth’s competitive evaluation process (CEP) for the Offshore Patrol Vessel (SEA1180) and Future Frigate (SEA5000) Programs.