Touring the site and meeting the workforce, the Prime Minister viewed progress on the new shipbuilding and maintenance facility currently under construction. The facility has risen up from the ground in the six months since the Prime Minister was last on site to witness the erection of the first steel for what will be one of the world’s largest undercover Ship Assembly Halls.

The addition of the 53,000 square metre (usable floor area) shipbuilding and maintenance facility will further enhance Civmec’s service offering at Henderson. With significant crane capacity of 400 tonnes at a height of 40 metres, and 20 tonnes at a height of 60 metres, it will be capable of housing complete Air Warfare Destroyers, Frigates and Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), for construction or maintenance, as well as large integrated modules for the Energy and Resources sectors.

It will facilitate a national shipbuilding capacity substantially greater than anything that currently exists and will significantly enable Western Australian participation in the Federal Government’s extensive Naval shipbuilding and sustainment program.

Whilst on site, the Prime Minister announced the promise to build two mine warfare support vessels and a hydrographic vessel in Henderson. The three new Navy ships will be built under a coalition government in a $1 billion election commitment set to create 1,000 jobs for West Australians.

“This commitment in WA adds to the 31 minor war vessels being built in the State — built in Australia, by Australian workers, with Australian steel,” Prime Minister Morrison said.

In April 2018, Civmec was awarded the Royal Australian Navy’s SEA 1180 Offshore Patrol Vessel program, in contract with Luerssen Australia. The project includes the supply and processing of steel for 12 vessels, with the preparation and profile cutting of steel plates for the first two vessels currently being undertaken by Civmec at its Henderson facility. Following the build of the first two vessels at Osborne in South Australia, Civmec will complete the fabrication and construction of the following 10 vessels in the new world-class ship assembly hall currently under construction.