Austal Limited (ASX: ASB) is pleased to announce that Austal Ships Pty Ltd has been awarded a contract extension for the construction of two additional Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats (ECCPBs) for the Australian Border Force (ABF). This latest award, valued at approximately A$150.3 million, brings the total number of ECCPBs contracted for delivery to the ABF to six. The award follows the recent delivery of the tenth Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boat to the Royal Australian Navy, ADV Cape Hawke, in March 2026. Austal Limited Chief Executive Officer Paddy Gregg said the Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boat Project (SEA1445-1) is a highly successful and critical element of Australia’s continuous naval shipbuilding and sustainment enterprise, delivering effective maritime capability for the nation. Austal delivered eight of the original Cape-class Patrol Boats to the Australian Border Force between 2012 and 2015. These were followed by additional vessels delivered to the Royal Australian Navy in 2017, and the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard in 2021.
“Austal has delivered ten Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats to the Royal Australian Navy in just over five years, and construction is well advanced on the first four vessels for the Australian Border Force. These additional two vessels further strengthen our record order-book of more than A$17.7 billion, which includes eighteen Landing Craft Medium and eight Landing Craft Heavy vessels to be delivered to the Australian Army, under the Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement with the Commonwealth of Australia. Contract extensions such as this, along with other construction and sustainment programs in Australia and the United States—including aircraft carrier elevators and submarine modules for the US Navy—are contributing approximately A$500–700 million annually to Austal’s order book. We thank the Commonwealth of Australia for its continued trust in Austal and look forward to building on our strong partnerships with hundreds of supply chain partners in the Henderson Defence Precinct and across Australia to deliver these additional vessels for the Australian Border Force.” said Paddy Gregg, Austal Limited CEO.
Since 2020, the Commonwealth of Australia has ordered fourteen Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats for the Royal Australian Navy and Australian Border Force. The addition of this fifteenth and sixteenth vessels reflects continued confidence in the platform’s performance, Austal’s delivery capability, and the strength of Australia’s sovereign shipbuilding industry. The Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boat design features expanded accommodation for up to 32 personnel, enhanced quality-of-life systems, and advanced sustainment technologies to maximise operational availability. The vessels are designed to support a wide range of missions, including border protection, fisheries enforcement, and national security operations. Construction of the two new patrol boats will take place at Austal’s Henderson shipyard in Western Australia, supported by a proven national supply chain and integrated project teams from the Department of Defence and the Australian Border Force. Austal continues to provide comprehensive in-service support for both Cape-class and Evolved Cape-class fleets through facilities in Henderson (WA), Cairns (QLD), and Darwin (NT).
Austal Limited is an Australian-based global ship building company and defence prime contractor that specialises in the design, construction and support of defence and commercial vessels. Austal’s product range includes naval vessels, high-speed ferries, and supply or crew transfer vessels for offshore windfarms and oil and gas platforms. Austal has three major ship building facilities. Defence vessels are designed and constructed in Henderson, Western Australia, and Mobile, Alabama, US. Commercial vessels are constructed in Balamban, Philippines. Vessel support is provided through service centres located in Darwin, Cairns and Henderson in Australia; San Diego, California, US; Balamban, Philippines and Muscat, Oman. Corporate headquarters are co-located at Austal’s Australian ship building facility in Henderson.
