Scandium International Signs LoI with Austal

Scandium International Mining announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Austal, to test scandium-containing aluminum alloys in marine applications.

Austal is an Australian-based global shipbuilding company that specializes in the design, construction and support of both defense and commercial vessels. Austal is the world’s largest aluminum shipbuilder and Australia’s largest defense exporter.

The LOI calls for the Company to contribute various aluminum alloy samples containing scandium, for testing by Austal and potentially other third-party testing groups, to determine suitability in marine and defense applications.

The Company intends to publicly report a summary of the results at the conclusion of the program.

LOI defines specific alloy sample contributions by the company to Austal to test various properties on the samples, to determine suitability for marine use, in both commercial and military applications.

"Austal is a leading global supplier of large high–speed marine vessels, typically with both hull and superstructure fabricated from aluminum, and successful testing results potentially form a basis of marine certification and use of Al-Sc alloys in various marine applications, leading to stronger and lighter vessels," said the press release from the company.