Australia to build new facilities at HMAS Cairns to support Arafura-class OPVs
05 May 2021
by Gabriel Dominguez
The Australian government announced on 4 May that it will invest AUD155 million (USD119.7 million) in new and upgraded facilities at Royal Australian Navy (RAN) base HMAS Cairns in Queensland to support the service’s future Arafura-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs).
The Department of Defence (DoD) in Canberra said in a statement that it has engaged Brisbane-based company Watpac Construction for the works package, adding that the investment is part of the government’s AUD270 billion commitment to Australia’s defence capability under the country’s 2020 Force Structure Plan.