Two heavy cranes are to be installed at a WW2 dockyard on the Brisbane River as Queensland eyes the return of major naval maintenance to the river.
The $4.5 million funding for the project at the Cairncross Dockyard will come from a $180.6m state industry fund.
The cranes, 1200-tonne and 400-tonne, is expected to give the dockyard the heavy-lift capability needed for large defence and commercial vessel work.
They are part of a $2.5 billion Cairncross project, which the state government is fast-tracking, to re-establish the major graving dock that was built in 1942.
The government believes the revived dockyard will create more than 1000 direct jobs and more in manufacturing, logistics and supply chains.
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie says the cranes will strengthen the state’s sovereign maritime capability.
“Queensland has an important role to play in supporting Australia’s defence capability; this funding will help strengthen that by enabling more ship repair, maintenance and sustainment work to be undertaken here in (the state),” he claims.
HEAVY LIFT BOOST FOR DOCKYARD
He says his government wants to position the state as “a leading location for defence and maritime industry development”.
Cairncross Dockyard Managing Director Ben Quin says the funding will help to reactivate the yard.
“The installation of a 1200-tonne crane will provide the heavy-lift capability needed to operate the new lift-in/lift-out (LILO) dock gate for the graving dock and also provide the capacity to lift vessels up to 600 tonnes from the graving dock pool to support commercial and defence maritime operations,” he says.
“The 400-tonne support crane will be used to establish the 1200-tonne crane on site and support dockyard construction and quayside operations.”
Quinn says money from the industry fund will help accelerate the dockyard’s return as a leading ship repair and sustainment hub for the state.
OUR EARLIER STORY: Dockyard to get $2.5 billion revival
