Austal books AUD 75 million water taxi order

Austal has won an AUD $ 75 million order to design and construct four 41 m high speed passenger catamaran ferries for the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the shipbuilder's third third significant commercial order for the year,

Designed to carry 405 passengers at a speed of approximately 37 knots, the aluminum vessels are intended to help reduce road congestion in Trinidad and Tobago by establishing a water taxi service between San Fernando and Port of Spain in southwest Trinidad.

When fully operational the water taxi service is expected to carry around 8,000 to 12,000 passengers in a normal working day and will be integrated with other transport systems.

Construction of the four ferries will be shared across Austal's Tasmanian and Western Australian shipyards, with delivery scheduled for late 2010. The contract includes a maintenance and training package which will see Austal deliver crew familiarization and planned maintenance management.

Austal's latest contract continues a recent run of commercial orders for the company, which has included two large high speed vehicle ferries for leading European operators Nordic Ferry Services and Virtu Ferries.

The vessels will be owned by Trinidad and Tobago's National Infrastructure Development Company Limited (NIDCO)--a government statutory authority-- and operated by external consultants. The international tender process undertaken by NIDCO called for proven vessels that could be customized to best meet the proposed service and be delivered within 12 months of contract effective.

Austal's design is based on its 41 m catamaran platform, two of which have been successfully operating in Norway with operator OVDS since 2003.

Passenger seating onboard each vessel is split over two levels, with the main passenger deck featuring four passenger entry points, a central kiosk and dedicated baggage compartment and bike racks. The vessels will be powered by four MTU 16V2000 M72 engines driving Kamewa waterjets and will be fitted with Austal Ride Control to ensure passenger comfort.

As well as performing a water taxi service, the ferries will provide emergency backup for the existing inter-island service between Trinidad and Tobago. To meet this secondary function, Austal configured all four vessels with the capability to retrofit a forward mounted T-foil ride control system at short notice, allowing the vessels to operate in open, unprotected seas.

Austal is currently building six fast patrol craft for the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, due for delivery in early 2010..

Vessel Specifications Length Overall - 41.2 m

Length Waterline - 38.2 m

Beam Molded - 10.9 m

Hull Depth Molded - 4.3 m

Hull Draft - up to 2.0 m with ride control fitted

Passengers - 405

Crew - 8

Fuel - 7,500 liters

Engine - 4 x MTU 16V2000 M72

Gearbox - 4 x Reintjes VLJ730 HL/HR

Waterjets - 4 x Kamewa 56A3