Highly anticipated Naval Shipbuilding Plan
The Australian Government has released the highly anticipated Naval Shipbuilding Plan, outlining the nation’s largest ever programme of naval shipbuilding and sustainment.
Naval Shipbuilding Plan | Map of Henderson Maritime Precinct (left) and Osborne Naval Shipyard (right) Image credit: www.defence.gov.au
Defence Minister Marise Payne said the plan includes a $1.3 billion investment in the nation’s shipyards to enable continuous build of the Navy’s next generation of naval vessels in the country.
“This Plan will ensure delivery of these modern defence capabilities set out in the 2016 Defence White Paper, creating thousands of jobs and securing the naval shipbuilding and sustainment industry for future generations of Australians,” the Minister said.
“We are embarking on a great national endeavour. We will transform our naval shipbuilding and sustainment industry here in Australia, with Australian workers, in Australian shipyards, using Australian resources.”
The plan envisions the shipbuilding infrastructure development to be completed by the second half of 2019 to enable the Future Frigate program to commence on time by 2020.
It also states that the naval shipbuilding workforce is expected to grow to around 5,200 workers by the mid to late 2020s, with more than double this number of workers in sustainment activities and throughout supply chains across Australia.
