Austal to build in US

Austal of Australia has signed a joint venture agreement with Bender Shipbuilding to build fast ferries in the USA. The new company, Austal USA, will build the full range of high speed craft up to 100m/1,000 passenger capacity.

Austal says there are over 3,600 passenger craft operating in the US ? a market restricted by the Jones Act to vessels built in America. It is also talking to the American military about the Sealift program, and sees the US Coast Guard as another potential client.

Bender has recently installed the first laser cutting machine in a US shipyard and has over 2,000m of deep-water frontage at its yard in Mobile, Alabama. Recruitment has started, and training of key personnel will be undertaken in Australia, with the new company predicting a workforce of around 1,000 people within five years.