Upgrades to 12 landing craft vessels for the Royal Australian Navy

Image: courtesy of Royal Australian Navy

Over the past 18 months, Halliday Engineering have upgraded the bulkheads to 12 Landing Craft Vessels for the Royal Australian Navy

Halliday Engineering was engaged by UGL / NSM to carry out upgrades to 12 Landing Craft Vessels or LLC’s operated by the Royal Australian Navy. The LLCs play a crucial role in delivering troops and equipment onshore in locations where there are no fixed port facilities available. The LLC’s were specifically manufactured by Navantia to service large Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) vessels.

The project involved assisting with the fabrication and installation of an additional bulkhead in each vessel. This bulkhead separates the propulsion compartment from the engine room and was required for future operating requirements.

The LHD Landing Craft Enhancement Program won a prestigious Essington Lewis Award for Minor Sustainment Activity – Under $20 million/year.

This was jointly awarded to UGL, Navantia, KBR and the Amphibious Combat and Sealift Systems Program Office.

Upgrade to 12 landing craft vessels

The installation of the bulkhead in each ship involved the relocation or manufacture of new parts, such as:

Compartment access ladders
Ventilation trunking
Equipment foundations
Bulwark modifications
Cargo lashing points

Halliday Engineering initially upgraded four boats in a very short period of time. UGL / NSM were pleased with the quality, price and professionalism of our work and engaged us to work on the remaining eight vessels in the fleet.

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”"This was a long-haul job with many challenges — the time pressure was huge — we worked around the clock. But as we completed work on each vessel, we refined our processes and streamlined our workflow. We got quicker with each vessel and we let the quality of our work do the talking."

Regan Raveane

PROJECT MANAGER

KEY ASPECTS OF THE JOB

Landing craft vessels

The LLCs are amphibious landing craft used to load and unload troops and heavy equipment, which enter Landing Helicopter Docks via a stern door. They are critical to the ongoing support offered by the Australian Defence Force.

Expert fabrication

The job involved CLASS qualified welders with the skill to weld Strenx700 — a high strength, low alloy weight steel that requires skill to weld. All welds were inspected by LMATS, an independent, NATA accredited, non-destructive testing Laboratory.

Quality and safety

The work on board these vessels ticked many high-risk boxes, such as confined space, work at heights and hot works. Halliday’s highly-trained staff were supported with calibrated equipment, including atmosphere monitoring, and an independent Emergency Rescue Team.

Project management

Project Manager Regan Raveane had the foresight to pre-manufacture multiple sub-assemblies prior to the commencement of work on each vessel. This resulted in quicker project delivery times and cost-savings that were handed onto the client.

Continuous improvement

Throughout the job, Halliday Engineering identified multiple design and process improvements. This focus on continual improvement, teamwork and collaboration, particularly when working within confined spaces with other contractors, helped to shorten the timeline for work on each vessel.

Halliday at Sydney City Marine

Halliday’s workshop and storage facilities at Sydney City Marine give us the space to work on large-scale projects and manufacture onsite. This increases efficiency and brings an incalculable advantage in the event of ad-hoc or unscheduled works.

Halliday Engineering and Sydney City Marine

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