The Damen group is one of three international shipbuilders shortlisted to build the 12 steel-hulled Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) to replace Australia’s current fleet of Armidale Class patrol boats.
One of the requirements of the tender process is that the bidders partner with local shipyards and maximise local industry participation. Two of the new OPVs will be built in South Australia and the remaining 10 in Western Australia.
The tender closes on 30 March and the members of the team are currently putting the finishing touches to their comprehensive plan to build these vessels in partnership with Australian shipbuilders ASC and Forgacs Marine and Defence.
Industry briefing gather knowledge ahead of tender close
Damen Shipyard Group’s Australian team has conducted four industry briefings to potential suppliers from Australian industry ahead of its bid submission for the design and build of the 12 OPVs.
The two most recent briefings were conducted with the main objective to meet face-to-face with local suppliers and provide a direct path to their supply chain for the project. The briefings provided the opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of the suppliers and their products in the different localities.
At the same time, the suppliers were briefed on the criteria that Damen uses to select local partners and gained a better understanding of Damen’s approach to maximising Australian industry. The briefings conducted over the last two months have attracted approximately 800 attendees, which clearly demonstrates the strong interest that the SEA 1180 programme is generating.
The ICN Gateway portal which Damen established for the tender bid attracted a significant amount of interest from Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) wishing to be part of the build. The portal is now closed noting tender submission which is due on 30 March, however, the project’s Design Review Process will continue to provide Australian SMEs the opportunity to become involved as Damen aims to lead the foundation project of Australia’s continuous Naval Shipbuilding Programme.
