Out-of work-shipbuilders urged to take opportunities in Tasmania at Incat
AUSTRALIA’S oldest shipbuilding company has thrown a lifeline to SA tradies while they wait for Adelaide’s future frigate work to kick in. The catch is — the work is in Hobart.
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AUSTRALIA’S oldest shipbuilding company has thrown a lifeline to South Australian tradies while they wait for Adelaide’s future frigate work to kick in.
The catch is — the work is in Hobart.
But the upside is that the company, regarded as the world’s best large catamaran builder which will keep their skills up, is happy for workers to return to SA when defence work comes back online in a few years time.
The call comes as local shipbuilder ASC is having to shed jobs as work on the Air Warfare Destroyers winds up.
Incat CEO Tim Burnell told The Advertiser the shipbuilding company — which has built ships for the US Navy and Sydney Ferries — has dozens of jobs for electricians, fit-out workers, boilermakers and welders.
“We have been advertising for particular tradesmen on and off for well over a year,” Mr Burnell said.
“We had an aim for a workforce total of about 700 for this year but we have just not been able to get the skilled workforce we need in Tasmania.”
Mr Burnell said because the next round of defence work in SA was two or three years away from “really ramping up”, Incat had a perfect opportunity for skilled tradesmen to keep up their skills in the meantime.
“We can certainly fill the two-year gap for people in South Australia that are waiting for contracts to come online,” Mr Burnell said.
Mr Burnell said Incat was on the hunt for 40 electricians, 24 fit out guys, 71 fabricators and 21 welders.
He said the privately owned company has a raft of selling points for workers wanting to call Tasmanian home.
“We are close to Hobart, the location is great,” he said.
Incat is currently building two 110 metre catamarans that will operate in Europe.
It has also built ferries that have been used in military applications including one that completed over 100 trips between Darwin and Dili, transporting personnel and equipment, during the 1999 East Timor crisis.
Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union assistant branch secretary Simon Pisoni said the roles could be perfect for workers who have lost their jobs at Osborne’s shipbuilding company ASC.
“Shipbuilding is a unique industry — compared to electrical work in any other industry,” Mr Pisoni said.
“There is additional training that is required so it makes a lot of sense to have these guys maintaining those skills and being able to come back to South Australia for the frigate program.”
In June ASC said 93 jobs were at risk, but that both they and BAE — which has won the contract to work with ASC on the $30 billion Future Frigates project — would do their best to find other jobs for those workers.
The company said it took the action “reluctantly” and only after looking for other opportunities for workers.
It said that, once the frigates program started in 2020, “it is anticipated that many former shipbuilding employees will have the opportunity to return to the company in due course”.