ANI Vessel Docking Plans and Assessments

HMAS Hobart is the first of three Royal Australian Navy’s Hobart-class Air Warfare Destroyers, built between 2007 and 2020 and currently in service. They provide air defence for accompanying ships, land forces and infrastructure in coastal areas, and for self-protection against missiles and aircraft.

In September 2021, the Commonwealth announced it will invest up to $5.1 billion in upgrades to the Hobart Class Destroyer combat management system upgrades, to be undertaken at Osborne Naval Shipyard from 2025.

Government enterprise Australian Naval Infrastructure (ANI) approached WGA to design a steel cradle to enable the dry docking of HMAS Hobart, the first ship to undergo the upgrade.

WGA provided mechanical and maritime engineering services to support the delivery of this key-project for the Commonwealth including:

• Steel cradle design capable of supporting the ship during docking/undocking, transfer and whilst resting on the wharf for the entire duration of the upgrade.

• QA/QC surveillance during the fabrication of the cradle on ANI behalf.

• Engineering and load tests to demonstrate the structural suitability of the fabricated cradle before its deployment in service.

The WGA team collaborated with all parties to deliver the project in a compressed timeline, and the docking was executed as planned. ANI, the Royal Australian Navy and all partners involved can now conduct the upgrades and maintenance whilst the ship will remain docked for a two-year period.

Click to Watch: Australian Naval Infrastructure: The Docking of HMAS Hobart

Image/Video Credit: Australian Naval Infrastructure