Austal has received a contract worth $20m (approximately $26m) from an undisclosed operator based in South East Asia to deliver a high-speed catamaran crew boat.
This 57.6m-long, advanced, multi-task crew boat will be able to accommodate 90 offshore personnel plus cargo, and cruise at a maximum speed of 40k.
Austal CEO Andrew Bellamy said: "This is the second offshore vessel contract secured by Austal within as many weeks; further reinforcing our position as a preferred partner in the global offshore vessel market.
"With the recent announcement of a contract to deliver a 70m Fast Crew Boat for Caspian Marine Services, this new contract further demonstrates Austal’s capability to develop effective, customised solutions for any offshore operational requirement."
Austal will construct the vessel at its shipyard in the Philippines and delivery is expected in the third quarter of 2016.
The new vessel will feature a large, 200m2 cargo deck, along with DP2 ‘dynamic positioning’, which permits stable, heave-compensated, walk-to-work transfer of personnel to offshore facilities.
In addition, this high-speed catamaran boat will have search and rescue capabilities, with an on-board fast rescue craft (FRC).
Recently, Austal entered into a contract worth $34m with Caspian Marine Services of Azerbaijan to construct one 70m fast crew boat.
The new passenger catamaran will be jointly constructed by Austal’s Philippines and Henderson shipyards.
Delivery of the vessel is scheduled for the third quarter of 2016.
