Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne has announced that the federal government is providing $24 million towards the upgrade of the Cairns Marine Precinct.

Agreements have been signed with Norship Marine, BSE Cairns Slipway and Tropical Reef Shipyard, with funding set to flow from the government for a variety of work to increase the capability and capacity of the existing shipyards, Minister Pyne stated.

The projects include over 170m of wharf construction, upgrades to electrical and fire systems, workshop construction, security systems, hardstand resurfacing and construction of an additional 135m of slipway rail.

“Cairns provides vital facilities and support services to the Australian Defence Force, and this upgrade work will mean they are well placed to keep doing so into the future,” said Minister Pyne.

“More than $400 million of maintenance work on the replacement fleet of up to 21 Pacific Patrol Boats will be conducted here.”

This funding is in addition to the $420 million investment to develop additional wharf space and other support facilities at the HMAS Cairns base.

While the government is investing in the upgrades, the work will be managed by the shipyards involved.