Ship Lift to be Built in Darwin

The TerritoryLabor Government will build the largest ship lift in Northern Australia, pavingthe way for hundreds of jobs and positioning Darwin as a major internationaland national player in the marine services industry.

Territory-ownedand headquartered Paspaley Group is partnering with the TerritoryGovernment in the $400 million project.

The ship lift atEast Arm will bring $260 million into the NT economy every year. It willcreate about 100 jobs during the construction phase, lead to an expansion ofthe ship building and repairs and maintenance industry, and generate around 400direct and indirect ongoing jobs during its operation.

The 103m shiplift will be capable of servicing large vessels from industries includingoffshore petroleum, fishing, pearling, Defence and Border Force.

A ship lift is used to lift vessels out of the water sothey can be serviced, repaired or stored, including for safety during cyclones.

The agreement between the Territory andPaspaley will result in the ship lift constructed on Territory Government-ownedland, operated by Paspaley under a 10-year renewable agreement.

The PaspaleyGroup own and maintain a large fleet of vessels, with many sailing in and outof Darwin harbour on a regular basis. The vessels currently maintained inDarwin will help ensure the ongoing viability of the ship lift, as the anchortenant for the facility.

The facility will operate on a commercialbasis with access available to all customers. The independent UtilitiesCommission will oversee pricing and access.

Key designfeatures of the ship lift include:

  • 20haof hard stand area for ship repair and maintenance works

  • A103m ship lift capable of lifting vessels up to 5000 tonnes

  • 4 wetberths (wharves)

The facility will dry dock and launch vessels. Up to150 vessels are expected to use the ship lift every year.

Darwin is theonly functional deep water harbour in Northern Australia, further emphasisingthe critical need for this infrastructure. Without this facility large vesselstravel 10 days to be serviced in another town.

The ship liftwill be funded by the NT Government, which has already committed $100 million,and either the Federal Government, the Northern Australian InfrastructureFacility (NAF), or further NT Government investment.

The next steps are the finalisation of a project development agreementwith Paspaley Group and attaining all relevant environmental approvals.

The engineering, design and construction contractwill be awarded in late 2020, enabling construction to commence during 2021.Construction is anticipated to take 2 years, enabling the facility to beoperating in 2023.

As noted bythe NT Chief Minister, Michael Gunner:

“There will be a ship lift built in the Northern Territory.

This is amajor national project, positioning the Territorys marine industry on thenational and international map, and delivering hundreds of jobs for Territorians.

It is astrategic investment that will further open up the investment potential of theregion, and mean more business opportunities.

Darwin is theonly functional deep water harbour in Northern Australia. Without thisfacility, large vessels will have to travel 10 days to be serviced in anothertown or another country, adding inconvenience and cost to ship operators.

A ship lift inDarwin is good for the Territory and is good for the nation.

As noted byPaspaley CEO, James Paspaley:

The PaspaleyGroup is proud to bring decades of experience and world-class marine industrycapabilities to this project.

This localknowledge, combined with our international experience, will help us to developand operate this facility to the international standard it deserves.

The PaspaleyGroup own and maintain a large fleet of vessels, all sailing in and out ofDarwin Harbour on a regular basis.

These vessels,currently maintained in Darwin, will help ensure the ongoing viability of theship lift, as the anchor tenant for the facility.

The Paspaleyhead office is in Darwin, with operations across Australia and internationallyin South East Asia, Hong Kong, the USA and Japan. Paspaley Group employs morethan 900 people, about half of whom are Territorians.

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