First Cape Class patrol boat officially named

Austal has announced that the first-in-series Cape Class Patrol Boat has been officially named the Cape St George during a ceremony held at Austal’s Henderson shipyard in Western Australia.

Cape St George is the first of eight new boats being built by Austal for the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service under a design, construct and in-service support contract valued at approximately A$330 million.

The vessel was launched at Austal’s Henderson shipyard in January 2013.

It has since undergone final fit out and sea trials, with some other testing to be completed prior to final delivery to the customer.

The naming ceremony was attended by the Australian Special Minister for State, the Hon. Gary Gray AO; and former President of the Australian Senate Margaret Reid AO, who officially named the vessel.

“The Cape Class contract has repositioned our Henderson facilities as a defence-focused operation, while reaffirming our position as an emerging global defence prime contractor,” Austal chief executive officer Andrew Bellamy said.

“Close to 300 staff have been involved in the construction of this first vessel, and the contract has underpinned work at our Henderson shipyard.

Austal’s role extends beyond the design and construction of the vessels.

The company is also using its in-house expertise to develop and integrate sophisticated electronic systems for command, control and communication.

As part of the A$330 million contract, Austal will also perform ongoing in-service support for the Cape Class fleet over at least eight years, encompassing a full range of intermediate and depot level maintenance activities, valued at a minimum of A$50 million.

Construction of the second Cape vessel is well underway, with the keel laid in January, while work has commenced on the third Cape vessel.