Construction company Webuild's Australian subsidiary Clough and joint venture (JV) partner BMD have secured a contract for the Darwin Shiplift Facility.

The contract is valued at A$420m ($269m) and Australia's Northern Territory Government has commissioned the project.

Following this project, Webuild has further bolstered its footprint in the country.

This project will improve Darwin's status as a maritime maintenance and servicing centre in the Northern Territory.

The facility will include wet berths and a solid stand area for ship repair and maintenance. In addition, it will also service the Department of Defence and commercial and private vessels from the fishing, gas, oil and marine industries.

Clough and BMD both have a 50% stake in the JV.

The Darwin Shiplift Facility is said to be the largest in the territory. It is expected to be 26m wide x 103m long and will be able to lift vessels weighing up to 5,500t, comprising the Australian Defence Force's new fleet of offshore patrol vessels.

The project is scheduled to finish in July 2025.

The facility will be located in the East Arm area between the maritime Supply Base at the Port of Darwin and the multi-user barge ramp site at the Marine Industry Park.

It will strengthen Darwin's maritime repair and service activities while also providing advantages to local companies.

Darwin is northern Australia's sole operational deepwater port. Large boats need to travel for ten days or more to be serviced elsewhere if the ship lift facility still needs to be constructed.