The United States Military Sealift Command (MSC) has exercised the first of three six months options for the ongoing charter of the Austal high speed vessel “WestPac Express”.
The option forms part of a 24 month contract that Austal was awarded in December 2011.
Austal Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Bellamy , said: “ It is a great honour to be able to continue to support the operations to the United States military. Austal has been doing so successfully for well over a decade now, and we certainly plan to continue to do so into the future. ”
A 101 metre aluminium catamaran, “WestPac Express” has now been supporting the US Marine Corps in Okinawa, Japan since July 2001 and has achieved virtually 100 per cent availability over that time. The Austal-managed charter operation includes in-service support, ship management services and integrated logistics support.
The success of the “WestPac Express” reflects the utility and robustness of Austal’s high speed platforms and the effectiveness of its comprehensive support services. Austal provides those services to a broad range of clients from its facilities in Australia, the United States, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Middle East.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, August 20, 2012; Image: Austal