GeoLocation
Birdon said Naval Architecture graduate Owen Spanswick has completed its two-year Futures Graduate Program, becoming the first participant to finish the scheme. He has now moved into a full-time Naval Architect role in Western Australia, supporting defence programs and operations at the Dampier slipway.
Birdon said it secured an $18.3m contract from Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration to deliver 15 Bridge Erection Boats, and it also won a 20-year deal to design, build, operate and maintain the new Daintree River Ferry in Australia. The company said production began on two prototype ASC-M landing craft for the US Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, while build-out of 27 Waterways Commerce Cutters for the US Coast Guard is under way.
Birdon has commissioned a new artwork, Bilabaa – River Place, by Birrbay (Birpai) artist and Cultural Industries Creative Director Angela Marr. The piece is on display at the company’s Port Macquarie corporate office, with framed prints also installed in Sydney and Henderson.
Birdon has signed a 20-year contract with Douglas Shire Council to design, build, operate and maintain a new four-lane ferry for the Daintree River crossing. The new 49-metre by 16-metre vessel will carry 36 vehicles and is due to enter service at the end of 2027, after Birdon takes over the current ferry operation on 1 July 2026.