Serco Australia and Civmec have formed a new joint venture company known as the Australian Maritime Alliance (AMA) in order to deliver the next-generation in assured amphibious capabilities for the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
The companies are leading an Australia-wide team in solution development and industrial mobilization in pursuit of the LAND 8710 Phase 1A program. Over the past year, the design of the new ‘Oboe’ Littoral Maneuver Vessel Medium (LMV-M) has been optimized and refined to meet the needs of the ADF and now represents the next generation in amphibious capability.
Serco Defence Managing Director Clint Thomas AM, CSC, said the alliance demonstrates the importance of delivering local industry resilience, facilitating workforce and workload predictability, and providing assured supply chain access to build a trusted and sustained Australian shipbuilding sector: “Serco and Civmec share a vision to provide the crucial leadership that the Australian shipbuilding sector requires, signalling an industry-led strategic approach to deliver and support essential sovereign military capabilities and sustainable workshare outcomes.
“With Serco and Civmec’s complementary capabilities and shared community values for realizing the sustained growth of Australia’s Shipbuilding Industry, our alliance is set to deliver proven benefits through uplifting Western Australian industry capabilities, matching Serco’s global shipbuilding expertise and reach with Civmec’s superlative workforce skills, proven technology and infrastructure capacity.”
“I am proud that Civmec is evolving to be a solid option for the Commonwealth as it seeks to expand on the Sovereign shipbuilding and sustainment capability. We are committed to the charge and look forward to forging strong relationships with Serco and others that are integral to meeting the demands of the ADF,” said Civmec CEO, Pat Tallon. “Civmec’s Henderson facility offers unmatched shipbuilding capacity to deliver for the Commonwealth’s naval shipbuilding programs and combined with our new state-of-the-art ship assembly hall, we operate the largest fabrication workshops in Australia.
“This project builds on our experience gained through the ongoing delivery of the SEA1180 Arafura Class Offshore Patrol Vessel program. The LMV-M platform will allow us to continue to demonstrate our innovative approach to shipbuilding.”
Serco and Civmec are bringing together a national team to best deploy the skills and strengths of Australian Industry, reflecting a rigorously developed strategy to deliver sustained SME growth and professionalization.
The combined size of Serco and Civmec’s workforce is 19,000 strong, with their local talent having proven themselves on numerous successful shipbuilding and infrastructure projects around the world.
The ‘Oboe’ will heavily rely upon and maximize the use of Australian Industry Capability to advance Australia’s sovereign shipbuilding capability. The nation-wide industry team stand ready to deliver for the Commonwealth, bringing Australian industry skills and expertise to the forefront, and positioning Australia to drive forward in establishing a sustainable and vibrant shipbuilding industry.
