Henderson Shipside Support Tower

The Henderson maritime precinct in Western Australia has received a major boost with the opening of a new Shipside Support Tower.

Minister for Defence, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, and Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Steven Ciobo MP, today announced the opening of the facility at the BAE Systems Australia-owned shipyard.

The project created 50 jobs and cost $6.4 million and shows yet again how important Henderson is as a shipbuilding and maintenance hub.

The Tower is five storeys high and incorporates gangway facilities in the upper levels to facilitate access to ships dry berthed on docking cradles, on either side of the Tower.

Included in the facility are offices, workstations, audio-visual facilities, meeting rooms, parts and equipment storage, and amenities for personnel working on the ships.

Minister Pyne said the development underscored a continuous improvement initiative by the Warship Asset Management Agreement (WAMA) Alliance.

“The Alliance is a commercial arrangement between the Commonwealth and companies BAE Systems, Saab and Naval Ship Management to deliver through-life maintenance and upgrade requirements for the Anzac class frigates,” Minister Pyne said.

“The Tower will significantly enhance productivity and reduce costs when Navy ships undergo maintenance and modifications during the delivery of this program and for the remaining life of the facility.”

Attending the opening, Minister Ciobo acknowledged the significant role sustainment enterprises such as the WAMA Alliance were playing in the defence industry.

“These enterprises are providing critical through-life support to the Government’s continuous naval shipbuilding program,” Minister Ciobo said.

“The WAMA Alliance alone is generating over 1700 continuous jobs and $1.2 billion of service opportunities for small and large businesses over the course of the next five years.”