At least two Royal Australian Navy Arafura-class offshore patrol vessels will be homeported at HMAS Cairns, according to a joint federal government announcement released on 29 September.
The first vessel, HMAS Arafura, is scheduled to arrive as its home port in early 2027. The patrol vessels are designed for maritime patrol, surveillance and response tasks, including work with Australian Border Force and regional partners.
The decision follows a $250 million upgrade at HMAS Cairns that expanded berthing capacity and supporting wharf and landside facilities. The government said more than 770 people worked on that project and $67.7 million in contracts went to businesses within 125 kilometres of Cairns.
Officials said basing the vessels in Cairns should strengthen northern maritime capability and create further opportunities for the region's established marine maintenance and sustainment industry.
Source: Australian Government — Defence Ministers.
Image disclosure: The featured image is an AI-generated editorial illustration and is not a photograph of the announced vessels or event.
