These 58.1m vessels will be built for the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service at Austal’s shipyard in Henderson, Western Australia. Construction of the first vessel is expected to begin soon, with all eight due to be delivered between March 2013 and August 2015.
The patrol boats will play a significant role in protecting Australia’s borders from multiple maritime threats. They have been designed to have greater range, endurance and flexibility, as well as enhanced capability to operate in more severe sea conditions than the current Customs and Border Protection fleet.
The sixteen PLAR-6500 davits covered by the order perform an important role in the operational capability of the vessels. Made of lightweight aluminium and capable of lifting Rigid-Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) of 6,500 kilos, the SOLAS compliant, self-tensioned davits are fully equipped with the latest safety accessories, including shock absorbers, guiding rails, wire haulers, hydraulic end stops, and independent HPUs. Their advanced functionality ensures safe operation in rough weather conditions, and permits the safe deployment and recovery of boats at speeds of up to 10 knots.
Vestdavit managing director Rolf Andreas Wigand said “For Vestdavit, this contract demonstrates the global appeal of our custom made davit systems, and underlines the quality of our products and services. The Australian authorities already have several Vestdavit units in operation in Australian waters, specifically 16 PLA-2000 davits for Customs and Border Protection; 28 PLAR-4500 davits for the Royal Australian Navy’s Armidale Class, and 2 PAP-6000 davits also for the Royal Australian Navy.
“Vestdavit is committed to providing support services for the davit systems throughout their operational life. To help us achieve this objective, we have several partners in place in Australia, including Antelope Engineering, our Australian agent which was instrumental in helping Vestdavit to secure this latest order from Australia, as well as our service partner, Hydraulink NT, which will provide service to the davits.”
