The Albanese Government is seeking vessels to participate in Australia's Strategic Fleet Pilot, today releasing a request for tender.
The pilot will run for five years and consist of three Strategic Fleet vessels, which will be selected through a competitive, open and transparent process.
The establishment of a Strategic Fleet will provide important maritime capabilities and 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, which plays a vital role in our day-to-day lives.
Vessels in the pilot 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.
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.
I want to thank industry for its engagement so far, as your advice has been critical to this point. Your continued engagement will help ensure this pilot will be a success.
I encourage all interested industry stakeholders to read the request for tender, attend the industry briefing being conducted by my department on 19 September, and apply.
Tenders for the pilot will close on 29 November, with all required tender documents available on AusTender from 10am AEST, Friday, 6 September 2024.
