Page 30: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2002)

U.S. Report

DD(x) and Deepwater projects, respec- tively, have grabbed headlines while announcing billions in new business opportunities that will sustain the U.S. maritime infrastructure for some time to come. The trickle down from military and coast guard projects will be signifi- cant to all sectors of the U.S. business, but the opportunity offered under the broad category of "port and waterway security" — which will include federal, regional and local dollars — should not be underestimated.

The waterborne forces tapped to pro- tect and patrol, both near and far, is lit- erally being reinvented. Military author- ities are actively pursing the integration of small, fast, versatile craft that will allow a vast expansion in the collection, dissemination and utilization of infor- mation so that larger, slower, more expensive assets such as aircraft carriers, can be further shielded from potential harm. A vessel central to this concept — Westpac Express — though consid- ered a surrogate technology, has won rave reviews from all corners of the mil- itary.

The 331-ft. (101-m) high-speed The- atre Support Vessel delivered to the U.S. military by Austal Ships has exceeded all expectations in its first year of oper- ation. Having traveled in excess of 85,000 n.m. at an operational availabili- ty rate of practically 100 percent, West-

Pac Express is now also playing an important role in the development process for future advanced vessel con- cepts for military use.

The U.S. Army Tank-automotive and

Armaments Command (TACOM) has tasked the Carderock Division of the

Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC-

CD) to conduct a range of propulsion, fuel economy and seakeeping trials on the Austal TSV 101. This information will not only provide baseline technical data for the wider Theatre Support Ves- sel program but will also establish per- formance thresholds against which future advanced vessel concepts can be compared. "Austal considers the enhancement of the military sector's understanding of the true capabilities of its high speed craft platforms to be an important process in furthering their use in defense applications, and is thus keen to assist in projects of this type," said managing director. Bob McKinnon. "We are very pleased that WestPac

Express has been selected for this pro- ject."

That role includes the deployment of troops, vehicles and cargo in the West- ern Pacific region for the Third Marine

Expeditionary Force (I1IMEF) of the

US Marine Corps based in Okinawa,

Japan. WestPac Express arrived in Oki- nawa on July 12, 2001 to begin a proof- of-concept period of operation. The suc- cess of the vessel during this period led to a three year contract with the U.S.

Military Sealift Command being signed in January this year — the first time the

U.S. Military has contracted a commer- cial vessel of this type for military sup- port. The vessel has impressed the U.S.

Marines, as Lt. General Gregson, Com- mander of the IIIMEF in Okinawa, described the Austal catamaran as "a faster, better and cheaper way to deploy than any other we have had before. Not only has it lived up to our expectations, it has exceeded our expectations.

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Circle 287 on Reader Service Card or visit www.maritimereporterinfo.com 28 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News