Autonomy advances as Henderson precinct scales up

AUSTRALIA’S maritime sector is entering a period of simultaneous infrastructure and technological transformation, with the expansion of the Henderson Defence Precinct occurring alongside rapid advances in autonomous vessel operations such as EGS Australia’s newly christened Fremantle 02.

The federal government’s redevelopment of the Henderson maritime precinct, a multi‑billion‑dollar program to create one of the Southern Hemisphere’s most significant naval shipbuilding and sustainment hubs, is progressing through concept design, environmental studies and early works.

The precinct will support continuous naval shipbuilding, surface‑fleet sustainment and depot‑level maintenance for Australia’s future conventionally armed nuclear‑powered submarines.

The expansion is expected to generate thousands of long‑term jobs and reshape Western Australia’s defence‑industry footprint, with major contractors already engaged in master planning and marine studies across Cockburn Sound. The City of Cockburn has positioned the precinct as a generational economic catalyst for the region.

While Henderson prepares for large‑scale infrastructure growth, industry operators are demonstrating how capability can also expand through technology. In Fremantle this week, EGS Australia christened Fremantle 02, its second optionally crewed surface vessel equipped with Greenroom Robotics’ GAMA maritime autonomy system.

The vessel will deploy to the Kimberley under the Royal Australian Navy’s HydroScheme Industry Partnership Program (HIPP), building on the performance of Fremantle 01, which delivered a 94% reduction in diesel use, operating costs up to 75% lower than traditional crewed survey operations, and approximately 135 tonnes of avoided carbon emissions during a 42‑day offshore mission.

EGS Australia chief surveyor Charles Collins said Fremantle 02 marked the next stage in scaling autonomous hydrographic capability.

“The operation of Fremantle 01, equipped with Greenroom’s GAMA autonomy, has proven the effectiveness, commercial viability and environmental benefits of uncrewed surface vessels,” Mr Collins said. “Fremantle 02 builds on those results and marks the beginning of an optionally crewed fleet that will enable us to deliver high‑quality survey services more efficiently and with a substantially reduced environmental footprint.”

The compact design of the vessels allows them to be transported by road, reducing transit time from Fremantle to the Kimberley from seven days by sea to around two days by truck — saving an estimated 2000 litres of fuel before operations begin. Operating Fremantle 01 and Fremantle 02 together creates a force‑multiplier effect, enabling missions to be completed in roughly half the time without increasing crew at sea.

Greenroom Robotics co‑founder and COO Harry Hubbert said the fleet model demonstrated how Australian‑developed autonomy could scale across commercial and defence operations.

“The maritime industry, across both commercial and Defence sectors, is under real pressure to find people willing to spend weeks at sea,” Mr Hubbert said. “Autonomy is not about removing people from the equation but giving operators greater choice over when a vessel needs to be crewed.”

The rise of optionally crewed and autonomous vessels comes as Australia prepares its ports, workforce and regulatory systems for broader maritime transformation. The Henderson expansion will deliver the infrastructure backbone for future naval capability, while companies such as EGS and Greenroom are showing how operational capacity can grow through technology, efficiency and lower‑impact survey methods.