NEWS
Melbourne to the Forgacs shipyard in Newcastle. The Melbourne BAE Systems shipyard remains
stretched, working on two major projects at the same time – steel blocks for the Air Warfare Destroyers and the superstructure and integration of the Landing Helicopter Dock Ships (LHDs). In a statement, the Royal Australian Navy said the
government, the AWD Alliance and BAE Systems “take the schedule for both these important projects extremely seriously.” In February 2011, BAE Systems advised the AWD
Alliance of potential schedule delays. Over the last few months, the AWD Alliance and BAE Systems have been working closely to develop options to improve the production programme. In March, the Minister for Defence met with Guy
Griffiths, the Group Managing Director - International of BAE Systems UK, in London to discuss this project. Te Minister for Defence Materiel has also met with the chief executive officer of BAE Australia, Jim McDowell, on a number of occasions about this project. In May, BAE Systems presented the AWD Alliance
with a plan to adjust its workload on the AWD project. Te advice of the AWD Alliance is that if no action is taken to relieve the pressure on the Melbourne BAE Systems shipyard the first ship would be two years late, approximately 25% over schedule. Te AWD Alliance (with the support of BAE Systems)
therefore proposes to take the following action: l Up to 13 steel blocks will be reallocated among the three Australian shipyards in Adelaide, Melbourne and Newcastle – seven for advanced fit out and six for construction; and l Up to five steel blocks will be reallocated to Navantia in Ferrol, Spain. These changes involve the reallocation of blocks
for the first two ships only and are subject in the usual way to satisfactory commercial arrangements with the shipyards. BAE will complete the structural steel and initial
outfitting work on the seven steel blocks it is currently working on, as well as all its work on the 14 blocks for the superstructure of the LHD ships and the integration work. A decision on the reallocation of blocks, if any, on the
third AWD will be made later in the project. Te Royal Australian Navy said this action will reduce the schedule risk to both this project and to the LHD ships project. Te AWD Alliance has advised that this action will
reduce the delay of the completion of Ship 1 by up to 12 months, and of all three AWDs by up to 12 months. It will also reduce the pressure on BAE Systems to complete the construction of the superstructure and the integra- tion of Australia’s two new LHD ships. Defence will plan its comprehensive options to
manage the transition from the current Adelaide class frigates to the AWDs taking into account the agreed reallocation of blocks.
12 Replenishment vessels Frazer-Nash leads
MARS consortium A consortium of companies led by international engineering consultancy Frazer-Nash has been awarded a contract to support the delivery of new Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker ships, as part of the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) Military Afloat Reach and Sustain- ability (MARS) programme. Te MoD has a requirement for a number of tanker
ships that can effectively and efficiently replenish and sustain the Royal Navy. Te new vessels will be double hulled to reflect the need to comply with the Interna- tional Maritime Organization. Frazer-Nash and its partners – SeaTec UK Limited,
Babcock Marine & Technology, Atos Consulting and LSC Group – will be providing Afloat Support Shipping Engineering and Technical Services to the MoD’s Afloat Support Project Team. Tis will initially involve an extensive range of engineering services to assist the project team in the review of proposals from five bidding companies. Te tasks include naval architecture, safety management and analysing through-life costs. Robin Boulby, MARS Tanker Team Leader said: “I
am delighted that Frazer-Nash and their partners have been selected to provide technical and project manage- ment support to the delivery of MARS tankers. Te skills and competences this team provides will be essential in supporting the MoD in delivery of double-hulled tankers. Te contract is an enabler to improved delivery performance whilst also fulfilling activities by drawing on skills and expertise from the industry. Te vessels are the first element of the MoD’s MARS
programme. As part of the project, five bidders have submitted proposals for the requirement. Te Afloat Support Shipping Engineering and Technical Services contract awarded to Frazer-Nash and its partners is initially for one year.
Surface combatants New Bangladesh
PC project Bangladesh’s Navy officially inaugurated a new project for five Chinese-designed patrol craſt on 5 March 2011. To be built at the navy-owned Khulna Ship Yard (KSY), the project could eventually number as many as 25 units. However, at this time, no firm plans are in place. The patrol craft are being built under a May
2010 transfer of technology (ToT) agreement with China’s China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Corp (CSOC)). China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), a part of CSOC, provided the design. It will also supply
Warship Technology July/August 2011
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