A high-speed craft (HSC) is a high-speed water vessel for civilian use, also called a fastcraft or fast ferry . The first high-speed craft were often hydrofoils or hovercraft , but in the 1990s catamaran and monohull designs become more popular. Most high-speed craft serve as passenger ferries , but the largest catamarans and monohulls also carry cars, buses, large trucks and freight.
26-681: 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
52-448: A 28.5 m (94 ft) beam with a crew of 22 to 40. The first four vessels were named USNS Spearhead , USNS Choctaw County , USNS Millinocket and USNS Fall River . While the EPF can carry 300 Marines and their gear for up to four days, it is not expected to be survivable against enemy attack. In 2011, US Navy planners envisioned building up to two dozen of
78-525: A total of ten. The EPF is similar to the Austal-built MV ; Westpac Express , which the US Marines had used since 2002. The EPF can carry 635 tonnes (700 short tons ), 1,200 nautical miles (2,200 km; 1,400 mi) at an average speed of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) and is able to unload at roll-on/roll-off discharge facilities. The vessels are 103 m (338 ft) long, have
104-642: Is now operating with the fleet at its current location in Norfolk, Virginia. LCS-2 was the first ship built by Austal USA for the US Navy and the Navy's first trimaran Littoral Combat Ship. It is the first naval warship constructed in Mobile, Alabama since World War II . The basis of Austal's seaframe design was the 127-metre (417 ft) trimaran hull HSC Benchijigua Express . The second Austal/General Dynamics ship, LCS-4,
130-569: 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. As of early 2017, Austal has designed and constructed over 260 vessels for numerous defence forces and commercial fleet operators. Customers include
156-797: Is regulated by the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention , Chapter 10, High-Speed Craft (HSC) Codes of 1994 and 2000, adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). In accordance with SOLAS Chapter 10 Reg. 1.3, high-speed craft are craft capable of a maximum speed, in metres per second (m/s), equal to or exceeding: where ▽ {\displaystyle \triangledown } = volume of displacement in cubic metres corresponding to
182-453: The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami . In recognition of this service, Admiral Mark Buzby presented the ship’s crew with United States Merchant Marine Outstanding Achievement Medal at a ceremony on board the ship in Yokohama , Japan. The lease was renewed successively until the end of 2017. In April 2016 WestPac Express was sold to Irish Continental Group , who continued to lease it to
208-809: The Australian Border Force , Condor Ferries , Mols Linien of Denmark , Royal Australian Navy , Royal Navy of Oman and United States Navy . Austal was founded in 1988 by John Rothwell. In December 1998 it was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange . In May 1999 Oceanfast was purchased. In December 1999 Austal USA was formed in a joint venture with Bender Shipbuilding & Repair of Mobile, Alabama . In September 2006, it purchased Bender's shareholding in Austal USA. In February 2007, North West Bay Shipping shipyard in Margate, Tasmania
234-652: The National Australia Bank to construct two further Cape-class patrol boats. The contract value is A$ 63 million. The two vessels will be delivered to the National Australia Bank in mid-2017 and chartered to the Australian Government for a minimum term of three years. Austal did a similar off-balance-sheet charter with Westpac Express, which was chartered to the US Navy for 13 years. In July 2018,
260-723: The Swift -class patrol boats P23 and P24 which had been in commission since 1971 and the Bremse -class patrol boat P32 which had been in commission since 1992. The new vessels were built to Maltese specifications and were partly financed by the European Union . The first two vessels were launched in October 2009. All four vessels were delivered to Malta in late 2009, and commissioned in March 2010. In 2005, Austal delivered ten high-speed patrol boats to
286-625: The United States Navy's Military Sealift Command until January 2018 as WestPac Express . It was then converted for civilian use as a passenger ferry by Irish Ferries and renamed Dublin Swift . After a demonstration in 2001, Austal signed a three-year lease with Military Sealift Command for the WestPac Express . In March 2011, the WestPac Express was deployed as part of the US response to
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#1732855482784312-670: The Yemeni Navy , which are commercially hired out to protect private shippers. In early 2014, Austal announced it had been awarded a US$ 124.9 million contract for two High Speed Support Vessels (HSSV) for the Royal Navy of Oman . Both were delivered to the Omani Navy by late 2016. The HSSV has a catamaran hull design similar to the US Navy's Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF). Austal is one of only two companies building fast multi-hull ferries between 60 and 120 m (200 and 390 ft) long. In
338-512: The EPF ships into the 2020s. In August 2011, Austal was awarded the contract for the design, construction and through-life support of the Cape-class patrol boats for the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service . The eight, 58-metre (190 ft) aluminium monohulls were delivered between March 2013 and August 2015. In December 2015, Austal entered into a shipbuilding contract with
364-796: The Henderson Shipyard in WA. High-speed craft In the 1990s there were a variety of builders, but due to HSC high fuel consumption, many shipbuilders have withdrawn from this market so the construction of the largest fast ferries, up to 127 metres, has been consolidated to two Australian companies, Austal of Perth and Incat of Hobart. There is still a wide variety of builders for smaller fast catamaran ferries between 24 and 60 metres. Hulled designs are often powered by pump-jets coupled to medium-speed diesel engines. Hovercraft are usually powered by gas turbines or diesel engines driving propellers and impellers. The design and safety of high-speed craft
390-725: The Military Sealift Command until the end of 2017. With its charter to the US Navy completed, in January 2018 WestPac Express arrived in Belfast for refurbishment at Harland & Wolff to replace the Jonathan Swift on Irish Ferries ' Dublin to Holyhead route. It entered service in April 2018. With a design based on the WestPac Express , Austal USA built 10 Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport vessels for use by
416-461: The design waterline, excluding craft of which the hull is supported clear above the water surface in non-displacement mode by aerodynamic forces generated by ground effect. HSC Dublin Swift Dublin Swift is a high-speed catamaran built in 2001 by Austal as a passenger and vehicle catamaran ferry. After conversion to a Maritime Prepositioning ship the vessel was chartered by
442-417: The early 1990s, the ferry industry was transformed with the introduction of large, high-speed catamarans with decks for vehicles. They quickly replaced most hydrofoil and hovercraft services as well as many monohull ferries. The popularity of the new type of multi-hull design led to many shipyards worldwide changing their production to build fast aluminium catamarans. Eventually capacity exceeded demand and by
468-401: The end of the 20th century most builders of large fast cats had ceased production. Austal and its only competitor in this category, Hobart -based Incat survived the late 1990s industry collapse. The two companies continue to compete for orders of large multi-hull ferries of up to 11,000 gross tons with capacities of over 1,200 passengers and 400 vehicles. On 20 August 2014, Austal announced
494-498: The government of Trinidad and Tobago announced the acquisition of two Cape-class patrol boats. The vessels will enhance the border protection capabilities of the country in conjunction with the existing Coast Guard fleet, and will join six Austal Fast Patrol Craft acquired in 2009. In May 2020, six Evolved Cape-class patrol boats were ordered for the Royal Australian Navy. In 2022, a second order for an additional two vessels
520-633: The sale of Austal Hull 270, the company's 102-metre (335 ft) trimaran stock vessel, to the UK Channel Islands ' ferry operator, Condor Ferries , for A$ 61.5 million. It was renamed HSC Condor Liberation . Modifications to the stock vessel were valued at approximately A$ 6 million, and was scheduled to enter service in Spring 2015. On 28 March 2015, the ship struck the quayside while attempting to dock in Guernsey on its second day in service. The damage
546-673: Was cancelled in November 2007. In May 2009, the US Navy renewed the contract with Austal/General Dynamics to build the second LCS, USS Coronado , with delivery scheduled for May 2012. In December 2010 the US Navy announced a new contract with Austal USA after Austal severed ties with General Dynamics Bath Iron Works . New contracts for Littoral Combat Ships were awarded to both Austal USA and Lockheed Martin . The contract called for one ship to be built beginning in 2010 ( USS Jackson ), one to be built in 2011 ( USS Montgomery ), and two per year from 2012 to 2015. The LCS-6 contract
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#1732855482784572-596: Was for US$ 432 million, with a goal of having the average ship cost US$ 352 million each. Another US$ 20 million was figured in for change orders, and a management reserve. In November 2008, Austal was awarded a contract to design and build the US military's next-generation, high-speed catamaran , the Spearhead -class Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) , which was formerly called the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV). The contract
598-641: Was made, and in 2023 a third order for a further two boats. Between June 2005 and February 2008, Austal delivered fourteen, 56.8 m (186 ft) Armidale -class patrol boats to the Royal Australian Navy for coastal defence. The boats were featured on the TV series Sea Patrol . In 2009, the Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta ordered four patrol boats from Austal. They were due to replace
624-463: Was only minor and above the waterline. Since then, Condor Liberation has had a difficult period of operation with Condor Ferries, encountering numerous technical problems, weather cancellations and sustaining further damage to its hull whilst docked in Poole on 30 December 2015. In November 2023, defence companies Austal and Birdon announced that they would be building landing craft. They would be built at
650-511: Was part of a larger programme potentially worth over US$ 1.6 billion. As the prime contractor, Austal was to design and construct the first 103-metre (338 ft) EPF, with options for nine additional vessels expected to be exercised between 2009 and 2013. Construction on the second ship started in September 2010. By the end of 2010, Austal had contracts for three ships, long-lead material contracts for two ships and options for five further ships, for
676-471: Was purchased. It was closed in August 2010. In November 2011, a shipyard in Balamban , Philippines was purchased. In October 2005, Austal / General Dynamics was awarded a contract to build the first unit from its design for a Littoral Combat Ship . The keel of USS Independence was laid down on 19 January 2006 at Austal USA 's Mobile, Alabama shipyard, with the naming ceremony held in October 2008. It
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