DNV Australia has signed a contract with Austal Ships in Fremantle, Western Australia, to class the next generation of patrol boats for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

Work will commence in April 2004 with delivery of the first boat in February 2005 and the remaining boats delivered through to April 2007.

The boats are 56.8m overall length, 7.95m breadth and 5.0m depth with a maximum speed of 25 knots. Power is supplied by 2 x 16V4000 series engines from MTU.

According to Michael Fletcher, DNV Maritime’s country manager for Australia and New Zealand, this is a major breakthrough contract for DNV Australia and the RAN jointly and firmly establishes DNV’s credentials in the local naval scene. It is also the culmination of many years of close cooperation with the project’s respective partners, Austal Ships and RAN.

Stuart.d.brewer@dnv.com