A partnership between Civmec, Austal and Spain’s Navantia Australia could lead to the delivery six warships for the Royal Australian Navy, establishing a “long-term shipbuilding enterprise” in WA.
The Tasman Class Corvette – a powerful Tier 2 combatant. Photos courtesy of Navantia Australia.
The consortium’s proposal, The Tasman Class Corvette offers to meet the navy’s “urgent need for increased strike capability”.
The ships are designed by Navantia and will be constructed in Henderson by Austal and Civmec.
The corvettes combine the manoeuvrability of a Tier 2 vessel, with the powerful weaponry of a major surface combatant.
Austal CEO Paddy Gregg says the corvette program will establish a genuine regional shipbuilding enterprise in WA.
“Integrating the workforce, supply chain, facilities, systems and processes of the three partners will pave the path towards the consolidation of resources as recommended in the 2023 Defence Strategic Review,” he says.
“Austal recognises the strategic importance of a national shipbuilding capability, and we are excited by what this proposal would mean for continuous sovereign shipbuilding, particularly in WA.
“Building Australia’s corvettes in WA will establish both a genuine long-term shipbuilding enterprise at Henderson and the platform for continuous naval shipbuilding in the region – an enterprise that brings together the Commonwealth, regional shipbuilders and their supply chains to establish a new warship construction hub.”
L-R: Austal CEO Paddy Gregg, Navantia Australia Managing Director, Israel Lozano and Civmec Executive Chairman Jim Fitzpatrick standing before a model of the Tasman Class Corvette.
The ships will be built at Civmec’s purpose-built facility, said to be the largest undercover modularisation and maintenance facility in Australia.
If the proposal is accepted, the consortium say production can begin rapidly as the design is well advanced and based on an operational reference vessel.
“We view this opportunity as one that will deliver both national and regional opportunities for Australian industry and deliver the best outcome for the Commonwealth and the Royal Australian Navy,” says James Fitzgerald, Civmec Executive Chairman.
“Combined Civmec, Austal and the wider AMC Precinct (Australian Maritime Complex) have direct access to the skilled workforce required to support a program of this size, and together with Navantia’s technological expertise, will deliver locally built, internationally renowned naval ships.”
Navantia Australia Managing Director Israel Lozano says partnering with Austal and Civmec was obvious due to their extensive shipbuilding knowledge and capabilities.
“Together Austal, Civmec and Navantia Australia have a combined 58 years of local shipbuilding experience,” he says.
“Each partner brings a crucial component for delivering a project of this scale, with Navantia providing the design expertise, Austal the skilled workforce and Civmec the state-of-the-art facilities and experience in constructing the Arafura Class vessels.
“Together with Navantia’s demonstratable track record in transferring technology to build regional capability, this partnership will establish an integrated shipbuilding enterprise in WA.”
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