TUGS
In the domestic market alone there will be some important shipbuilding opportunities over the next few years. For example, there are some 192 significant vessels in the tug fleet with an average life of 18 years. A considerable proportion of the Australian tug fleet will need to be replaced over the next decade. Twenty-five tugs − 18.5 per cent of the fleet − are over 25 years old.
The current fleet has an average bollard pull of 36 tonnes and power of 2,500 bhp. The demand is increasing for more powerful, versatile and sophisticated tugs manned by smaller crews. Existing vessels will be replaced by tugs having a power of nearer 4,000 bhp with bollard pull exceeding 50 tonnes. Such tugs will cost more than A$6 million each.
Probably about ten new tugs will be required each year over the next decade in Australia alone. The tug fleets in neighbouring countries are even older and generally far less powerful. The demand for tugs in South East Asia seems almost insatiable. While Asian owners have been content with low quality vessels in the past, they are now seeing the value in starting to purchase better built tugs.
FISHING TRAWLERS
Australian fishing trawlers are also elderly. In the Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF) fleet, for example, a long term fleet reduction program has meant that until last year there was almost no new construction for a decade. The result is that the average age of the fleet is about 20 years. While most of those trawlers have been well built and well maintained, they cannot last for ever. The total NPF fleet comprises 127 vessels, of those, about 10 have been replaced over the last 12 months.
The Northern Prawn Fishery fleet is the richest and best managed trawler fleet in the country. It will provide on-going demand for sophisticated steel trawlers. The other Australian trawler fleets will begin to be better managed and therefore will provide an increasing demand for modern trawlers to replace their aging vessels.
SHIP REPAIRS
Ship repairs mainly centre round the fishing industry, particularly crayfishing and prawn trawling, the tug and off-shore vessel market and occasionally the local ferry market. The main repair yards for tugs and off-shore vessels are the Marine Support Facility (MSF) and Oceanfast-Intemational Shipyards at Jervoise Bay. The main competition comes from repair yards in Singapore.
If the proposed 3.OOO tonne slipway is built at Dampier and repairs can be undertaken locally at a competitive cost and within an acceptable time frame, this could capture most of the local off shore oil and gas support vessel maintenance work.
Repair of defence force ships is considered in a separate document.
RECREATIONAL AND LIGHT COMMERCIAL BOATS
The recreational and light commercial boat building is an emerging sector, nationally. This sector is heterogeneous in nature and comprises leisure craft, run-a-bouts and yachts, up to and including the 120 foot super yachts.
The recreational boating market in Westem Australia is served from a number of sources - local manufacture, and imports from South Australia, Victoria and Queensland. A few vessels, mainly yachts, are imported from overseas.
