Page 10: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 2001)

Australia

Southern Hospitality

The teaming of Austal Ships and Bender Shipbuilding to construct, from the ground up, a world-class aluminum vessel construction facility in Mobile, Ala., highlights the level of investment mid-tier U.S. yards have made in the past five years.

Austal, which is well regarded for its fast craft design and construction prowess, will have at its disposal arguably one of the finest plate production facilities in the country, as well as access to a market for its signature craft, which is seemingly poised to boom. The two companies, however found that through a melding of sim- ilar ideas — both on a philosophical and financial level — that they could assimi- late their cultural and business practices to form what aspires to become the largest aluminum shipbuilding company in the U.S. — Austal USA. Currently being con- structed in the heart of the Bayou shipbuilding mecca of Mobile, Ala., the new com- pany's main building is nearing completion. Measuring 360 x 90 x 113 ft. (109.7 x 27.4 x 34.4 m), this focal point ofAustal's new venture will have the capabilities of constructing two 164 ft. (50 m) fast catamarans end to end simultaneously or up to one 262ft. (80 m) catamaran car/passenger ferry.

The first of the construction sheds being built at the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala. The build- ing is scheduled tor completion sometime after the start of the new year.

By Regina P. Ciardiello, associate editor

It is not everyday that downtown

Mobile, Ala. gets a new addition to its skyline. Not only is the new Austal/Ben- der venture bringing in additional jobs and added revenue to both the city and the State of Alabama, but an added bonus is that the creation of Austal USA has physically become part of the down- town Mobile scene as its main building is prominently featured within the city skyline. Located a stone's throw from

Mobile's Convention Center, the gantry cranes that fly atop the new company's main building are visible from miles away.

While this is pleasing to Austal USA from a design standpoint, it has surpris- ingly been a factor in adding to its work- force. According to Bill Pfister, Austal

USA's vice president, Marketing &

Administration, many area residents view this new structure while driving through the downtown area and see it as a possible employment opportunity. If they have the experience that the compa- ny is looking for — perhaps they held previous positions in welding or fabrica- tion — then they might have just landed themselves a job — all because they were curious about this new piece of the

Mobile skyline.

This is beneficial to both the employ- ees and the shipyard, as it promotes local employment, which in turn will

Circle 254 on Reader Service Card

Incat Signs Deal With

Bollinger

In a move which signals the long- awaited fast craft boom in the U.S. is about to begin, Bollinger Shipyards,

Lockport, La., and Incat Australia

Pty. signed an agreement for

Bollinger to market and build high speed craft to Incat designs in the

U.S. The deal is significant in that earlier this year chief Incat rival

Austal Ships struck a deal with

Mobile, Ala.-based Bender Ship- building to build a new shipyard in

Mobile for the same purpose.

Incat is privately owned and is the innovator and builder of the world speed record holding Wave Piercing and K Class aluminum catamarans.

The 27 year-old company has built over 30, or approximately 40 percent of the worldwide fleet of high-speed passenger ferries over 230 ft. (70 m) in length. Incat currently has 12 mod- els ranging from 242 ft. (74 m) to 393 ft. (120 m). Incats are now operating in England, Europe, the Mediter- ranean, North and South America,

Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Chris Bollinger, executive vice president of Bollinger said, "This accord is a natural for us, not only because of Bollinger and Incat's lead- ership in our respective fields, but because both companies are privately held and share many of the same philosophies. Incat has the same ded- ication to high quality work and a family atmosphere that we have at

Bollinger. Their "keep it light" design and manufacturing processes mesh very well with our own."

The two companies have been working closely on a proposal to an unnamed customer for a unique wave-piercing vessel that can carry 500 passengers and a variety of vehi- cles at speeds of more than 40 knots.

The design is similar to the Incat Tas- mania, which was chartered by the

Australian Trade Commission during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Syd- ney, Australia. Its design includes two slender, aluminum hulls connected by a bridging section with a center bow structure at the forward end. It should be noted that this design developed by

Incat Australia is a different company than INCAT Designs who developed the design for the BC Ferries. 10 www.maritimetoday.com Maritime Reporter & Engineering News

Just ask the operators of Incat 45,50,51,52,53,55 and 56, all will confirm the enormous value of the flexible cargo deck the Economic Fast Ro Pax Solution 18 Bender Drive, Hobart,Tasmania 7009 Australia. TEL:+61 3 6273 0677 FAX:+61 3 6273 0932

Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.incat.com.au