Local shipbuilder Strategic Marine Pty Ltd has sprung a surprise by winning preferred bidder status for construction of a $62 million floating dock at the Australian Marine Complex at Henderson.
Local shipbuilder Strategic Marine Pty Ltd has sprung a surprise by winning preferred bidder status for construction of a $62 million floating dock at the Australian Marine Complex at Henderson.
Strategic is planning to build about 40 per cent of the floating dock at its facility in Vietnam, which has bemused some players in the industry because the purpose of the floating dock is to make WA industry more competitive.
The floating dock is part of the AMC's $174 million infrastructure upgrade, which also includes a wharf extension.
Strategic Marine's selection has come as a surprise, because it was not one of the four short-listed bidders in the original tender process conducted by the state government last year.
The government commenced a new tender process this year, after announcing that the scope and cost of its infrastructure upgrade had increased.
Strategic, formerly known as Geraldton Boat Builders, is one of the biggest aluminium shipbuilders in Australia, having designed and built more than 300 vessels.
The full text of an announcement from Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan is pasted below
Western Australian shipbuilder Strategic Marine Pty Ltd has been announced as the preferred tenderer to build a $62 million floating dock at the Australian Marine Complex at Henderson.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the floating dock was expected to inject well over $2 billion into the State's economy over the next 25 years.
"The floating dock will strengthen the credentials of the AMC Common User Facility as a world class centre of excellence for marine, defence and resource industries," Ms MacTiernan said.
"The project is a key element of the Carpenter Government's $174.3 million commitment to infrastructure upgrades at the AMC."
Ms MacTiernan said the floating dock would be a 99 m long by 53 m wide structure capable of providing the land transfer of docked vessels up to 3,500 tonnes, with the capacity to lift 12,000 tonne vessels out of the water for service and maintenance work.
It will allow WA to bid for a range of major maintenance and construction projects across the marine, defence and resources sectors, including:
- repairing and maintaining naval vessels such as Australia's Collins class submarines and ANZAC Frigates;
- commercial ship repair work;
- servicing the growing super-yacht industry; and
- testing sub-sea oil and gas components.
Along with a $35 million submarine repair and maintenance facility being constructed by ASC Pty Ltd, the floating dock was a key component of a 25-year contract to provide support for the Collins class submarines at the AMC.
Ms MacTiernan said Industry and Enterprise Minister and Cockburn MLA Fran Logan had played a key role in ensuring local content outcomes in the tender.
"Local content was an important consideration in determining the successful tender and Strategic Marine has committed to constructing more than 60 per cent of the floating dock in WA," she said.
"While some elements of the structure will be constructed at Strategic Marine's facilities in Vietnam, construction of the sidewalls, comprising over 1,000 tonnes of steel work, and the development and integration of the high technology 'smart' components will be completed in WA."
The Common User Facility at the AMC is a joint State and Federal Government funded initiative. It opened in July 2003 and has since generated in excess of $150 million of business for the WA economy and created more than 1,680 jobs from over 150 contracts undertaken.
Detailed contract negotiations would now commence, with the aim of having the facility completed in 2009.
The floating dock would be designed to be capable of expansion if WA firms were successful in winning contracts for constructing and maintaining even larger vessels.
