Tender Details
Supply of New Pilot Vessel
Business Name
Port of Townsville Limited
VP Reference #
VP471850
Buyers Reference #
T00713
Opens
Friday 01 August 2025 (E. Australia Standard Time)
Closes
Tuesday 02 September 2025 10:00 AM (E. Australia Standard Time) CLOSED
Supplier query cut-off
Wednesday 27 August 2025 10:00 AM (E. Australia Standard Time)
Expected decision
Tuesday 14 October 2025 (E. Australia Standard Time)
Buyer Details
Business Name
Port of Townsville Limited
Location
1 Benwell Rd
South Townsville, Queensland 4810
Australia
WebSite:
https://www.townsville-port.com.au/
Business Info
The Port of Townsville is Northern Australia’s largest container and automotive port, and the country's leading exporter of copper, zinc, lead, sugar, fertiliser and molasses. Located in the heart of Northern Australia's largest city, the Port handles more than 30 diverse commodities and is a strategic defence and cruise port.

The Port of Lucinda is located 100 kilometres north of Townsville, and is the prime sugar export facility for the Hinchinbrook region.
Contact Details
The buyer has elected to have their personal and contact details hidden. These details will be revealed at the buyers discretion.
What the buyer is requesting
Details
Overview of Request

The Port of Townsville is seeking proposals for the supply and delivery of a new purpose-built pilot vessel. The vessel is to be a twin-engine, 15m–18m, self-righting pilot launch designed for safe and efficient transfer of marine pilots in coastal environments. It must meet the National Standard for Commercial Vessels (NSCV), AMSA Marine Orders Part 54, and other relevant marine codes and standards.

Goods or Services Required

Supply, construction, delivery, and commissioning of a fully operational pilot vessel, including design documentation, quality assurance, acceptance testing, and post-delivery support. The vessel must be a proven design, built in accordance with high-quality marine construction practices, and designed for 30 years of service life.

Expected Timing

Construction must not commence until plan approval is granted by the Survey Authority. Sea trials, dock trials, and post-delivery commissioning are part of the acceptance process. Specific timelines will be finalised during contract negotiation.

Location of Delivery / Remote Services

Delivery is to be made afloat to the Inner Harbour at the Port of Townsville, Queensland. The Supplier is fully responsible for delivery and unloading. While some support and documentation may be handled remotely, physical construction and trials must allow for in-person inspections and commissioning at or near the construction site and Port of Townsville.
Background information / Compatibility requirements
Details
The Port of Townsville requires a new pilot vessel to support safe and reliable pilotage operations within its coastal jurisdiction. The vessel must be capable of transferring marine pilots to and from vessels under varying and challenging sea conditions, including swell heights up to 3 metres, sea states above 2 metres, and wind speeds up to 33 knots. It must also allow for quick and safe breakaway from larger ships.

The new vessel is intended to replace or complement existing pilot vessel operations and must therefore be compatible with the Port’s current pilotage procedures, maintenance capabilities, and operational infrastructure.
Questions asked by the buyer
Question 1
Refer to T00713 Request for Tender documentation
Supplier lists selected
Lists
  • Defence & Law Enforcement
  • Marine Transp. Products & Services
Categories selected
Categories
  • Defence & Law Enforcement Services & Equipment
    1: Defence Equipment
    2: Law Enforcement Equipment
  • Marine Transport & Products & Services
    1: Vessel Charter
    2: Vessels
Regions of Service
Locations
  • New South Wales
    1: Mid-North Coast
    2: South Eastern
    3: Sydney
  • Northern Territory
    1: Darwin
  • Queensland
    1: Brisbane
    2: Darling Downs
    3: Far North
    4: Fitzroy
    5: Gold Coast
    6: Northern
    7: Sunshine Coast
  • Tasmania
    1: Greater Hobart
    2: Northern
    3: Southern
  • Victoria
    1: Barwon
    2: Melbourne
  • Western Australia
    1: Lower Great Southern
    2: Perth
    3: South West

All Regions of Service locations are within Australia.
Information requested by others
11/Aug/2025 05:41 AM
Question:
Will a vessel of aluminum constructed be accepted?

Answered on 12/Aug/2025 08:49 AM:


Good Morning and thank you for your question. The Port of Townsville preference will be Fibreglass.

Thank you

Procurement Team
21/Aug/2025 05:41 PM
Question:
Annexure Part B of Section F (The Contract) provides for an Unconditional Undertaking. Item 12 of Annexure Part A to the Contract refers to this Supplier's Security. Can the Port of Townsville Limited confirm that it is proposing the supplier provide an Unconditional Undertaking equal to 100% of the cumulative payments made to the supplier at any given date?

Answered on 22/Aug/2025 02:36 PM:


The Port’s intention is that the Supplier’s Security take the form of an Unconditional Undertaking (bank guarantee) linked to the milestones set out in Annexure Part D. The requirement is for security to be provided as a percentage of the contract sum at each milestone, rather than necessarily equal to 100% of cumulative payments received. The exact percentage and application of the security will be confirmed during contract negotiations.
21/Aug/2025 06:08 PM
Question:
The Technical Specification does not contain any performance requirements for vessel speed and/or range (we note the requirement to operate for a minimum of six hours at 85% rated output). These are typically regarded as fundamental to measuring / assessing the suitability of a vessel for a task.

This makes it fundamentally impossible to propose "Two alternative engine configurations for the Purchaser to consider instead of the recommended configuration that achieves the required performance." as is required on page 34 of the Technical Specification.

The absence of performance specifications also means that, once in contract, there are no criteria for the Port of Townsville Limited to assess the performance of the vessel in Acceptance Tests (as referred to in page 7 of the Technical Specification). This exposes the Port of Townsville to contractual risk in that in will not have grounds to reject the vessel if it cannot perform at the speed, or over the distance, the pilot transfer operations require.

Can the Port of Townsville please confirm its performance requirements for the vessel including: minimum speed(s) and operating range(s) to be obtained at what percentage(s) of rated power and what vessel loading condition (i.e. fuel, fresh water and personnel loads)

Answered on 25/Aug/2025 08:47 AM:


Good Morning

please refer to the below specs:

? Service Cruise speed to be at 22knots (@70% MCR 2000RPM)

? Maximum Speed 27knots

? Minimum Speed 5-6 knots

? Range (Cruise Speed) 495 nautical Miles (21.5hours) (With Nil Reserve)

? Fuel Tanks (2 X 1500lt Diesel)

? Fresh Water Tank 120lts

? Capacity 2 Crew & 6 Pax

Thank you

Port of Townsville Limited
Updates made to this Request
Updates
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