Altrad to provide frigate blast and paint services

The West Australian arm of French company Altrad Services has been contracted to provide blast and paint services for the Hunter class frigate build.

ASC Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of BAE Systems Australia, signed the contract with Altrad after a competitive tender process.

Altrad Services will prepare the steel supplied by BlueScope Steel AIS by blasting it and painting it with a primer, prior to being cut and fabricated into blocks.

The completed blocks will then pass through the new block paint facility at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in Adelaide, ensuring the blocks are in a condition to paint and be ready to be transformed into prototype blocks.

During prototyping, the processes, systems, tools, facilities and workforce competencies will be established, tested and refined before construction commences on the first Hunter class frigate in 2022.

Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said: “As we come back from the COVID-19 recession, businesses like Altrad Services in Perth will play a critical role in keeping Australians in a job.”

Altrad is a global leader in the provision of industrial services, with subsidiaries in more than 120 countries.

Picture: Altrad Services

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