Innovative maritime products continue to flow from Tasmanian companies; in several instances winning greater attention from foreign navies than from the RAN.
Julian Kerr | Hobart and Launceston
Given Tasmania’s maritime heritage it’s no surprise that 25 companies, large and small, together with the Launceston-based Australian Maritime College, are members of the Tasmania Maritime Network.
It’s also no surprise, given their geographical location, that most companies must actively seek out opportunities on the Australian mainland or increasingly at international marine exhibitions rather than anticipate work coming to them.
Engineering company Taylor Brothers is by far the island’s largest current beneficiary of defence dollars. Between 2004 and 2008 the company undertook the turnkey prefabrication and installation of interior panelling systems and furniture for two Offshore Patrol Vessels built by Tenix (now BAE Systems Australia) for the Royal NZ Navy (RNZN).
In 2009, after directors travelled to Spain for a five-minute presentation to Navantia that attracted ASC attention, the company won a $25 million contract for outfit accommodation supplies and services to the Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) project.
This involves the supply of metal joiner bulkheads and doors, modular sanitary spaces, galley, servery, refrigerated spaces and laundry equipment; the fabrication of ship’s furniture; and the design and prefabrication of berthing spaces, sanitary spaces, mess rooms, offices and meeting rooms.
“We were one of three bidders, and the only one to realise that changing material specifications was not an option. So the linings and doors come from Spain but the coatings were changed to ensure the correct fire rating,” company director Phillip Taylor said.
An additional $15 million was won in 2013 for the installation of the supplies and components into the AWDs at ASC in Osborne.
As of mid-August, Taylor’s facility on the banks of the Derwent was crammed with modular shower cubicles complete with plumbing and cabin furniture awaiting disassembly into flatpacks, all for AWD Ship 3.
Similar fittings, along with the ships’ medical equipment supplied and installed by Taylors under a $12 million contract signed in 2012, are already afloat in the RAN’s two Canberra-class LHDs.
The company is currently providing Thales with wet space and crew accommodation equipment and services during the refit of HMAS Success, and has assisted the Forgacs/Thales consortium bidding for the Pacific Patrol Boat (PPB) construction contract.
Twelve years after leasing a third high-speed aluminium catamaran to the US Navy, Hobart-based shipbuilder Incat is again pursuing military work, teaming for the PPB contract with ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, UGL Engineering and Tasmanian steel fabricator Haywards.
Incat Managing Director Craig Clifford said the proposal involved Haywards building the steel hull at Margate, south of Hobart, and the superstructure being constructed and fitout taking place at Incat, separately from its commercial activities.
"The equipment going aboard these ships was originally developed for the RAN’s Canberra class LHDs but was not acquired."
“There’s a difference between civil and naval yards; our priority is to get the ship to the customer at the right price and time, but we don’t have rooms full of administrators ticking boxes,” he commented.
Arguably the global leader in the manufacture of inflatable marine evacuation systems (MES), Liferaft Systems Australia (LSA), has its equipment installed on ships of the Dutch, French, NZ, US and UK navies – but nothing aboard RAN platforms.
Early in 2016, its evacuation slides and 100-person liferafts will be fitted to the first of the UK Royal Navy’s two 65,000 tonne Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers, with the second following about a year later.
The equipment going aboard these ships was originally developed for the RAN’s Canberra class LHDs but was not acquired.
“We had extensive discussions with the DMO but we kept running into brick walls,” LSA Managing Director Mike Grainger said. “DMO said we needed to talk with Navantia; the RAN said Navantia had told them we would have to change our design specifications and we should go back to DMO; DMO said talk to Navantia.
“In the end we had expended significant resources so we moved on as we had bigger fish to fry with international navies placing orders for our MES. But as an Australian manufacturer we are extremely disappointed that we were not successful with our own navy.
“We have since had calls from the RAN asking us questions regarding the servicing of our competitor’s system that is installed on the Canberra class while we’re taking calls from other navies wanting to replace it. Quite frankly that’s bordering on the ridiculous.”
AWD cabin fitout constructed and installed by Taylor Bros. Credit: Taylor Bros
Despite having only 33 staff, CBG Systems’ international reputation for lightweight fire protection has, according to Managing Director Javier Herbon, made it one of only two Australian companies invited by BAE Systems to seek qualification for equipping the Type 26 frigate under development for the Royal Navy. The Type 26 is also a potential contender for the RAN’s Future Frigate requirement under Sea 5000.
CBG’s Rapid Access Composite – capable of resisting 1,000 degree heat for an hour – is specified for all 10 Joint High Speed Vessels delivered or under construction for the US Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC).
Conventional insulation in the mission bays of the USN’s Littoral Combat Ships is also to be replaced by CBG’s Rapid Access Navy-30 product. Unlike other passive fire protection products, the RAN-30 system consists of panels mounted below the deckhead, allowing easy access to the vessel structure.
The company is supplying removable exhaust jackets for the AWD first-of-type, but of traditional rockwool rather than the more advanced materials now available.
Although largely focusing on specialised training and simulation for the civil sector, Launceston’s Pivot Maritime is developing (under contract to the MSC) a complex simulation to help keep bridge officers on MSC tankers at peak performance.
Thanks to its unique database on South Pacific ports, the company is also involved in PPB modelling.
Having supplied specialised HF, VHF and UHF antennas to the Australian and NZ defence forces and numerous foreign militaries, Moonraker Australia is now in the fortunate position of being approached by potential customers, said General Manager Adrian Neville.
While the company continues to develop, supply and refurbish antennas from 10kHz to 1500MHz, many of which have been allocated NATO stock numbers, it’s increasingly focusing on broadband systems for network centric warfare and new-generation multi-band multi-transceiver shipboard systems extending from the marine band to Link 16.
The long-standing relationship between Launceston’s Australian Maritime College, part of the University of Tasmania, and the RAN was formalised in December 2013 with the formation of a joint training working group. RAN personnel have undertaken training since 1997 in advanced navigation and deep draft vessel training at the AMC Centre for Maritime Simulation.
More recently, this program has incorporated simulated training and manoeuvring on the azipod electric podded propulsion system equipping both the Landing Ship Dock (LSD) HMAS Choules and the two Canberra class Land Helicopter Docks (LHDs).
The AMC’s major interaction with Defence is however with the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) and the research underway in AMC’s cutting-edge cavitation tunnel, completed in 2012, on behalf of the DSTG and the US Navy’s Office of Naval Research.
This focuses, respectively, on hydrodynamic research for the Sea 1000 Future Submarine program, and testing for a new generation of propeller technology.
Disclaimer- Julian Kerr travelled to Hobart and Launceston as the guest of Brand Tasmania.