First in Austal Cape class leaves the blocks
T e Australian builder is scheduled to complete eight brand new aluminium patrol vessels by August 2015
A
ustal has officially launched the first in its new Cape class of patrol boats, comprising
eight vessels under construction for the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, as part of a US$329 million contract originally inked in 2011. As with all vessels in this series, the debutante, Cape St George, is an aluminium monohull, measuring 58m in length, 10.3m in breadth and featuring a draught of 3m, and has been constructed at Austal’s Henderson yard, Western Australia. According to the Customs and Border
Protection Service, these forthcoming newbuilds will boast twice the size and three times the volume of the organisation’s existing patrol craft. The Cape vessels are expected to undertake heavy duty operations in Australia’s exclusive economic zone
(EEZ),
including the combatting of drugs and weapons smugglers and illegal foreign fishery vessels, as well as the monitoring of environmental pollution and the gathering of intelligence from certain areas.
28-day patrols Optimised range and increased crew capacity were Austal’s primary considerations when developing the
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Each vessel in Austal’s Cape class (Cape St George pictured) will feature a range of 4,000nm at 12knots
craft; the series can accommodate up to 18 persons and operate at a range of 4,000nm when travelling at 12knots, increasing the capability of these vessels to undertake 28-day patrols. Propulsion is enabled by two Caterpillar 3516C engines, rated 2,525kW at 1,800rpm apiece, driving two fi xed pitch propellers through a pair of ZF 9055A gearboxes. Topped off with a 160kW bow thruster, this arrangement grants the vessel a service speed of 25knots. Andrew Bellamy, Austal chief
executive, credits the Cape class with having “repositioned our Henderson facilities as a defence-focused operation”. He adds: “Close to 300 staff have been involved in the construction of this fi rst vessel, and the contract has underpinned work at Henderson.” Cape St George and her forthcoming sisters have been designed to launch two
tender response boats simultaneously, the latter comprising 7.3m loa Gemini models. The vessel’s integrated bridge system includes radars, two ECDIS, two gyro compasses, secure AIS, two DGPS and a voyage data recorder unit. T e Cape class will also be kitted out with Severn Trent De Nora’s Mariner Omnipure M5508 sewage treatment system, which is capable of treating up to 8,176litres of black and gray water on a daily basis. Norwegian class society DNV is
handling classification for all vessels in the series, having awarded the Cape class 1A1 LC, PATROL, E0, NV, BIS, RP, NAUT-HSC, ELT, RADHAZ and SAM notations. The contract contains a provision for Austal to provide maintenance and in-service support for all eight vessels, over a period of at least eight years, a service which on its own has been valued at just under US$50 million. Construction has already begun on
the second and third vessels in the Cape series, and all eight are scheduled to be delivered by August 2015. SBI
Patrol Commercial ®
Ship & Boat International May/June 2013
41
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