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HMAS Armidale has undocked in Cairns after undergoing a major servicing and restoration project, which saw more than $5 million invested into the local economy.
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HMAS Armidale and her 12 sister Armidale Class patrol boats and two Cape Class patrol boats are Navy's principal contribution to the nation's fisheries protection, immigration, customs and drug law enforcement operations; all of which are home ported in the Top End.
A key project for the Royal Australian Navy, Cairns businesses played an essential role in ensuring its delivery. According to Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price, this is the first of several major maintenance projects coming up over the next two years.
“Thales Australia will continue to partner with local Australian businesses to maintain this important capability for the Navy while growing the local industry workforce,” she said.
“The Morrison government is committed to finding new opportunities to support local Cairns jobs and businesses in our defence industry.”
Federal member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch said the project was conducted at the Norship’s shipyards and supported around 100 local jobs.
“HMAS Armidale’s docking and maintenance period required significant technical expertise provided by 11 local Cairns suppliers delivering over 200 crucial tasks during the project. This complements the significant work undertaken by Navy’s Fleet Support Unit and the ship’s crew,” Entsch said.
“With a substantial number of local companies qualified to provide expertise for later services this is a great example of how capable our local defence industry is, and the diverse range of companies taking up opportunities in the defence supply chain.”
Other than Norship, local suppliers involved were:
