Austal Australia has delivered the fifth of eight Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats (ECCPB’s) to the Royal Australian Navy.
The vessel, ADV Cape Woolamai was officially accepted by the Commonwealth of Australia on 22 June.
“With the delivery of every Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boat, Austal is demonstrating the capacity, capability, and expertise to construct naval vessels for Australia to the highest quality, efficiently," Austal Limited Chief Executive Officer, Paddy Gregg said.
“This latest vessel, the ADV Cape Woolamai, is the fifth we have delivered in just 15 months. We’re launching and delivering a new patrol boat every three months, following approximately 12 months construction.
“We remain on track to deliver all eight Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats on schedule, in mid-2024 and thank the Commonwealth again for their trust in our team to deliver this great capability for Australia.”
The 58-metre aluminium monohull patrol boat is the fifth of eight to be delivered to the Royal Australian Navy since the project commenced in May 2020. The first four Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats, Cape Otway, Cape Peron, Cape Naturaliste, and Cape Capricorn were delivered from March 2022.
The sixth boat, the ADV Cape Pillar, was launched at the company’s Henderson, Western Australia shipyard earlier this month.
According to Austal, the Evolved Capes feature new, larger amenities to accommodate up to 32 people, improved quality of life systems and advanced sustainment intelligence systems. The patrol boats will be utilised for a wide variety of constabulary and naval missions.
Austal Australia is also contracted to deliver 22 steel Guardian-class Patrol Boats to the Commonwealth of Australia under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project (Sea 3036-1) and has delivered 15 vessels since 2018.
In-service support for the Cape, Evolved Cape and Guardian-class Patrol Boat fleets operated by the Australian Border Force, Royal Australian Navy and Pacific Island nations is provided by the company through dedicated service centres located in Henderson, Western Australia; Cairns, Queensland; and Darwin, Northern Territory.