Construction will begin on Australia’s Offshore Patrol Vessels at Osborne
Australia’s new naval fleet starts coming together tomorrow — as the first weld happens in Adelaide. At Osborne two deck plates will be fused to form part of the first of 12 Offshore Patrol Vessels.
Australia’s new naval fleet starts coming together tomorrow with the welding of two deck plates at the Osborne site.
It will signal the historic start of building the first of 12 Offshore Patrol Vessels.
The OPVs – with the first two to be built in SA and the rest in WA – will be followed by the Future Frigates and Future Submarines as part of the $90 billion naval shipbuilding program.
The OPVs will patrol the country’s borders and fisheries, hunt for mines, map the ocean floor and assist in disasters.
Defence Minister Christopher Pyne said the start of construction at ASC’s shipyard was momentous and that the project would create up to 1000 direct and indirect jobs.
“These new vessels are being built in Australian facilities, with Australian steel and by Australian workers,” he said.
“Only a year ago we announced (German shipbuilder) Luerssen was the preferred tenderer. It’s a fantastic achievement to start construction on time and on budget and I’d like to thank everyone involved in the project.”
Luerssen managing partner Peter Luerssen said the company was proud to be part of Australia’s shipbuilding future and would make sure their experience, design and technical skill would be passed on.
“In time, this will help Australia to be a successful exporter of world-class naval vessels,” he said.
Luerssen will work with ASC to build the first two OPVs to help bridge the so-called “Valley of Death’’ as work on the Air Warfare Destroyers winds up, and before the Future Frigates project begins.
The 80m longships will be equipped with machineguns and drones, and are due to enter service in 2021.
Mr Pyne said the $90 billion investment was about more than building ships, submarines and shipyards.
“It will establish an Australian sovereign capability,” he said.
“The continuous shipbuilding program will act as a catalyst for industry growth which will secure thousands of Australian jobs for decades.”
As well as the OPVs, frigates and submarines, Australia is building a new fleet of Pacific Patrol Boats.
The Federal Government has also promised a new ship for the Pacific Islands, as part of its “pivot’’ to the region to shore up the relationship and ward off Chinese influence.