Surveillance Australia wins Coastwatch prize

After a lengthy tender evaluation, the incumbent contractor, Surveillance Australia, has maintained its grip on the Coastwatch program.
Just before ADM closed for press the Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison, announced that Adelaide-based Surveillance Australia Pty Ltd had been named preferred tenderer for the $1 billion Customs Coastwatch civil maritime surveillance contract.

The new 12-year contract commences January 2008, pending successful contract negotiations. Surveillance Australia is owned by National Air Support, a subsidiary of UK-based air services company Cobham plc.

The contract will ensure continuity of existing, strong border protection arrangements and utilise the sound understanding already in place by Surveillance Australia of Coastwatch requirements, Senator Ellison said.

The new service will comprise an all-Dash 8 fleet of ten aircraft, replacing the current 15-strong fleet of light piston engined Cessnas, Islanders and Dash 8s. The CMS04 tender specification requires a significant increase in sensor capability over the current Dash 8 fleet. "The contract will also allow Coastwatch to increase its use in the future of sophisticated surveillance technology, including satellite imagery and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)," Senator Ellison said.

Surveillance Australia's bid also included use of the Canadian RadarSat surveillance satellite and a fleet of General Atomics RQ-8A Mariner UAVs; details of how these will be integrated into the Coastwatch operation, and of the upgraded Dash 8 sensor suite, will be disclosed after the contract is signed during the first quarter of 2006, ADM was told.

"The aircraft fleet forms a vital part of Customs efforts to detect and deter illegal activity such as drug and people smuggling, illegal fishing and environmental offences around Australia, particularly across our northern coastline," he said.

"Along with support from the Coastwatch Torres Strait helicopter service, regular patrols by Customs and Navy patrol boats and the trial of a High Frequency Surface Wave Radar system, the aircraft fleet will help to ensure that our northern sea borders are closely monitored and protected."

This new contract will strongly complement other maritime surveillance initiatives by the Federal Government such as the Joint Offshore Protection Command (JOP-C), which will combine the resources and expertise of Customs and Defence to create a single joint maritime surveillance, response and interdiction system and deliver an over-arching military capability for offshore maritime protection.

The inshore/offshore surveillance service, also known as the Service A contract, was one of two tender processes conducted simultaneously by Customs Coastwatch as part of its Civil Maritime Surveillance (CMS04) contract process.

The Service B contract for a surveillance and response helicopter service for the Torres Strait was signed with Brisbane-based Australian Helicopters Pty Ltd in August this year.

Under the new contract Surveillance Australia will provide, operate and maintain a fleet of ten fully electronic Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft from January 2008 to the year 2020. The aircraft will provide all-weather, day and night electronic surveillance of Australia's maritime Exclusive Economic Zone.

"We are delighted that Surveillance Australia has been selected as preferred provider to meet the Australian government's future surveillance needs," said National Air Support Managing Director, Peter Nottage. "This is a major milestone in an exacting three-year process. However, we are aware that there is much work to do before we finalise a contract."

"As current provider of civil maritime surveillance services, we are very proud of our 10 year partnership with Coastwatch and of the part we have played in developing and enhancing systems which have made Coastwatch the benchmark for such operations around the world," Mr Nottage said.

Surveillance Australia has supplied and operated fixed wing aircraft for Coastwatch since 1995 under a performance-based service contract, providing all support systems and infrastructure including aircrew, training, bases and maintenance.

By Gregor Ferguson, Adelaide