Thales’s Armidale Class Patrol Boat team in Cairns achieves key milestone

The Cairns ACPB team, working with Norship shipyard and local suppliers, recently achieved a key milestone with the ‘on time’ undocking (when a Boat is returned to the water) of HMAS Albany.

Thales’s Armidale Class Patrol Boat (ACPB) In-Service Support teams, located in Cairns and Darwin, maintain a high tempo of maintenance, defect rectification, engineering and logistic support. This support ensures maximum operational availability of the 12 ACPBs operating throughout the North and North Eastern regions of Australia.

When a Boat is docked, it is removed from the water, providing an opportunity to conduct deep-level maintenance such hull preservation, propulsion train maintenance (propellers, hubs, shafts), under water valves maintenance and major structural repairs.  This is further complemented with a range of non-docking related planned and corrective maintenance activities. 

The  on time undocking of Albany, was achieved as a result of hard work and collaboration with local industry to deliver to Navy, on time, every time. 

Sarah Yuen, Director Capability Programs, Thales Above Water Systems (AWS), said, “The development of the Thales ACPB sustainment capability in Cairns has gone from leaps to bounds and I am very proud of the Cairns team and what they have achieved”. 

“The extension of the high performing ACPB sustainment capability in Darwin has enabled establishment of the Cairns operation in a short timeframe.”

“Building local relationships and local industry capability is of utmost importance. This was also accomplished with significant improvements in safety. The many lessons learnt will be documented and applied for future vessels in Cairns,” added Sarah.

This is the fourth Armidale Class Patrol Boat major maintenance period Thales has conducted in Cairns in the last 18 months, and was achieved with greater than 80% of the maintenance work sub-contracted to local industry. 

We’d like to recognise and thank all our local supply chain partners, as well as Fleet Support Unit and Norship Shipyard, for their efforts in a job well done.  Fair winds and a following sea HMAS Albany.