Austal Offers to Build Cape-class Naval Patrol Boats in the Philippines

Australian shipbuilder Austal confirmed on 13 August that it is ready to build naval ships in the Philippines if it secures a contract with the Philippines Government to build six vessels OPV (Offshore Patrol Vessels), Austal said in a Twitter post.

Commenting on the proposed build programme, Austal said, “Austal’s OPV will be designed in Australia and the Philippines but will be built at Austal Philippines for the Philippines Navy (PN). Our Balamban shipyard will not only be able to build the new vessels but also support any through-life maintenance that is required.”

Austal said it had earlier submitted a proposal to the PN based on a “larger, more capable variant” of the 58 m Cape-class patrol boats that are currently in operation with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and Australian Border Force (ABF).

The potential contract was announced by Austal two days after Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Philippine Navy (PN) would acquire six offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) from the Australian company.

Austal said that the variant developed for the Philippines that are currently in operation with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and Australian Border Force (ABF) “is a circa 80 m steel OPV, which includes a dedicated helicopter flight deck and the latest technology in naval systems” including Austal’s MarineLink ship control system and ride control technologies.