The deal with MARRS (not MARS seeing as Austal is so far international rather than interplanetary) was also written up Trade Winds Global Shipping News (no trade winds in space I guess although defence
[ref], and mining
[ref] agreements are well underway;
https://www.tradewindsnews.com/ship...in-100m-us-shipyard-expansion-plan/2-1-862508
“Austal to invest in $100m US shipyard expansion plan
24 August 2020 3:18 GMT UPDATED 24 August 2020 9:12 GMT
By Jonathan Boonzaier
Australian shipbuilding group Austal will invest $100m in a new steel shipbuilding facility in Mobile, Alabama, in a move that will position it to bid for work in a series of significant new steel shipbuilding programmes for the US Navy.
The investment is being partly funded through a Defense Production Act (DPA) agreement between Austal USA and the US Department of Defense, which will provide up to $50m of the total investment....
Austal has entered into an agreement with Modern American Recycling and Repair Services of Alabama (MARRS) to acquire more than 15 acres of waterfront land, buildings, and assets including a dry dock on the MARRS’ Mobile riverfront property opposite Austal USA’s existing shipbuilding facility that fabricates aluminium-hulled ships.
The acquisition is priced under $10m and will be funded from cash holdings. Completion of the deal is targeted to occur in the next few weeks......”
The story noted Austal’s ongoing strategy to grow its defence business (which currently makes up about 88% of the group’s construction and support revenue) by adding steel hulls to the core aluminium hull business, plus its’ strong cash position - $397M
“Austal is the largest builder of aluminium fast ferries and naval vessels, although it is pinning its growth plans on a move into the conventional steel vessels.
Gregg said the investment in steel shipbuilding in Mobile will allow Austal USA to compete for a number of major steel shipbuilding programmes in Austal’s size range that are expected to be tendered in the medium term.”
It notes the controversial issue of the two new
Sprit of Tasmania ferries and says that as well as impending defence opportunities in Australia Austal was hoping to construct the two new LNG-powered ropax ferries for Tasmanian ferry operator TT-Line.;
.. “The contract, which has yet to be awarded, replaces deals for two 48,000-gt vessels at Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft that were cancelled because of the yard’s financial problems.
Although TT-Line intended to switch the contracts to Finnish shipbuilder Rauma Marine Constructions, it has come under strong pressure from the Tasmania ferry replacement task force to place the order at domestic yards despite no Australian shipbuilding facility having the capacity to build such a large ship.
Austal has submitted a proposal to the task force indicating that it would build the hulls of the vessels in the Philippines and bring them to Australia to be outfitted.
“We believe that a split-build vessel construction programme can see over half the labour content of each vessel built here in Australia and particularly in Tasmania, potentially creating thousands of jobs,” Austal chief executive David Singleton told Australian media last week.
However, Tasmanian opposition party politicians and rival fast-ferry shipbuilder Incat have criticised Austal’s proposal, claiming its shipbuilding facility in the Philippines has never built vessels of this size or this type and, that with almost half of the work to be undertaken in the Philippines, it defeats the purpose of assigning the orders to an Australian yard.”
The task force was appointed August 12, 2020
[see here].
and here:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07...ies-could-be-built-in-australia-jobs/12476538
...Fingers crossed on that one?
cheers
(20min delay)