Navantia press release
The ShipAlt is the U.S Navy standard for the set of manufacturing and installation instructions to physically alter and install new systems and equipment in an in-service warship. The production of the ShipAlt is Navantia Australia’s second primary work front in the SEA4000 Phase 6 project, alongside the development and creation of the main engineering work products, called the Technical Document Pack (TDP) and the Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) artefacts.
Navantia Australia’s Naval Design and Engineering Centre in Docklands, Victoria, has a team of 55 people including engineers, designers, project managers and schedulers dedicated to delivering the SEA4000 Phase 6 activities. The ShipAlt work requires close collaboration between the ShipAlt and main engineering teams, which is particularly important in this program as the ShipAlt, and installation design drawings are being produced simultaneously with the class detailed design drawings.
The ShipAlt work also provides an ideal opportunity for Navantia’s professional development program and further technology transfer. TPN industry partner, the Design Technology Company (DTCo), has seamlessly integrated into Navantia Australia’s Melbourne based design team and as well as Navantia Australia’s shipyard team onsite at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in Adelaide, to deliver the first set of ShipAlt drawings.
Mr Aidan Crees, Navantia Australia’s DDG Phase 6 Program Manager, stated that achieving this milestone represents a significant effort.
“Our team had faced delays beyond our control earlier in the year due to ITAR and export control issues and obtaining the necessary information sharing agreements. Working with the customer, we set a challenging schedule for the ShipAlt. That we released the first set of ShipAlt drawings only one month later than originally planned, despite the setbacks experienced before we could even begin, serves as an excellent example of our strength and capability as an integrated and outcomes-oriented organisation,” concluded Crees.
This momentum will continue to be built as the ShipAlt develops and matures throughout the remainder of 2024. The final set of ShipAlt drawings are scheduled for release in Quarter 1 2025, which is consistent with the original planned date.
During the first half of 2024, Navantia Australia’s Naval Design and Engineering Centre hosted visits by several senior Royal Australian Navy senior officers who were given briefings on DDG Phase 6 and could verify the maturity of Navantia Australia’s sovereign design capability.
Over 120 engineers are based at Navantia Australia’s Naval Design and Engineering Centre in Docklands. Navantia Australia’s TPN was launched in October 2023 with an inaugural group of 14 member companies and has already grown to include an additional 10 Australian companies. Together with Navantia Australia’s design and field engineers in Sydney and Adelaide, the DEC team and TPN represent an impressive 850 engineers dedicated to support Australian maritime defence projects.
