Strategic Marine delivers Ashmore Reef on-station Vessel "Thaiyak" To ACBPS
Strategic Marine, a leading specialist shipbuilder, has delivered the On-Station vessel "Thaiyak" to the Australian Customs & Border Protection Service (ACBPS). The vessel was launched from Strategic Marine's facility in Vietnam in March this year and was officially accepted in Fremantle, Western Australia, by representatives of ACBPS on Monday, 23 June.
The 40-metre on-station vessel, built at Strategic’s multi-purpose shipyard in Vung Tau, Vietnam, is designed for flexible self-sufficiency and long-term deployment at Ashmore Reef, an external territory of Australia 450 nautical miles east from Darwin in the Indian Ocean. The vessel will be a strong physical presence in the Ashmore Reef Marine Reserve and surrounding environmentally sensitive areas, acting as a deterrent for illegal activities and serving as a platform for scientific and environmental research in these areas. The vessel also has the capacity as a temporary holding facility for 24 additional passengers.
"The boat looks fantastic and it's been a culmination of a lot of hard work on behalf of the project team—the Strategic team and Gardline Australia, our partners in this project," said Ian Laverock, ACBPS National Manager Maritime Capability. This marks new territory for ACBPS, as it is the first time the authority has commissioned a ship for commercial use outside of Australia.
"It's been a good process in terms of separate stakeholder groups getting together using a standard Commonwealth procurement process and adapting to commercial shipbuilding processes for the Commonwealth," said Matthew Travers, ACBPS Project Manager, "and for Strategic Marine and Gardline's understanding of Commonwealth's methods and ways of doing business." He added, "The relationship has been terrific, very harmonious."
"This has been an outstanding contribution by everyone who worked on the project," said Reece Newbold, Business Development Manager at Strategic Marine. "We have designed and manufactured a whole new kind of seagoing vessel, and this marks yet another milestone for us in shipbuilding growth and diversity."
The order was awarded last year following a successful tender prepared between Gardline Australia Pty Ltd, Strategic Marine, the builder of the new vessel, and McAlpine Marine Design Pty Ltd.
Among the vessel’s technical specifications are twin Caterpillar C32 970kW main engines, twin Caterpillar C9 149kW generators, and a 149kW bow thruster. The vessel is also fitted with two Norsafe davits capable of at-sea launch and retrieval of two 7.5-metre ship’s boats. The vessel has a nominal draft of 2.4 metres and beam of 11.5 metres, with an economical cruising speed of 10 knots and a top speed of 12 knots. There is accommodation for 17 crew and 24 passengers, with a short-term holding capability of an additional 25 passengers on sheltered deck space.
Strategic Marine, with operations in Singapore, Western Australia and Vietnam, is one of the world’s leading specialist shipbuilding and engineering companies. Strategic operates principally in the offshore sectors, producing high-quality crew boats, support vessels, passenger ferries, and high-speed patrol boats at shipyards in Singapore and Vietnam.
Since incorporating in 2001, Strategic has built and delivered over 600 vessels for a variety of clients in the maritime, offshore, and naval defence sectors. Strategic's solid reputation for the manufacture of high-performance ships, historically focused on aluminum vessels, has also become associated with steel-based construction over the last few years.
In addition to its growing newbuild capabilities, which now include diversification into offshore windfarm service vessels, Strategic provides maritime solutions in refit/repair, support fabrication, and shipping infrastructure. Strategic’s operation in Perth, Western Australia, focuses on a comprehensive suite of maritime fabrication and logistics services.
In January 2014, Strategic unveiled its first batch of new crewboats and windfarm sector vessels for stock, shortening delivery periods to meet increased market demand.
This article was originally published on Marine & Industrial Report newspaper Vol 36 No.4 Issue last August 31, 2014.
