A Message from Our CEO

Welcome to the April 2023 edition of Weld Connect

There has been a lot of media coverage recently about Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s $368 billion AUKUS submarine deal. This deal will see Australia source between three and five second-hand Virginia Class nuclear submarines from the United States, which are expected to arrive in the early 2030s. This will be followed by Australian-built SSNAUKUS submarines, based on the United Kingdom’s next-generation SSN design. Planned delivery of the SSN submarines is expected to commence from the early-2040s.

This is not the first time that the Australian Government has attempted to establish a sovereign shipbuilding capability. As we all know, the Collins Class submarine project was established by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in 1982 to replace our UK-built Oberon vessels. In a genuine attempt to create a new submarine design and construction industry, the government-owned Australian Submarine Corporation was established and a brand new shipyard was constructed at Osborne in Adelaide.

Between 1996 and 2000 six Collins Class submarines were built at Osborne. This necessitated a whole raft of investments. Enough welders had to be trained to weld a submarine hull. BlueScope and Bisalloy had to establish manufacturing capacity for the special steels needed for the hull.

Then, the Future Submarine program was launched in 2007 with ASC to design and build a follow-on submarine fleet. However, the Australian Government scrapped this program, leaving ASC without a fleet of submarines on which to work. As a result, ASC—and Australia’s local shipbuilding industry—has shrunk in both size and capability.

There has been some discussion in the media over whether the quality of Australian welders is sufficient to build the proposed AUKUS nuclearpowered submarines. Australia’s qualified welders are more than capable of building the new fleet.

Some pundits have stated that the quality of welding required for a nuclear submarine is of a much higher standard than that required for a diesel electric conventional submarine. However, all welding must be of the highest quality if the submarine is to meet the necessary survivability objectives—whether the submarine is nuclear or diesel powered is irrelevant.

Weld quality is critical to the structural integrity of submarines. When welds fail, often the whole vessel fails. Submarines are subjected to high loads and harsh environments, and any defects in the welds can compromise the integrity of the entire structure. This can lead to catastrophic failures, endangering the lives of crew members. Welding on submarines and naval vessels must be of the highest quality, and subjected to rigorous inspection and testing.

Ensuring good quality welding is an important part of rules for shipbuilding, including Lloyds Register (1999), Det Norske Veritas (DNV 2008), the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS 1997), and the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS 2008).

DNV and IACS require that welders must be qualified to specific standards, one of which is ISO 9606. Lloyds Register requires that shipbuilders test the welders and weld operators to a suitable national standard, such as ISO 9606.

Australian welders have been certified to this standard for years now. There are over 11,500 welders on the Australian Welder Certification Register, certified to AS/NZS ISO 9606.

Whilst some welding on nuclear boats is undertaken in line with different International and Australian Standards, and utilises different materials, the quality of the weld must be exceptionally high. Australian welders are more than capable of achieving this quality.

The biggest risk facing Australia’s nuclear-powered AUKUS submarine build is not welder capability, but the recruitment and training of enough skilled welders.

Australia is already facing a severe shortage of skilled welders. Even before the AUKUS deal was signed, Australia was looking at a shortage of 70,000 welders by 2030. So, unless we take serious precautions now, there simply won’t be enough skilled people to undertake the welding required.

We need a Shipbuilding Welding Academy to be established and funded by the Federal Government. An academy of this nature will help ensure that the defence prime contractors have access to the skilled, qualified welding professionals required to successfully deliver the nuclear-powered submarines.

It will ensure that Australia has sufficient tradesmen of the right calibre ready to commence welding of the AUKUS submarines when the time comes.

Geoff Crittenden CEO, Weld Australia