Civmec’s massive shed for naval ships

Engineering firm Civmec is putting the finishing touches to a state-of-the-art undercover shipbuilding facility that will be Australia’s largest once complete.

Engineering firm Civmec has almost completed construction of a purpose-built assembly and maintenance hall that will provide a significant boost to Australia’s naval capabilities.

The immense shipbuilding structure at the Australian Marine Complex in Henderson, Western Australia, will house Royal Australian Navy destroyers, frigates and offshore patrol vessels while they are being built or undergoing maintenance. The facility will also contain large integrated modules for the Oil & Gas and Metals & Minerals sectors.

InfraBuild Steel Centre’s (formerly LIBERTY OneSteel Metalcentre) Hakan Magill said approximately 1700 tonnes of HRS (hot rolled structurals) have been supplied already to the facility, which Civmec is billing as the “largest undercover modularisation and maintenance facility in Australia”. Once complete, the facility will be among the most efficient and innovative in the world, and will significantly enhance the existing capability of the site.

Massive upgrade to site floor space

The impressive figures associated with the structure speak for themselves.

With 53,000sqm of useable floor area (more than twice the size of the MCG pitch), the maintenance hall will increase the floor space available to an impressive 100,000sqm. Now that a 130m long, 600-tonne high bay has been added atop the main roof, the entire structure stands at 70m high.

“Placing the high bay structure presented the team with a significant challenge,” said Civmec Executive Chairman James Fitzgerald. “It was a complex process that required meticulous planning and I congratulate and thank the team for their commitment and focus in achieving this momentous milestone on the project.”

The new building also features 20 overhead travelling cranes, four of which can combine to lift 400 tonnes, and 60m ocean-facing sliding doors that are among the biggest in the world. Approximately 1200 tonnes of HRS have been used in construction of the main shed, while 500 tonnes have been used for the sliding doors.

Video courtesy Civmec