Strategic fleet plan moves forward with tender

The federal government has released a request for tender for its five-year Australia’s Strategic Fleet Pilot, intended to support resilience during times of crisis or natural disaster, “and to support industries reliant on shipping, such as heavy manufacturing.”

Three vessels will be selected through the pilot, which was allocated $21.7 million over five years in the last budget and is a step towards securing a fleet of up to 12 Australian flagged and crewed vessels.

According to a statement from transport minister Catherine King on Friday, 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 in the pilot will be expected to each offer at least three training berths per year, which will boost our maritime workforce by increasing the amount of Australian qualified seafarers at a time of a growing global shortage.”

The pilot is informed by the work of the Strategic Fleet Taskforce, chaired by businessman John Mullen and appointed in October 2022. It submitted a final report to the government in June last year. 

Tenders are open until November 29, with the AusTender listing viewable here.

Picture credit Port of Brisbane