Austal Limited has delivered its second 50-metre, high-speed catamaran to Brave Line which makes this its first commercial contract to a Taiwan enterprise.
The Catamaran designed by Austal was built in the Philippines in 2017, with the first vessel being delivered in March 2019. Both of the ferries are capable of carrying 550 passengers and include a hull for improved fuel efficiency and passenger comfort.
Austal has designed and constructed over 300 vessels in the defence and commercial sectors.
Some defence vessels include combat ships for the navy high-speed military support vessels for transport and humanitarian relief. They also design and construct an extensive range of patrol boast for government law enforcement and border protection.
The Philippines shipyard underwent major changes in 2018 which included construction of a new assembly hall measuring 120 metres long, 40 metres wide and 42 metres high.
This makes it the largest Austral facility outside of the USA and Austal can now build larger ferries than they previously have.
Austal is currently constructing a 109 metre catamaran ferry for Fjord Line in Norway and a 118 metre trimaran for the Canary Islands.
After the success of this catamaran, Austal CEO David Singleton hopes more nations will get on board.
“There has been considerable interest from other customers based on the high quality and performance of the two vessels from Brave Line,” he said.
Currently, in Perth its Henderson yard is building ferries and 21 Guardian class patrol boats for export to Pacific nations.