Austal In Play: Australian Billionaire Andrew Forrest Eying Big Naval Shipyard
Summary
Even though that particular contract is delayed by a bid protest, it is very likely that Austal will be supporting government-related ocean conservation efforts for years to come.Other Austal-built ships are getting in on the Coast Guard-oriented fishery-patrol mission as well. In August alone, two Austal-built Independence class Littoral Combat Ships participated in the Oceania Maritime Support Initiative, surveilling, stopping, and searching suspect fishing vessels throughout the deep Pacific. Not to be outdone, low-cost Austal-built Spearhead class expeditionary fast transport ships worked off Africa and in the Caribbean, supporting local maritime security capabilities.On land, Forrests Minderoo foundation already backs the public case for increased Coast Guard investments. If current plans hold, an offshore supply ship test-bed in Forrests personal fleet will be operating on ammonia later this year, while his eight ore carriers are set to receive energy-saving hull coatings, variable frequency drives and propeller caps.By building a stake in a shipbuilder already busy pushing ahead with robotic vessels and low-to-zero-emission ferries, Forrest now has an opportunity to extend this work, partnering with a range of state-based innovators. The Australian governments longstanding habit of ordering small production runs of new ship classes gave Austal no guarantee of ongoing business.