Australia Seeks to Establish Strategic Fleet
The Australian government is seeking vessels to participate in Australia’s Strategic Fleet Pilot.
The aim is to provide maritime capabilities that bolster resilience, providing assistance in times of crisis or natural disaster, and to support industries reliant on shipping, such as heavy manufacturing.
Recent supply chain disruptions and geopolitical events have underlined the importance of a strong domestic maritime sector, says Transport Minister Catherine King.
These disruptions include the COVID pandemic and when the rail line to Western Australia was cut in 2022: shipping was critical to keeping vital goods moving west and east.
A Strategic Fleet Taskforce report released in 2023 stated: “The Australian fleet currently stands at only 15 vessels over 2000 deadweight tonnes (DWT) (11 on the coast and four trading internationally), meaning that in a crisis, we would have great difficulty accessing and controlling the maritime assets that we might require. This puts us in a dangerous position and needs to be reversed.”
The strategic needs identified by the Taskforce as being essential to Australia’s economic and social security were:
• Coastal shipping of refined petroleum from Australian refineries or import terminals to Australian end-users, including to regional and remote ports in northern Australia;
• Conducting independent cargo operations (self-load/unload) where a natural disaster or other disruption affects the supply of key goods in Australia’s regions or Pacific neighbours;
• Enhancing capability to facilitate Defence or national mobilisation via the shipping of vehicles, equipment, and stores to northern Australia;
• The coastal shipping of containerised cargo between Australian ports to deal with smaller short-term disruptions;
• The movement of project and over-sized cargo domestically and internationally; and
• The coastal shipping of dry and non-liquid bulk cargoes that are key inputs to domestic manufacturing.
The Strategic Fleet Pilot will run for five years and consist of three vessels which will be selected through a competitive and transparent process. The vessels will be privately-owned and operate on a commercial basis but be available to the Commonwealth to requisition in times of need, crisis or national emergency – such as natural disasters or conflict.
The vessels will also be expected to each offer at least three training berths per year, which will boost Australia’s maritime workforce by increasing the amount of Australian qualified seafarers at a time of a growing global shortage, says King.
“This is a major step towards fulfilling our commitment to establish a Strategic Fleet of up to 12 Australian flagged and crewed vessels to strengthen our sovereign maritime capabilities while supporting our maritime workforce.”
Tenders for the pilot will close on November 29, 2024.
