Australian shipbuilder Austal has signed an agreement with compatriot ship designer Incat Crowther, establishing a formal strategic alliance between the two companies.
Austal said on Thursday that the alliance formalized the relationship between the two companies that saw five commercial vessels constructed for four operators since 2015, and another currently under construction by Austal.
Incat Crowther managing director, Brett Crowther , and Austal CEO, David Singleton , met to sign the agreement during PACIFIC 2017, the biennial Pacific international maritime exposition in Sydney.
“Between Austal and Incat Crowther, Australia leads the international market in high speed, aluminum vessels,” Singleton said.
“With complimentary capabilities in vessel design and construction, our collaboration further supports Australia’s competitiveness in the international market. Austal believes that formalizing this relationship can deliver more vessels for construction into our shipyards,” he added.
According to the agreement, Austal and Incat Crowther will work together to pursue projects that include large crew transfer vessels (LCTVs) servicing offshore installations, high-speed passenger ferries, and other passenger-only ‘national standard for commercial vessels’ (NSCV) craft in Australia and overseas markets, excluding the USA and mainland China.
Austal has built more than 300 vessels for 100 customers in 44 countries. On the other hand, Incat Crowther has seen over 450 vessels built to the company’s designs which are operating in more than 20 countries worldwide.