Thales Australia has been awarded a five-year contract to operate and maintain the Captain Cook Graving Dock at Garden Island Defence Precinct in Sydney.
The contract is valued at approximately $50 million and will create up to 30 direct defence industry jobs and support an industrial ship repair workforce of approximately 300 people in the Sydney region.
“This partnership with Thales Australia will deliver sustainment to our complex naval capability, further strengthening sovereign defence industry relationships while also creating 30 new jobs and supporting hundreds more," said Pat Conroy, Minister for Defence Industry.
“Enhancing the capability of our vessels is key; but we must meet enduring sustainment demand through advanced and reliable infrastructure. This approach will allow our naval vessels to be ready and up to the job when and where they’re needed.
“This contract is a key enabler to the development of a predictable long-term sustainment demand and further integrates Australian businesses into the supply chain, contributing to a stronger, sovereign defence industry.”
Thales Australia will coordinate and conduct the docking of naval vessels that require out of water maintenance, organise asset management of Garden Island Defence Precinct’s reticulated services and supporting systems, and repair and overhaul the base, playing a key role in Defence’s national approach to sustainment under the new Maritime Sustainment Model.