The Austal USA shipyard in Alabama is ahead of schedule in revamping its facilities to build steel ships in addition to aluminum ships, but ongoing questions about U.S. Navy shipbuilding plans have left the yard uncertain about what steel work could come its way in the near term.
The company is investing about $200 million to improve and expand its shipyard and to grow its ship repair business, Larry Ryder, Austal USA’s vice president of business development and external affairs, told Defense News last month. About half of that is meant to convert half the production lines at the shipyard to work with steel rather than aluminum, which was used to build Austal’s Independence-variant littoral combat ships and its expeditionary fast transports (EPFs).
Austal ahead of schedule in yard upgrades, but still awaiting ships to build (defensenews.com)
