A Unanderra company will meet Defence representatives next month with a view to supplying steel to navy ships.
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The news comes after it appeared Australian steelmakers and fabricators would be overlooked as suppliers for the 33 newly commissioned warships – 12 Offshore Patrol Vessels and 21 steel-hulled Pacific Patrol Boats.
During last week’s announcement Defence Minister Marise Payne said the patrol boats use “a particular variation of a high tensile steel that we don't currently make in Australia”.
This caused some confusion for Bisalloy Chief Executive Officer Greg Albert, which makes high-strength steel and has previously been involved in the construction of the Royal Australian Navy’s Collins class submarines and the army’s Bushmaster infantry vehicles.
However Mr Albert said Kim Gillis, deputy secretary of the Defence Department’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) had contacted him to clear the air and arrange a meeting, which will take place on May 5.
CASG is responsible for the procurement of material for Defence purposes.
“He’s assured us that we will be given an opportunity, if we can supply to the specifications that they require,” Mr Albert said.
“He’s going to visit us and we’re going to have a meeting to discuss the requirements.
“They will want to know whether we can meet the specifications, whether we have the capacity to be able to supply and whether we’re competitively priced.”
Mr Albert suggested “something fell through the cracks" in the lead-up to Senator Payne’s statement.
“We’re the only company in Australia that can produce armour-grade steel and also high-strength steel, so it doesn’t make sense that they wouldn’t give us an opportunity,” he said.
Mr Albert said BlueScope representatives had also been invited to next month’s meeting as the Port Kembla steelmaker could also help in the shipbuilding process.
“It could also open the door for BlueScope too,” Mr Albert said.
“We get our material from BlueScope and we transform it into high-strength steel. But the frigates use a lot of normal steel that BlueScope can produce.”
Throsby MP Stephen Jones has also been invited to attend the May 5 meeting.
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