Hobart-based boat builder, PFG, has signed a contract with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) to design and construct two vessels for $1.4 million with an option to deliver a total of eight oil recovery vessels.
The two vessels, based on PFG’s proven Aquatruck Responder design, will be delivered to Brisbane and Darwin and represent the next generation of oil recovery watercraft. They are designed to be mobile and highly-manoeuvrable in order to be able to rapidly respond to environmental oil spill incidents and efficiently recover floating oil and oil debris which can be disastrous for the environment.
The vessels, designed by One2three Naval Architects and constructed in High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), are expected to be high performing and durable with significantly reduced whole of life operating costs. HDPE is easily repaired in-situ with no hot works, allowing reliability and therefore less down time of the vessel.
PFG Senior Business Development Manager, Stephen McCullum, said that PFG’s Aquatruck range of work boats offered proven performance based on over 25 years’ experience of constructing hard working vessels for Australian coastal conditions.
“Aquatrucks are legendary in the Australian maritime industry as reliable and virtually indestructible work boats,” McCullum said, “These new vessels are designed specifically to operate at a high level of performance and reliability and will be at the front line of protecting Australia’s precious coastline.”
The AMSA contract follows PFG’s recent announcement that it had secured agreement to design and construct three Sentinel 12.5 metre craft for the Royal New Zealand Navy.