ASC Shipbuilding has signed a contract with Australian company BlueScope Steel AIS for the prototyping phase of the Hunter class frigate program, due to start at the end of this year.
Under the $2.6 million contract, BlueScope Steel AIS will deliver more than 1500 tonnes of steel plate to ASC Shipbuilding.
This is the first of a number of contracts ASC Shipbuilding says it will award to Australian businesses in the lead up to the Hunter program’s prototyping phase.
During prototyping, five representative ship ‘blocks’ will be built at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in SA. During this phase, the processes, systems, tools, facilities and workforce competencies will be extensively tested and refined before construction commences on the first frigate in 2022.
“Today’s contract signing is the first of many contracts that we will award to Australian businesses in coming months, as we count down to prototyping cut steel in December," ASC Shipbuilding Managing Director, Craig Lockhart, said. “This is a significant milestone and in awarding this contract to BlueScope Steel AIS we are confident that we have selected the company with the best capability while meeting our commitments to supporting Australian businesses and maximising Australian Industry Capability.
“During the prototyping phase we expect to spend 90 per cent of the value of the work required to construct the test blocks, in Australia, and I hope today’s contract signing is the start of a long-term relationship with BlueScope Steel AIS.
“The Hunter program is about more than just building warships; it is about building an enduring and uniquely Australian sovereign industrial capability that will support Australia’s continuous naval shipbuilding strategy for generations to come.”
"BlueScope is very pleased to be chosen by ASC Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of BAE Systems Australia to supply steel into the prototyping phase of the Hunter Class Frigate Program," BlueScope Chief Executive, Australian Steel Products, John Nowlan, said. “The company has a long and proud history of supplying steel into defence projects - in the 1990’s we supplied more than 20,000 tonnes of steel into the original Anzac class frigate fleet that the Hunter Class ships will replace.
“This contract is an important first step in potentially supplying steel into the build phase of the nine submarine hunting warships.
"Manufacturing is a key part of Australia’s history and today BlueScope is not only a world class manufacturer but we are also internationally competitive.”
“This latest contract signing demonstrates the progress being made on the Hunter Class Frigate Program, which will form the foundation of the [Commonwealth's] $90 billion National Naval Shipbuilding Program,” Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds said.
“Prototyping is an essential phase when building any complex warship, and will ensure employees at ASC Shipbuilding are thoroughly trained in using the state of the art digital equipment in one of the world’s most advanced shipyards at Osborne South in Adelaide.
“This first phase is key to the Hunter class program, which when complete will provide the RAN with a regionally superior anti-submarine warfare capability.”