The federal government has announced that 10 of 12 Offshore Patrol Vessels to be built for the Royal Australian Navy will be constructed at the Henderson shipyards.
The Turnbull Government has confirmed that both Civmec and Austal will share building work for the vessels in WA, using designs by German shipbuilder Lürssen which has been named as the contractor for Australia's three-billion-dollar offshore patrol vessel project.
The first two vessels will be built in Adelaide, with construction to start in the second half of 2018.
In 2020, construction will move to Western Australia where the remaining 10 vessels will be constructed.
The project is expected to create up to 400 direct jobs, and 600 indirect positions.
The Offshore Patrol Vessel program is a key part of the Australian Defence Force's continuous naval shipbuilding program.
Defence Issues Minister Paul Papalia said this is a great day for Western Australian industry, with up to 400 new jobs to be created through our involvement in the Offshore Patrol Vessel program.
"The decision to use two WA companies demonstrates the depth of capability of the WA shipbuilding sector, and I congratulate Civmec and Austal on their success."
Austal CEO David Singleton said the Australian Government has made a commitment to a continuous naval shipbuilding industry and Austal looks forward to playing a role in making this happen.
"I congratulate Luerssen on being selected for the OPV and Austal looks forward to establishing a long and productive future working together.
"We thank the Australian Government for this endorsement of our shipbuilding capability, which will ensure Austal’s ongoing naval shipbuilding presence for the next decade and beyond.
“As I have said many times, the OPV program is very important for our Henderson workforce and we welcome the fact that our employees will have an opportunity to build these vessels."
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