American company chosen to finalise plans for multi-billion-dollar overhaul of WA’s Henderson shipyard

An American company has been chosen to finalise the master plans for the ambitious multi-billion-dollar overhaul of WA’s Henderson shipyard, just months before nuclear-powered submarines are scheduled to begin AUKUS rotations at the nearby Garden Island naval base. Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy has finally confirmed Bechtel Infrastructure Australia (Bechtel) has been appointed as the “design services consultancy” to undertake master planning for the massive project. Industry sources claim senior representatives of the company flew to Australia last month in anticipation of the announcement, only to return to the United States “furious” when Defence delayed publicly revealing the contract. Bechtel will provide specialist infrastructure design advice and work with a range of stakeholders to create the plan, under a contract which the West Australian has been told was quietly finalised last month. Last year The West revealed proposed boundaries for the new site at Henderson to support AUKUS had not yet been finalised despite the scheduled start of Submarine Rotational Force-West (SRF-W) in 2027. “Awarding this contract moves us closer to making the Henderson Defence Precinct the home of continuous naval shipbuilding and sustainment, and a critical sustainment site for our future submarine capability,” Minister Conroy said in a statement. “The master planning stage is an important step in shaping the defence precinct’s future capability needs and supporting a strong, sovereign industrial base.” This contract reflects our commitment to partnering with industry to build a smarter, faster and more innovative maritime capability hub. “Input and insights from industry and other stakeholders will lay the groundwork for defence industrial depth and long-term national resilience,” the Minister added. Industry sources however warned the project to transform Henderson remained dangerously behind schedule and claimed there was still confusion on whether servicing submarines or constructing future Mogami warships was the priority. “They haven’t even resolved the precinct lines or what facilities are getting consumed - there’s a lot of commercial sites in the area, for example BAE - what’s happening with their site? Because it’s being used to build parts for Hunter frigates,” one industry figure said. In a statement WA Defence Industry Minister Paul Papalia welcomed the appointment of Bechtel to complete the master planning of the Henderson Defence Precinct, which is currently used for large oil and gas projects. “This project will support thousands of highly skilled jobs and ensure Western Australia is home to the largest naval maintenance hub in the southern hemisphere”. “The WA Government is working closely with the Albanese Government to help local industry and workers to take advantage of the enormous opportunities this investment will create.”