Article Posted on : - Aug 26, 2014

An Austal photo

HENDERSON, WESTERN AUSTRALIA (BNS): Austal has begun the construction of two 72 metre High Speed Support Vessels (HSSVs) for the Royal Navy of Oman.

The Company was awarded a US$124.9 million contract for the design, construction and integrated logistics support of the two HSSVs in March 2014.

The vessels are being designed and constructed at Austal's Henderson Shipyard and both the vessels are expected to be delivered in CY2016.

Rear Admiral Abdullah Al Raisi, Commander of the Royal Navy of Oman, was guest of honour at the 'Plate Cutting' ceremony held at Austal's Australian Shipyard in Henderson, Western Australia.

"This is a very memorable occasion of the plate cutting ceremony of Project Bahr Oman. Our belief is that Austal is a recognised global defence prime contractor who has managed to place itself at a forefront of high speed support vessel industry. As such, we confidently decided to place the contract for Project Bahr Oman ...," he said.

Austal Australian Operations President and General Manager Graham Backhouse said, "... Austal has designed, constructed and sustained commercial and defence vessels based in Oman for almost ten years now, and we continue to support those vessels from our operations in Oman. We look forward to building on this relationship through the successful construction and delivery of the HSSVs.

The HSSVs will offer a range of capabilities to support naval operations, including helicopter operations, rapid deployment of military personnel and cargo, search and rescue operations, and civil aid.