Austal USA started construction on a new facility in Mobile, Alabama, on 9 July that will allow it to build large steel modules for US Navy (USN) and US Coast Guard (USCG) programs.
The expansion includes a new assembly building and shiplift and supports multiple Austal USA programs, including the Offshore Patrol Cutters it's building for the USCG and the TAGOS-25 ocean surveillance ship it's building for the USN.
The new assembly building will occupy four and a half acres and will be approximately 121 metres long by 146 metres providing over 17,837 square metres of new covered manufacturing space. It will consist of three bays enabling erection of the Coast Guard’s Offshore Patrol Cutter and Navy’s TAGOS-25 ocean surveillance steel ships as well as provide flexibility to manufacture modules for submarine and other surface ship programs.
The shiplift system will feature an articulated lifting platform approximately 137 metres long by 38 metres wide, capable of lifting and launching vessels in excess of 18,288 tonnes.
“As evidenced by this major expansion, Austal USA continues to be both an economic engine to Alabama and a driving force behind U.S. Naval modernisation,” said the Governor of Alabama, Kay Ivey.
"It is fitting that during its 25th anniversary year in Alabama, Austal breaks ground on its third final assembly facility that will usher in more jobs for Mobile and the Gulf Coast," she added.