On 26 April 2024 Norship, a diversified business owned by the Varley Group and offering services across Manufacturing, Engineering and Maritime sectors, put forward a proposal along with Norsta, for an immediate start to the Marine Industry Park in Darwin.
These key industry players in the Darwin Naval sustainment and Ship R&M industry, Norship/Norsta are offering a solution for the rapid delivery of a fully operational and certified 500Tonne (T) Mobile Travel Lift (MTL) capability for Darwin in early 2025.
Designed to complement the future 5500T Ship lift, this MTL asset will enable the NT to capitalise on opportunities it has to currently support Navy and Australian Border Force & Army in the future, whilst enhancing services for the NT fishing, oil and gas, tourism, and the broader commercial fleet. The MTL will also de-risk reliance on a single ship lift facility at East Arm. It is also quite clear that even with the best will in the world the Marine Industry Park timeline has slipped, and it will not be operational for some years. Norship/Norsta offer a quick step solution with minimum government co-investment that will bridge the gap and complement the long-term plans for East Arm.
This new capability will immediately kick start the LDC 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 RAN and for the first Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel (LMV) class of which 18 will be operated by Army-Maritime. A number of these LMV’s have been confirmed to be home ported in Darwin and industry must be developed to support their maintenance in region.
The HMAS Coonawarra lift, or the future 5500t ship-lift are still potential single points of failure. This can result in all out of water work going to other locations. Not only will the additional jobs created by the proposed ship lift be lost, the loss of out of water work will destroy much of the supply chain and workforce who, with no work, will leave Darwin. Once gone the work and the trades will be hard to recover & rebuild.
As the proponents of the MTL, Norship/Norsta currently operate Naval Certified Shipyard & Travel Lift facilities in Cairns, and deliver services to Navy in Darwin and Cairns. 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.
Most global maritime parks offer multiple haul out capabilities. Norship/Norsta are prepared to co-invest with government to deliver a MTL at East Arm. Norship will fund and certify the $10m 500T 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.
Olav Groot, CEO Norship Marine stated, “We operate 3 travel lifts and we have built 2, we have certified people, certified systems, certified plant and equipment and certified facilities. We have been entrusted to deliver more Patrol Boat Dockings for Navy and Border Force than any other business in Australia. We can deliver a Naval certified facility at East Arm in 2025 for about 5% of the total Darwin Ship lift cost. This is an absolute ‘no brainer’. Let’s take a realistic, pragmatic, and cost-effective approach to delivering capability in the NT where it’s needed and when its needed”.
Major General (Rtd) Maurie McNarn AO, Chairman of the Norsta Maritime Board stated, “The NT, Norsta-North and the RAN cannot afford to wait any longer. We need an ECCPB capability immediately to ensure Darwin can service the current demands. This will benefit not just the RAN, but Army-Maritime, Border Force, and the Commercial maritime sector. We have experienced, qualified and fully certified operators and we know what we need. Let’s deliver an interim capability whilst we get ready for the longer-term future with the Darwin Ship-lift. Importantly, this proposal will create jobs. If we do nothing, we not only lose the work elsewhere, but also risk destroying the existing workforce if the current single lift facility fails. Once gone from the NT it will be hard to rebuild. Industry is offering to invest significantly in the project, but the NT Government must commit to providing the civil works and services now.”
Georgia Davey, General Manager, Norsta North stated, “Investing in an interim Travel lift is the right thing to do to safeguard the maritime sustainment industry in Darwin. My team must deliver Seaworthy and Operationally ready Ships, on time, to Navy. NORSTA want to provide this service in the Region, to strategically and sustainably develop NT businesses that support us and to upskill and grow the NT maritime workforce of the future. We need to have the right capability available to us as soon as possible and a Travel Lift at East Arm would provide that capability”.