Austal Vietnam to Build RoPax Vessel for The Degage Group

Austal Limited announced Austal Vietnam has been awarded a contract to design and construct a 71-meter roll-on-roll-off (RORO) passenger cargo vessel for The Degage Group of French Polynesia.

The new steel monohull ferry design includes an aluminium superstructure accommodating up to 140 seated passengers and 17 crew, and features a main cargo deck area of 494 square meters; capable of transporting a combination of 10- and 20-foot containers, palletized cargo and vehicles.

With a cruising speed of 12 knots and a range of 1,000 nautical miles, the new ship—to be named Dory 2, after her predecessor—is designed to operate inter-island transport services between Papeete and the Palliser Islands in French Polynesia.

The shipbuilder said it could not disclose the exact purchase price for the vessel, but said it falls in the range of AUD$30 million to $40 million.

Austal Limited CEO, Paddy Gregg said the new contract represents the fifth ferry to be designed and constructed by Austal for The Degage Group, and the first steel hull ship to be constructed by Austal Vietnam.

“In less than five years, the world-class shipbuilding team at Austal Vietnam has delivered three major ferry projects, for operators around the world, and now they are ready to take on their first steel hull ship, for one of our most valued customers,” Gregg said.

Austal has previously designed and built six vessels for The Degage Group, comprising two 69-meter monohull cruise ships (Austal Hulls 172 and 173), a 56-meter vehicle passenger catamaran ferry (Austal Hull 266), an 80-meter vehicle passenger catamaran ferry (Austal Hull 201), a 49-meter vehicle passenger ferry (Hull 421) and most recently, the 66-meter high-speed catamaran Apetahi Express, delivered in June 2023.