Saipem’s Seamac pipelay barge, along with supply vessels, will undergo some refitting work at the state of the art AMC facility before heading around the Great Australian Bight to work on BHPB’s Minerva field in Victoria.

Local businesses are waiting on the successful bidders to be announced for the refit work, which is understood to include some spool work and double jointing.

The community is hoping Apache Energy’s Linda structure will also be loaded out from the AMC yard, with Apache understood to be negotiating to share a heavy lift vessel currently in use in the north west of the state.

If successful in snaring the vessel, the Linda topsides and jacket, which are being constructed by the Ausclad Group in Kwinana, will be shipped to the Carnarvon Basin saving Apache significant amounts compared to freighting the kit by road.

Two of the businesses that have recently moved into the area - a reassuring sign - are Flowtech Engineering and the Westside Group.

Frank Mastaglia is no stranger to Henderson, having built up the Westralian Engineering Group there in the last decade.

He relocated his new firm, Flowtech, back to Henderson and its marine industry as it outgrew its Canning Vale base, and is constructing a new 2000 square metre workshop in Possner Way.

Charlie Burkhardt's Westside Group has always been rooted in Perth's eastern industrial zones but with the development of the AMC yard and Common Use Facility in Quill Rd, Burkhardt plans to set up a permanent base if some of the work he's bidding falls his way.

Long time local firm Ausclad has gone from strength to strength in recent years, filling the fabrication void left by BOS which was the pre-eminent workshop in the area in the 1990s.

Moving into, and upgrading, the former John Holland workshops has given the group a firm base from which to successfully pitch it wide variety of services.

Ausclad has won the lion’s share of the fabrication for Apache’s recent Victoria and Gibson field developments, along with significant contract wins on the North West Shelf Train 4 expansion.

Next week, Landcorp and the people behind the AMC will be able to point to the waterfront activity with a sense of satisfaction. It is only a small start but an important step.