Norship and Norsta are offering a solution for the rapid delivery of a fully operational and certified 500 Tonne Mobile Travel Lift (MTL) capability for Darwin in early 2025.
The companies stated that the project is designed to complement, not compete with, the larger 5500 tonne ship lift which is being constructed by the Northern Territory Government. It will also decrease reliance on the ship lift and help bridge the gap until it's completed, which the companies said will not be for "some years".
The lift at HMAS Coonawarra, or the future 5500 tonne ship-lift are potential single points of failure, the companies emphasised. This means that, if both failed, it could result in all of the out of water work created by the ship lift going to other locations. Not only would it the additional jobs created by the proposed ship lift be lost, but the loss of out of water work would destroy much of the supply chain and workforce who, with no work, would leave Darwin.
Once gone, the work and the trades would be hard to recover and rebuild, according to the companies.
The National Defence Strategy and the Surface Fleet Review offer the NT huge opportunities, but without enabling infrastructure, these opportunities will be lost. Reliable & timely regional Ship R&M capabilities are essential to capitalise on the Territory’s strategic position in the Asia Pacific region the companies stated.
The new MTL capability would immediately kick start the Land Development Corporation Marine Industry Park at East Arm and offer certainty to current and prospective clients and tenants alike. The MTL is perfectly sized for Evolved Cape Class (ECCPB) of which 19 will be operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and Australian Border Force (ABF), as well as the Army's Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel–Medium (LMV-M).
A number of these LMV-M's have been confirmed to be home ported in Darwin and industry must be developed to support their maintenance in region stated the companies.
Norship/Norsta said that they are prepared to co-invest with government to deliver a MTL at East Arm. Norship, the company said, will fund and certify the $10m 500 tonne Mobile Travel Lift component, but government support is needed to provide the civil works at East Arm.
This is a $20 million government investment in a project cost of $30 Million. By comparison the Ship Lift project is more than $500 million. The Norship/Norsta MTL will operate under a common user model for the benefit of everyone and not exclusive use, the companies stated.