Austal ferries highlight Australian capability

RAIL, SHIPPING & LOGISTICS Austal high-speed trimaran ferries highlight Australian shipbuilding capability Austal Australia celebrated the company’s success and Australia’s shipbuilding capability on 17 July, following a successful side-by-side ‘sprint’ by the 118-metre ‘Bajamar Express’ and the 83-metre ‘Queen Beetle’ high-speed trimaran ferries off the coast of Perth, Western Australia.

As Bajamar Express (Austal Hull 394) was departing Australia on her delivery voyage to the Canary Islands, she was joined by Queen Beetle (Austal Hull 396), undergoing sea trials, in an historic moment capturing two Austal trimaran ferries. The two vessels, designed and constructed by Austal Australia, are the latest designs of a proven hull form first developed for Spanish ferry service Fred. Olsen Express’ 127-metre Benchijigua Express in 2005. Austal Chief Executive Officer David Singleton said it was a very proud moment for everyone at Austal Australia and supply chain partners to see two trimarans out on the water together. “Our shipyards, supply chain partners and of course our customers are thrilled to see the results of all our hard work, showcased in these two impressive trimarans,” said Singleton. “Seeing Bajamar Express sideby-side with Queen Beetle really does highlight Austal’s success in developing the trimaran hull as an effective high-speed commercial maritime transport solution. “Following the delivery of Bajamar Express to Fred. Olsen Express, we have a further nine trimarans under construction or scheduled at the company’s shipyards around the world; and Austal remains the only shipbuilder designing, constructing and sustaining large high speed trimaran ferries, globally.” Austal’s trimaran hull form offers ferry operators greater flexibility in vessel design configuration for vehicle and passenger capacity, while delivering a more comfortable and enjoyable journey for passengers. The enhanced seakeeping of the trimaran hull, coupled with Austal’s MOTION CONTROL SYSTEM and MARINELINK-Smart program, ensure a smoother, more stable ride for passengers and crew in the most challenging of sea states. In service in the Canary Islands, Bajamar Express will transport up to 1,100 passengers and 276 cars at cruising speeds of 38 knots; while the distinctively red-painted Queen Beetle will be able to transport 502 passengers across two passenger decks at speeds of up to 37 knots on JR Kyushu Jet Ferry’s route between Fukuoka in Japan and Busan in South Korea.

Austal Australia farewelled Bajamar Express with a stunning water salute (Image: Austal).

The delivery of the two ferries comes at an exciting time for Austal. Headquartered in Henderson, Western Australia, with shipyards in the US, Vietnam and the Philippines, the company announced in August that it had delivered record earnings for FY2020, with revenue exceeding $2bn for the first time, up from $1.851bn for FY2019. “I’m delighted that Austal has generated a record full-year result amidst significant global economic volatility, exceeding the record revenue and profit milestones that we set in FY2019,” said Singleton. “I am particularly proud of the fact that we kept all of our sites open during the pandemic, kept all of our people employed, and have been in a position to pay full time employees a bonus to reflect their exemplary performance in this difficult time. “The strong performance shows good operational momentum across all of our USA and Australasia operations as we constructed and delivered naval vessels and large ferries, and provided ongoing support services to the US Navy, Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Border Force.” Austal’s Australasia operation reported revenue of $496.8m (up from $393.2m), accounting for 24% of total revenue. An expansion of the company’s Philippines and Vietnam shipyards, has allowed the Henderson shipyard to focus on Defence projects, primarily for the Commonwealth of Australia. The Henderson yard continues to deliver the Guardian Class Patrol Boat program and was recently awarded a $324m contract to design and construct six Cape Class Patrol Boats (CCPB) for the Royal Australian Navy – Austral’s largest ever contract for a vessel construction program in Australia. After five years overseeing the impressive growth of Austal’s business, Singleton will be stepping aside as CEO in the new year. His successor Patrick Gregg is currently Austal’s Chief Operating Officer and will take over in the CEO’s role as of 1 January 2021. Singleton will have completed nine years as a Director including five years as CEO when he completes his term with Austal “Austal is an incredible company producing excellent defence and commercial vessels and support services, delivering strong returns for shareholders,” he said. “After an extended period with the company the time is now right to hand over to Paddy and explore new challenges.”

www.austal.com

RAIL, SHIPPING & LOGISTICS University of Wollongong wins $4m rail infrastructure research boost A University of Wollongong (UoW) research project to increase safety and use of heavy-haul and high-speed rail infrastructure has been awarded $1.5m through the Federal Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) grants scheme.

The project, High Output, Low Cost Automated Embedded Rail Track (ERT), will focus on developing automated solutions to reduce the installation time and cost of ERT. Including cash and in-kind contributions from partner organisations, the project is valued at more than $4m. UoW will use part of the CRC-P funding to support two researchers for two years as well as a PhD scholarship. The project is led by Downer, and UoW is the lead research organisation. Other project partners are Embedded Rail Technology (Charles Penny, inventor of the ERT system), the University of Technology Sydney, and Antoun Civil. ERT is a relatively new slab-track technology, which consists of a continuously laid bed of concrete with the rails embedded in the concrete in a unique way. Where ballast track has nearly 100 individual parts per metre – requiring regular inspection and maintenance – ERT uses only four components per metre, reducing maintenance costs and maintenancerelated track closures. While it offers a number of safety and usage improvements, the installation time and cost of current ERT are significantly higher than those for ballast track – issues that this research will address. Project leader Dr Philip Commins said ERT had many safety benefits, such as reduced track buckling and fewer derailments, but also increased track use by up to 30%. “An ERT system provides greater safety, performance and availability, with lower maintenance and reduced whole life costs,” Dr Commins said. “As Australia’s plans are well advanced for many major rail infrastructure projects, the need for improved safety in heavy haul and high speed rail is a high priority. This project is a key part of the chain to provide an economic alternative to traditional rail systems.” Downer Infrastructure Projects Executive General Manager Mark Mackay welcomed the funding announcement and said Downer was looking forward to working on the project with UoW and other partners. “The University of Wollongong has always had a close affiliation with industry,” said Mackay. “When Downer was seeking a technology partner, the university’s automation technology and rail engineering prowess made it a natural choice.” Dr Commins and his team from the Facility for Intelligent Fabrication (FIF) in UoW’s Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences will focus their research on new construction techniques and will explore automation technologies to dramatically reduce the cost and improve the speed of installation to make ERT competitive with traditional ballasted track. “UoW will focus on the automated solutions using Industry 4.0 technology, such as industrial robots coupled with smart sensors and end-effectors,” Dr Commins said.

www.uow.edu.au

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