Steber expands workforce as order books fill

The company has added eight apprentices to its business in the last two years, and a similar number of skilled workers as it expands its business to include 13 major projects ranging from 38-foot navy support vessels to a 61-foot fisheries research vessel.

“It’s particularly pleasing to be able to offer the youth of our community an opportunity to gain qualifications as shipwrights that could set them up for life,” Stebercraft general manager Alan Steber said.

“To date, Steber International have engaged over 150 shipwright apprentices, many of whom have gone on to operate their own businesses, some in the marine industry, some in buses and caravans, some in home building and even some employed overseas."

Steber’s most recent contract is to build five 38-foot vessels for the Australian Defence Force. The vessels will have a top speed of 25 knots, a payload of more than three tonnes and will feature a new naval paint scheme.

The project is scheduled for staged delivery across 2018-19.

Steber has also partnered with Ocius Technology to work on the Bluebottle, an unmanned surface vessel that runs on solar, wind and wave energy and can remain at sea for months at a time, offering the potential for future cutting-edge capability enhancements.

It will also deliver a new 38-foot rescue boat for the Port Fairy Marine Rescue Service this year, with an option on delivering three more of the vessels.

Steber also builds a range of recreational boats up to 65 feet in length.