Defence team inspects PNG’s Manus Island naval base

The Defence Department has confirmed officials travelled to PNG to conduct a ‘scoping study’ of the Manus Island naval base.

Manus Island jetty at the naval base.

The Defence Department has publicly confirmed that a team of its officials travelled to Papua New Guinea to conduct a “scoping study’’ of the Manus Island naval base, a move that could ultimately see Australian warships permanently stationed in the strategic­ally vital hub.

Defence Department secretary Greg Moriarty confirmed Australian officials were actively involved in the refurbishment of the Lombrum naval facility following an approach by PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.

The project has been the focus of quiet but intense competition between Australia and China, which Australian officials fear is seeking to establish a strategic footprint in the Pacific.

Reports that the Australian Defence Force was partnering with PNG over a possible joint ­facility on Manus Island appeared in The Australian in September.

Yesterday, Mr Moriarty said Australian officials travelled to PNG and conducted a “scoping study’’ of the site from August 28-30. “My expectation is that should the Australian government agree to something like that, we would take the lion’s share of the funding,” Mr Moriarty said. “But PNG would make a contribution, as they do already, to the maintenance and sustainment of that base.”

Manus Island is off the northern shore of PNG and offers a sweeping perspective of the ­Pacific Ocean.

It was the site of a major US Navy presence during WWII and served as the staging point for the US invasion of The Philippines during the Pacific campaign.

Australian officials have lately become concerned about the level of Chinese investment activity in PNG and on Manus specifically.

The possibility China might partner with PNG to redevelop the base has alarmed Australian officials.

Mr Moriarty’s remarks came as Defence officials revealed the Royal Australian Navy had significantly increased its presence in the contested South China Sea area.

Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell said the increase reflected an increased level of cooperation with regional partners.