Sep 10, 2026 – 4.00pmThe Florida-headquartered firm that has proposed a buyout of Austal’s North American business says it sees shipyards in the same way that Macquarie saw infrastructure and has recruited former foreign minister Julie Bishop as it pushes ahead with a left-field, $1.9 billion bid.Wildcat Equity Partners chairman Eric Nicolaides said the firm was “in a position to do a transaction if ultimately diligence is satisfactory” after having spent the past year looking at “a number of shipyards”.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles