Shipbuilder Austal will expand Mobile operations

Austal USA will expand its Mobile shipbuilding operations and create an estimated 250 new jobs.

John Rothwell, founder and executive chairman of parent company Austal Ltd., told shareholders on Monday that he expected employment at the Mobile plant to grow by about a third as a result of the expansion.

Austal USA, currently with 750 workers in Mobile, opened in 2001 in a partnership between Austal Ltd. of Perth, Australia, and Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co. in Mobile.