Government tender lays foundation for Australian maritime resurgence
The national peak body for Australian shipping, Maritime Industry Australia Ltd (MIAL), welcomes today’s announcement that the much-anticipated Strategic Fleet Pilot Government tender is now open.
MIAL CEO Angela Gillham says: “The Strategic Fleet program is an important initiative that will lay the foundation for future growth in Australian sovereign maritime capability, which is as essential to our national prosperity as Australian miners, farmers, and manufacturers.”
The Government’s policy to establish a strategic fleet of up to 12 privately owned and operated Australian-flagged and Australian crewed vessels seeks to enhance national resilience and supply chain security. With tenders open from today to 29 November, the Strategic Fleet Pilot will run for 5 years and include 3 vessels.
Australian shipping has been in decline for decades, and the implications for the erosion of our sovereign maritime capability are starting to bite with supply chain security and national resilience vulnerabilities coming to light in recent years.
Gillham says: “Industry has been sounding the alarm for many years but the current geopolitical context, the potential economic impact of the nation’s critical maritime skills shortage, and the supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic, as well as the increasing frequency and severity of climate change driven natural disasters, means that strong action must be taken immediately.”
An approach like the strategic fleet has not been tried before in Australia but variations on the theme are common internationally.
Gillham says: “Other nations place a high value on the retention of commercial maritime capability as an essential element of their sovereign industrial base. Today’s announcement is an important step forward in Australia’s national interest.
“The strategic fleet has the potential to provide the nucleus for a resurgence of Australian maritime capability and the Australian industry looks forward to working with Government to further establish the business case for Australian shipping and provide the long-term policy certainty required to attract investment.
“Australia is a maritime nation – an island at the end of the global supply chain. We import around 90% of our liquid fuels, a huge array of chemicals, and raw materials critical to our manufacturing industry and consumer goods, which underpin our way of life. But as a nation we currently have no control over those critical supply lines. MIAL welcomes the Government’s commitment to addressing this important issue through the Strategic Fleet Pilot.”
ENDS