Asia/Pacific News
Aulong to Build Bunker Saving Ferry for Chinese Operator
Austal Limited (Austal) Thursday announced that Aulong Shipbuilding Co. Ltd (Aulong) has won a contract to build a high speed and fuel efficient aluminium ferry for Chinese operator Blue Sea Jet.
Aulong, a joint venture between Austal and Guandong Jianglong Shipbuilding (Jianglong Shipbuilding), is said to have been awarded the AUD10 million ($7.6 million) contract to both design and build the ferry.
Austal says the 42 metre long vessel will be based on Austal's performance optimising and fuel efficient design, and will have a 288 passenger capacity.
"To win our first vessel to be built in China within weeks of setting up the joint venture is a great testament to Austal and our joint venture partner, Jianglong Shipbuilding," said David Singleton, Austal's CEO.
"This is another export win for an Australian designed vessel in a competitive market and clearly validates both the joint venture and the decision to build in China."
Upon delivery, the vessel is expected to be employed on the Zhuhai to Hong Kong route.
Last year, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) said that, despite increasing trade, fuel efficiency measures has enabled the global shipping industry to decrease its carbon emissions by 10 percent since 2007, and is delivering carbon neutral growth.
