PALFINGER delivers cranes for the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project (PPBR)

PALFINGER’s marine business and local sales and service partner PALFINGER Australia have been working on yet another big order for long-term customer Austal. By 2023, a total of 21 PK15500M foldable knuckle boom cranes will be delivered to the renowned Australian shipbuilder. The order, for which Austal is designing 21 Guardian Class Patrol Boats, serves 13 Pacific Island Nations safeguarding the sea.

The PPBR project, in turn, is part of the Commonwealth’s Pacific Maritime Security Program (PMSP), aiming to enhance maritime security cooperation across the South Pacific. As to each ocean operator, reliable deck cranes are indispensable to the new patrol boats. Since 2018, PALFINGER has already equipped 9 of Austal’s new 39.5 m steel hull boat designs with the well-proven foldable knuckle boom cranes. These fulfill multiple lifting applications while at sea or at anchorage.

Number one and multiple-award winning crane supplier

Having been multiply awarded the title of “best crane supplier” by the maritime journal Ausmarine, PALFINGER Australia is the preferred choice for supplying marine cranes and services to the high-profile vessel market in in ”Down Under”. Not for nothing was PALFINGER repeatedly entrusted with supporting Austal, this time with the PPBR project. “Palfinger has been a long-term supplier of Austal and our various Patrol Boat platforms, with the Guardian Class Patrol Boats (GCPB) being the latest successful project”, underlines Nathan Foster, Senior Procurement Specialist at Austal.

“Steve Lloyds and Mick Stone from PALFINGER Australia and we are very proud that Austal has given us yet another possibility to support them with this large-scale project not only as a reliable crane supplier, but also as their lifecycle support partner”, adds Franz Schnöll, PALFINGERs Sales Director Marine- and Wind Cranes.

Copyright: Austal