Western Australian shipbuilder Austal Ships has been judged Australia’s premier exporter, winning the National “Large Advanced Manufacturer Award” and the nation’s top exporting honour. In the past five years, Austal Ships has exported around $1 billion dollars of its market leading vessels. The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) present the 2000 Export Awards. Austal Ships competed with 66 other national finalists in a total of nine categories to win this award.

The company’s 1300 strong workforce are currently working on two of the largest aluminium ferries to be built in Australia - two 101 metre vehicle-passenger catamarans. These huge vessels will have the capacity to carry around 1000 passengers and 250 cars at highway speeds. Whilst Austal is best known for its fast ferries, areas once considered the domain of traditional shipbuilders, such as defence, cruise and freight vessels, are now being incorporated into Austal's portfolio of aluminium expertise and forging new export markets.