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AWD Project Heavy lifting

20 Aug 2009

The CEO of the Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) Alliance, John Gallacher said today the $8 billion project has taken two more significant steps on its way to delivering the first of three AWDs in 2014.

“First, at the ship yard at Osborne in South Australia, we have let a contract worth about $14 million for the provision of what will be Australia’s biggest heavy lift crane. In many ways the heavy lift crane is an example of the size of the project as a whole.

“It weighs more than 500 tonnes itself, will need a number of smaller cranes to assemble and has a boom close to 100 metres in length--that is taller than Adelaide’s Hyatt Hotel.

“With a maximum capacity of 900 tonnes it can lift the equivalent of a fully loaded airbus aircraft. At Osborne it will be used to assemble the ships, lifting and manoeuvring the blocks weighing up to 250 tonnes each that will make up the AWDs,” Mr Gallacher said.

In a different area of the AWD project the AWD Alliance has awarded a contract worth more than $25 million to the Tasmanian company Taylor Bros Slipway and Engineering for provision of engineering and production services to the project and to deliver a range of accommodation products for the AWDs.

“We are delighted to have on board Taylor Bros whose involvement in the maritime industry goes back to 1936. It will have responsibility for providing some of the most important components of the AWDs—in the areas where the ships’ sailors will live and work.

“Taylor Bros has a substantial track record of providing a diverse range of services in support of domestic and international maritime based industries including project management, design, manufacturing, installation and through life support,” Mr Gallacher said.

Mr Gallacher said that as the project moves into the production phase it has in place $450 million worth of contracts to build the blocks which will make up the ships, major combat systems contracts and contracts placed for other major components of the ships.

“These, together with substantial progress on the development of the shipyard and other facilities at Osborne and a successful recruitment program, demonstrate the AWD project is in good shape,” he said.

 

For further information contact:

James Cannon
AWD Alliance Communications Manager
P: (08) 8165 7368
M: 0417 880 481
E:
james.cannon@ausawd.com

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