Austal Australia has delivered two Cape-class Patrol Boats to the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG), according to the company's release.
The two 58 metre patrol boats, TTS Port of Spain (CG41) and TTS Scarborough (CG42), were accepted by Lieutenant Commander Francise Paulette Cazoe of the TTCG, at a delivery ceremony held at Austal Australia’s Henderson shipyard today, attended by Western Australia Minister for Minister for Police: Road Safety; Defence Industry; and Veterans Issues, The Hon Paul Papalia CSC MLA.
Speaking at the delivery ceremony, Austal Limited Chief Executive Officer Paddy Gregg said the two patrol boats were the first Cape-class vessels manufactured by Austal to be exported, following the delivery of ten similar vessels to the Australian Border Force and Royal Australian Navy over the past decade.
Accepting the vessels on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Lieutenant Commander Francise Paulette Cazoe thanked the Austal Australia team for their outstanding effort, dedication and commitment to quality and safety, especially under COVID19 pandemic conditions.
The TTCG’s Cape-class Patrol Boats are based on the proven 58 metre monohull vessels operating with the Australian Border Force and Royal Australian Navy, with a number of design customisations to meet TTCG mission requirements, including additional armament placements and crew accommodation for up to 27 persons.
Both TTS Port of Spain and TTS Scarborough are capable of patrols up to 28 days, with a range of over 3,000 nautical miles and a top speed in excess of 25 knots. Each vessel has two 7.3 metre rigid hull inflatable boats that may be deployed while underway, for a variety of constabulary missions.
Austal is also delivering 21 steel-hull Guardian-class Patrol Boats for 12 Pacific Island nations and Timor Leste under the SEA3036-1 Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project, with ten patrol boats delivered since 2018. Austal provides in-service support to both the Cape and Guardian-class Patrol Boat fleets through an expanding service centre network including Henderson, Western Australia, Cairns, Queensland and Darwin, Northern Territory.