Austal Delivers Fifth Joint High Speed Vessel

Austal Limited (Austal) (ASX:ASB) is pleased to announce it has successfully delivered Joint High Speed Vessel 5 (JHSV 5), USNS Trenton, to the US Navy.

USNS Trenton is the fifth JHSV built by Austal at its shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, under a 10 ship, US$1.6 billion contract.

Joint High Speed Vessel

Austal Chief Executive Officer Andrew Bellamy said the delivery of USNS Trenton to the US Navy is a strong reminder of the significant progress that we have made through operational improvements at our US shipyard since construction commenced on JHSV 1.

“The JHSV program continues to mature with each successful delivery,” Mr Bellamy said.

“We have received many positive reports about how the first four JHSVs have been performing in the fleet, and we are encouraged about the future of the JHSV program.”

Austal will deliver a further five Joint High Speed Vessels from its shipyard at Mobile, Alabama, with three currently under construction.

Since delivery of USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1), Joint High Speed Vessels have supported US defence operations in European, African, South and Pacific command areas of responsibility.

Austal is also building seven LCS all at various stages of construction at its shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, under a 10 vessel, US$3.5 billion contract the U.S. Navy awarded to Austal in 2010.

-Ends-

About Austal

Austal is a global defence prime contractor and a designer and manufacturer of defence and commercial ships. For more than 25 years Austal has been a leader in the design, construction and maintenance of revolutionary ships for Governments, Navies and Ferry operators around the world. More than 250 vessels have been delivered in that time.

Ships 

Defence vessels designed and built by Austal include multi-mission combatants, such as the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) for the United States Navy and military high speed vessels for transport and humanitarian relief, such as the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) for the United States Navy and High Speed Support Vessel (HSSV) for the Royal Navy of Oman. Austal also designs, constructs, integrates and maintains an extensive range of patrol and auxiliary vessels for government agencies globally, including the Cape Class Patrol Boat Program for Australian Customs and Border Protection. Defence vessels are designed and constructed in Mobile, Alabama and in Henderson, Western Australia.

Austal has been at the forefront of the high speed ferry market since the early days of the industry. Our market leading designs of high performance aluminium vessels have long been at the heart of Austal’s research and development. Today, commercial ship construction is centred on our shipyard in Balamban, Philippines.

Systems

Austal has expertise in integrating complex systems into its ships, including ride control, ship management, and communication, sensors and weapon systems.

Support

Austal provides a wide range of support services, including through life support, integrated logistics support, vessel sustainment and systems support. These services are delivered through our global support network in the USA, Australia, Asia, the Caribbean and the Middle East together with partner shipyards worldwide.