By Peter Roberts Shipbuilder Austal has again shown at its annual general meeting the folly of Australia’s apparent unconcern should the company fall under foreign ownership. In September Korea’s Hanwha gave up on a takeover of Austal, a deal that was waved through by Defence Minister Richard Marles as of no concern to the government.…
SwarmFarm Robotics’ farm robot rolls out of new Toowoomba factory Farm robotic vehicle manufacturer SwarmFarm Robotics has released images (pictured) of the very first SwarmBot as it rolled out of the company’s new manufacturing plant in Toowoomba. SwarmBot is an autonomous platform that can be customised for tasks faced in local crop farming systems. SwarmFarm…
Shipbuilder Austal has been awarded a second major contract in the United States to prepare itself for the construction of submarine modules and components to feed into the US Navy nuclear submarine construction programme. Austal USA has been awarded a $220 million (US$152 million) contract by the U.S. Navy to invest in infrastructure that supports…
Shipbuilder Austal has announced that Austal USA has been awarded a $670 million (US$450 million) contract by General Dynamics Electric Boat for nuclear submarine module construction. The contract will enable Austal USA to expand production capacity at its US shipyard in Mobile, Alabama (pictured) as part of the U.S. Navy Submarine Industrial Base (SIB). It…
Sparc Hydrogen begins pilot plant work Sparc Hydrogen has begun front-end engineering and design (FEED) work on its pilot water splitting (PWS) reactor to produce green hydrogen at cheaper cost than traditional electrolysis. The company, a joint venture between Sparc Technologies, Fortescue and the University of Adelaide, will locate the plant at the UoA’s Roseworthy…
Shipbuilder Austal has been awarded a $84.4 million fixed-priced contract modification for the construction of two additional Landing Craft Utility (LCU) 1700-class vessels (pictured) for the United States Navy. The contract modification brings the total number of LCU scheduled or under construction at Austal USA to five of a class that the USN originally envisaged…
Shipbuilder Austal has been awarded a contract to design and construct a wind-powered, aluminium cargo trimaran for Vela Transport of Bayonne, France. The purchase price for the vessel cannot be disclosed for commercial reasons, however it is in the range of $40–$45 million, according to the company. The first-of-class, 66.8 metre high-value cargo vessel, based…
The federal government has ordered two additional Guardian-class Patrol Boats from Perth international shipbuilder Austal Australia, valued at approximately $39 million. The 39.5-metre steel-hull patrol boats, to be constructed at Henderson in Western Australia and scheduled for delivery in 2026, are in addition to the 22 Guardian-class Patrol Boats previously ordered by Canberra under the…
Perth shipbuilder Austal has won a contract for the construction of a 71 metre passenger cargo ferry, which will be built at the company’s Vietnamese shipyard. Austal Vietnam will design and construct the roll-on roll-off vessel for The Degage Group of French Polynesia in a contract valued at between $30-$40 million. The steel monohull design,…
Austal delivers another LCS Shipbuilder Austal has announced that the future USS Kingsville Littoral Combat Ship has been delivered to the United States Navy – the 18th Independence-variant LCS built by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama. Austal Chief Executive Officer Paddy Gregg said Kingsville was the penultimate delivery for the Independence-variant programme. “With the delivery…
