Interferry2023 Conference Guide
A Better Partnership
Austal offers ‘a better partnership’ with original designs, proven build capability and genuine support; working in close collaboration with operators to deliver future ready solutions, now.
Celebrating 35 years of shipbuilding in 2023, Austal is a trusted and experienced shipbuilder that has designed, constructed, and supported 190 commercial vessels to more than 100 operators in over 50 countries, around the world.
With commercial shipbuilding facilities and skilled design, engineering and production teams located in Australia, the Philippines and Vietnam, Austal has demonstrated the capacity and capability to deliver new high-speed, dual-speed (season-variable) or low-weight aluminium craft quickly and cost effectively, to the highest quality standards. In 2023, Austal Philippines delivered Express 5 to Molslinjen of Denmark, the largest (by volume) ferry ever constructed by any Austal shipyard. The 115-metre high-speed catamaran is a future-ready solution that offers alternative (hybrid) fuel options to Molslinjen, as they progress towards net-zero emissions.
Austal worked closely with Molslinjen to develop the ideal specification for Express 5, following the company’s successful collaboration on the design and construction of Express 4, delivered in 2019.
In the August 2023 edition of Maskinmesteren Magazine, Molslinjen Chief Engineer Henrik Hansen said “Through the Express 4 project, we got to know each other well, especially the design department and the culture at the (ship)yard. For Express 5, the construction period had to follow a tight schedule, and the drawing process had to be optimized. My colleague Nichlas H. Thomsen and I sat with the Austal design team in Perth to optimize the process.”
Henrik Hansen, who met with the Austal team three times during the design development period, was involved in the design of the entire ferry, from the engine rooms to the bridge. He told Makinmesteren that he was also personally involved in discussions with supply chain partners and subcontractors, to have the greatest influence on the selection of components that affect the weight of the vessel – a critical consideration for any fast ferry.
Molslinjen’s close collaboration with Austal led to Express 5 being completely designed in 3D to enable remote development, analysis, review and optimisation by all stakeholders (in Denmark, Australia and the Philippines), as the project progressed with construction taking place at Austal’s Philippines shipyard during the COVID19 pandemic. Following the successful collaboration with Molslinjen on Express 5, and the delivery of the ship in March 2023, Austal has launched the DeepMorpher™ artificial intelligence tool that further enhances the company’s proven hull optimisation process and enables even greater design collaboration opportunities for operators.
DeepMorpher™ allows Austal’s designers to efficiently investigate and optimise conceptually different hull forms, focused on the operators’ requirements, including the ability to find solutions for conflicting or contrasting objectives. The tool can quickly consider multiple operational constraints and ensure hull suitability against real-world challenges in a three-step, automated framework that combines cutting-edge machine learning-based optimisation, morphing and simulation techniques to maximise hull form efficiency.
With the introduction of DeepMorpher™, Austal has not only reduced the timeframe of the optimisation process but made it easier for operators to engage and collaborate with the design team – from concept to construction. Larger and more complex design spaces can be explored, with new, optimum solutions being discovered more quickly, offering greater value to operators and a more effective, productive shipbuilding partnership.
Find out more about Austal’s capabilities, including DeepMorpher™ artificial intelligence tool at Interferry2023 (Exhibition Stand #41), email sales@austal.com or visit austal.com.