AU$155 million earmarked for upgrades of Australia’s Cairns naval base

The Australian government is set to invest around AU$155 million (US$121.8 million) for the improvement of HMAS Cairns, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) base in Cairns, Queensland.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the upgrades to the base will support the RAN’s new Arafura-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), which are scheduled to begin entering service within the next few years.

The Australian Department of Defence (DOD) has engaged Watpac Construction as its managing contractor for the NCIS-8A HMAS Cairns Building and Maritime Works package.

Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price said the upgrade is part of the AU$2.1 billion (US$1.65 billion) Navy Capability Infrastructure Sub-program to deliver maritime and landside facilities around the country to support operation of navy’s new ships being delivered under the government’s Naval Shipbuilding Plan.

Works will include demolition of the existing navy wharf and construction of a new wharf in its place, and an upgrade of the existing explosive ordnance loading buoy in Trinity Inlet. Landside operational support facilities will include a new office building, upgrades to maintenance and logistics facilities, and new storage facilities.

Designs will be finalised around July 2022, with on-site construction to commence in September 2022 and be completed by December 2024.

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