Austal signs shipbuilding agreement with Australian government
Austal has signed off on a Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement for key Australian naval defence programs.
Australian government approves landmark shipbuilding deal with Austal
The Australian Government has approved a Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement with Austal that will establish the company as the Commonwealth’s strategic shipbuilder for Tier 2 surface combatants at Henderson, Western Australia, according to an announcement on Monday. Under the agreement, Austal Defence Shipbuilding Australia, a newly created subsidiary, will become prime contractor for the LAND8710 programs…
Austal to continue to maintain US Navy LCS vessels
The US Navy has exercised $74.4 million (US$48 million) of additional options under a previously awarded contract for shipbuilder Austal to perform maintenance on Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) deployed to the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, and regional countries. The original 2021 contract to maintain the vessels was for US$72.5m to perform the sustainment works, with…
Austal shows (again) why it should remain Australian controlled
By Peter Roberts Shipbuilder Austal has again shown at its annual general meeting the folly of Australia’s apparent unconcern should the company fall under foreign ownership. In September Korea’s Hanwha gave up on a takeover of Austal, a deal that was waved through by Defence Minister Richard Marles as of no concern to the government.…
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SwarmFarm Robotics’ farm robot rolls out of new Toowoomba factory Farm robotic vehicle manufacturer SwarmFarm Robotics has released images (pictured) of the very first SwarmBot as it rolled out of the company’s new manufacturing plant in Toowoomba. SwarmBot is an autonomous platform that can be customised for tasks faced in local crop farming systems. SwarmFarm…
Austal wins second US submarine build contract
Shipbuilder Austal has been awarded a second major contract in the United States to prepare itself for the construction of submarine modules and components to feed into the US Navy nuclear submarine construction programme. Austal USA has been awarded a $220 million (US$152 million) contract by the U.S. Navy to invest in infrastructure that supports…
Austal awarded $670m contract for n-submarine module construction
Shipbuilder Austal has announced that Austal USA has been awarded a $670 million (US$450 million) contract by General Dynamics Electric Boat for nuclear submarine module construction. The contract will enable Austal USA to expand production capacity at its US shipyard in Mobile, Alabama (pictured) as part of the U.S. Navy Submarine Industrial Base (SIB). It…
Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed
Sparc Hydrogen begins pilot plant work Sparc Hydrogen has begun front-end engineering and design (FEED) work on its pilot water splitting (PWS) reactor to produce green hydrogen at cheaper cost than traditional electrolysis. The company, a joint venture between Sparc Technologies, Fortescue and the University of Adelaide, will locate the plant at the UoA’s Roseworthy…
Austal awarded more US Navy shipbuilding contracts
Shipbuilder Austal has been awarded a $84.4 million fixed-priced contract modification for the construction of two additional Landing Craft Utility (LCU) 1700-class vessels (pictured) for the United States Navy. The contract modification brings the total number of LCU scheduled or under construction at Austal USA to five of a class that the USN originally envisaged…
Austal to build wind powered cargo trimaran
Shipbuilder Austal has been awarded a contract to design and construct a wind-powered, aluminium cargo trimaran for Vela Transport of Bayonne, France. The purchase price for the vessel cannot be disclosed for commercial reasons, however it is in the range of $40–$45 million, according to the company. The first-of-class, 66.8 metre high-value cargo vessel, based…