Australia: A contract has been signed between the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) and Rosshaven Marine (RHM) of Townsville for the refit of four Pacific Patrol Boats under a Life Extension Programme (LEP).
In signing the contract, Greg Combet, the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Procurement said that the contract came with an option for the refit of up to a further seven vessels, making up the final eleven vessels of a 22-vessel overall LEP refit programme.
"The Pacific Patrol Boats (PPB) were built and delivered between 1987 and 1997 and gifted to Pacific Island Nations for sovereignty protection, maritime surveillance and other national purposes including search and rescue and disaster relief," Mr Combet said.
A decision was made in 2000 to extend the life of the vessels by conducting LEP refits which would extend the original life of the vessels from 15 to 30 years.
Ten of the initial eleven LEP refits were under a previous contract with RHM. The new contract for the four LEP refits, plus options for up to a further seven vessels, resulted from competitive tendering, with RHM being selected as the preferred tenderer and subsequently the contractor following successful negotiations.
"The first three vessels are scheduled to complete their refits in early January 2010 with the intention to have the remaining vessels LEP refitted by the end of 2012," Mr Combet said.
Rosshaven Marine disclosed that the contracts would guarantee work for about 60 employees in Townsville.