Aussies win $400M contract to build 4 boats for TT Water Taxi service

Australian shipbuilder Austal has won an AUD$75 million order to design and build four 41-metre high speed passenger catamaran ferries for Trinidad and Tobago. The contract is worth about TT$404 million at today's international currency conversion rate.

Austal is currently building six fast patrol boats for the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, due for delivery in early 2010.

Marine Log magazine reported the transaction on Monday, noting that it is Austral's third significant commercial order for the year.

The aluminum vessels for Trinidad and Tobago will be designed to carry 405 passengers at a speed of approximately 37 knots. The government will use them on the water taxi route between San Fernando and Port of Spain.

The service is intended to move between 8,000 and 12,000 passengers in a normal working day when it is fully operational.

Marine Log reproted that construction of the four ferries will be shared across Austal's Tasmanian and Western Australian shipyards, with delivery scheduled for late 2010.

"The contract includes a maintenance and training package which will see Austal deliver crew familiarization and planned maintenance management," Marine Log reported.

It said Trinidad and Tobago's National Infrastructure Development Company Limited (NIDCO) will own the boats and external consultants will operate the service.

"Austal's design is based on its 41 m catamaran platform, two of which have been successfully operating in Norway with operator OVDS since 2003. Passenger seating onboard each vessel is split over two levels, with the main passenger deck featuring four passenger entry points, a central kiosk and dedicated baggage compartment and bike racks," Marine Log said.

Marine Log quoted Austal as saying the ferries will also provide emergency backup for the existing inter-island service between Trinidad and Tobago.

"To meet this secondary function, Austal configured all four vessels with the capability to retrofit a forward mounted T-foil ride control system at short notice, allowing the vessels to operate in open, unprotected seas," the magazine reported.