A West Australian ship builder, Austal, has been awarded the $350 million contract to construct and support the next generation of Customs and Border Protection patrol boats.

 

The new Cape Class boats, to replace the ageing fleet of Bay Class vessels, will be equipped with greater surveillance technology and will be able to travel longer distances between refuelling. The next generation vessels will allow the simultaneous launch of two response tenders that are bigger, faster and have greater capacity to carry out rescues.

 

The Cape Class patrol boats will help protect Australia’s borders from prohibited imports and exports, irregular maritime arrivals, compromises to biosecurity, illegal exploitation of natural resources, piracy, maritime terrorism, marine pollution and illegal activity in protected areas including Ashmore Reef and the Great Barrier Reef.

 

It is estimated that this contract will support about 500 jobs at Austal and the jobs of 1,000 other local workers at various stages of the contract.

 

The vessels will be named after eight Capes across Australia: Cape St George (ACT); Cape Byron (NSW); Cape Nelson (Victoria); Cape Sorell (Tasmania); Cape Jervis (SA); Cape Leveque (WA); Cape Wessel (NT); and Cape York (Queensland).

 

It is anticipated that the first Cape Class patrol boat will be operational by early 2013 and the full fleet is expected to be operational by September 2015.