The first of four Regional Maintenance Centres for the sustainment of Royal Australian Navy vessels was opened in Cairns by Defence Minister Peter Dutton and local member for Leichhardt, Warren Entsch on January 20.
To be operated under a five-year $70 million contract by NORSTA Maritime – a joint-venture of Varley Group subsidiary Norship and Tropical Reef Shipyard, supported by Nova Systems and Secora – the Regional Maintenance Centre North East will initially support the RAN’s new Evolved Cape class patrol boats, and then the follow-on Arafura class Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) being procured under Project SEA 1180.
“NORSTA Maritime has an established regional presence and proven ability to coordinate the sustainment and maintenance of naval vessels,” Minister Dutton said in a release. “Regional Maintenance Centre North East will tap into the talent of the more than 4,000 people employed in Cairns’ maritime precinct, and create additional jobs for local workers.”
Under the RAN’s Plan Galileo Future Maritime Sustainment Model program, additional Regional Maintenance Centres will be established at Darwin, Henderson in WA, and in Sydney, providing a national maintenance capability network for the RAN’s growing fleet of small vessels.
“Our regional maintenance centres will overhaul the way Navy maintains its fleet, ensuring each centre will be able to provide a level of maintenance to any surface ship,” the RAN’s Head Maritime Systems RADM Wendy Malcolm said. “Sustaining Navy’s current and future fleet is a long-term endeavour and personnel will be required for decades to come, further supporting local jobs and diversifying the regional economy.”
In a separate statement, NORSTA Chairman Maurie McNarn, said, “NORSTA is excited to be selected as the first Regional Maintenance Provider to deliver maintenance services to the Royal Australian Navy under its Future Maritime Sustainment Model. NORSTA brings together the long-standing Cairns maritime businesses of Norship and Tropical Reef Shipyard into a Joint Venture to deliver a truly regional maritime maintenance support solution for the Navy.”
NORSTA’s Program Manager Neil Sparks, added, “With a proud regional heritage that originates from two long standing local ship repair companies, NORSTA is, and has been heavily invested in the North Queensland region for many decades. NORSTA is committed to maximising the development of regional capability and capacity in maritime maintenance.”