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Naval Group, designer for Australia’s new submarines, has firmed an agreement with engineering specialist KBR to assist with the design of the new construction yard in South Australia.
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Naval Group, formerly DCNS, said the facility at Osborne outside Adelaide will include the facilities and infrastructure required to construct the fleet of 12 Future Submarines for the Royal Australian Navy under the SEA 1000 program.
Through what’s called the design services subcontract (DSSC), KBR will support Naval Group to deliver the concept design for the Future Submarine yard to the Commonwealth of Australia in July.
KBR designed the facilities used for construction of the Navy’s six Collins submarines and the three air warfare destroyers at Osborne.
“We will be utilising Naval Group’s extensive experience building and maintaining nuclear and conventional submarines for the French, Brazilian, Malaysian, Indian and Chilean navies to ensure that the facility is appropriately equipped to build Australia’s Future Submarine fleet,” said Brent Clark, Naval Group Australia interim chief executive.
A team of KBR and Naval Group Australia engineers will conduct design workshops within Australia and France to inform the concept design and facilitate knowledge transfer.
The team will draw on Naval Group’s international experience as a reference point for Australia’s Future Submarine yard.
“KBR is excited to be providing our expertise to Naval Group for this nationally significant project that will deliver a world-class future submarine facility, a significant component of the infrastructure enabler of Australia’s Naval Shipbuilding Plan,” said Greg Conlon, KBR Asia-Pacific president.
“Having designed the original Collins submarine facility in South Australia in the 1980s, and more recently the Air Warfare Destroyer shipyard, KBR brings extensive local defence infrastructure engineering and program management experience to this important project.
“We anticipate this contract will employ around 100 South Australians and we look forward to working with Naval Group and the Australian government to maximise opportunities for local industry.”
Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne said the Future Submarine Construction Yard would sit alongside the surface shipyard, which will deliver the 12 Future Frigates.
“KBR has extensive experience in this field and it is great they have partnered with Naval Group Australia to complete the concept design for the state of the art construction yard where our Future Submarine fleet will be built,” he said.
“I would like to congratulate KBR on this contract, worth around $7 million, which will employ 100 of their South Australian staff on the concept design of the Future Submarine Construction Yard.
“This further demonstrates the massive benefits to the Australian economy of the Turnbull government's continuous naval shipbuilding program.”
Minister Pyne said design of the Future Submarine Construction Yard will continue throughout 2018.
