Cape-class patrol boat

The Cape class is a ship class of eight large patrol boats to be operated by the Customs Marine Unit of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service. Ordered in 2011, the vessels will be built by Austal Ships to replace Customs' Bay-class patrol boats, and will enter service from 2013 onwards.

Design and construction
The Bay class was due to be replaced in 2010, but it was not until June of that year that a request for tender was issued for eight new, larger patrol boats. Austal Ships received the tender for eight 57.8 m patrol boats on 12 August 2011. Construction of the new vessels was to start in February 2012, and the first vessel was launched in January 2013. It was named Cape St. George on 15 March 2013

The new patrol boats will enter service between March 2013 and August 2015, with the Bay class likely to remain in service until the latter date.

According to media reports, prior to the tender process, information about the project was leaked to Austal by a senior Customs official. This was specifically refuted by the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, which issued a statement "to set out the full circumstances of this matter" on 19 March 2013. This categorically stated that "Implications in media reporting that an unauthorised disclosure of material was made to the successful tenderer are also incorrect." The supposed leak was revealed during an investigation of claims that the tendering requirements had been set up to favour Austal. Internal and external investigations of the accusation concluded that the tender process had not been compromised. The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service statement made it clear that an independent, external investigation was conducted and concluded that there was no evidence to substantiate claims that tender criteria had been created to favour a particular tenderer. Specifically, there was no bias or inappropriate conduct by any officers involved in the process, and no compromise of the procurement process, or the Request for Proposal (RFP) process. was identified.