Australian government-owned shipbuilder ASC on Monday opened new facilities in Henderson that will increase the efficiency of the maintenance and sustainment of Australia’s submarine fleet.
The $13 million upgrade enables the co-location of essential facilities, which will deliver a significant increase in the efficiency of submarine maintenance activities.
According to the shipbuilder, a similar upgrade at ASC’s South Australian facilities led to a 30 per cent improvement in submarine maintenance efficiency.
Finance minister Mathias Cormann and defense industry Minister Christopher Pyne jointly opened the redevelopment at ASC West, in Henderson, at a ceremony attended by ASC management and personnel, senior Defence Department, Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and defense industry leaders.
“This major redevelopment at ASC’s Western Australian facility lays a solid foundation for ASC’s future as a key sovereign asset delivering Australia’s submarine capability,” said ASC interim chief executive officer Stuart Whiley.
“It is an exciting development that comes at a time of significant investment and commitment to growing Australia’s future submarine capability by the Federal Government. ASC looks forward to being a key part of delivering that capability growth.”
The redevelopment comes after ASC and the Defence Department agreed a further five year performance period for the sustainment of the Collins Class submarine fleet, which commenced on 1 July this year.