Thales to continue operating Garden Island

Thales Australia has signed a contract with the Department of Defence to provide ongoing dock operations and services, as well as ship repair and maintenance services, at Sydney’s Garden Island for the next five years.

The company has operated at the site for over 20 years, and the agreement recognises Thales's consistently of performance in running the dock and maintaining Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and commercial ships.

Garden Island is a strategic national asset that supports 11 major RAN ships presently home-ported in Sydney, as well as visiting ships.

Thales's maritime businesses will also continue to be based at Garden Island for five years under a new license arrangement.

Thales Australia CEO Chris Jenkins said: “This is an important contract that secures valuable defence industry skills at Garden Island – skills that are necessary to maximise the availability of the RAN’s fleet over the coming years.”