Tasmanian shipbuilder Incat will build a new production hall at its Prince of Wales Bay shipyard after winning planning approval, in a move it says will boost the state’s shipbuilding capacity and create hundreds of jobs.
The Glenorchy City Council approved the development on Monday.
The 120-metre shed will sit alongside Incat’s two existing main production halls, creating a three-hall operation.
Incat says the extra space will allow workers to build hulls separately before moving them into the main hall for fit-out.
By 2027-28, Incat expects to build at least two large vessels and four smaller ones each year.
Incat chairman Robert Clifford said the approval put Tasmania at the forefront of sustainable shipbuilding.
“We are entering what is without question the most exciting period in Incat’s history,” he said.
“The global maritime industry is transforming at an extraordinary pace and this expansion ensures Incat is ready to meet that demand while continuing to lead the world in sustainable shipbuilding.”
The project requires Incat to reclaim land along the edge of the River Derwent.
About 5,470 cubic metres of fill will be used to create a level site for the shed, with dredging and rock revetments to hold the new ground in place.
Clifford told the meeting every building on the complex had been built on reclaimed land.
“It’s necessary to build boats on relatively level land, not on the side of a hill,” he said.
The council agenda says the application included landfill and reclamation works that had been “carried out on site without approval”.
It says those works “have been subject to compliance actions”. Incat sought retrospective approval for works already underway.
Two written representations raised concerns about contaminated fill and sediment in the River Derwent.
In response, council planners recommended conditions requiring Incat to follow its marine ecological assessment, environmental site assessment and construction environmental management plan.
Incat says construction will start in the coming months, with the hall expected to be operating in 2027.
The company is also planning a second shipyard at Sorell Creek in the Derwent Valley, with a 500-metre production hall and worker accommodation.
