After HMAS Toowoomba's recent regional presence deployment, navigator Lieutenant Harrison Rees said the North West Shelf Project was a welcome sight for a crew keen to come home.
"Coming off a few days of blue ocean and all of a sudden these quite significant structures rise out of the ocean, it's very impressive," Lieutenant Rees said.
The largest engineering project in the world when it was first developed 40 years ago, the North West Shelf Project remains the largest resource development project in Australia's history, and is a strategic national petroleum and gas reserve.
Lieutenant Rees said this area, just off the north Western Australia coast, remains a key patrol area for the Royal Australian Navy.
"Part of our purpose is the protection of Australia and its interests, especially the northern approaches. This includes ensuring that critical infrastructure remains safeguarded," Lieutenant Rees said.
He said the North West Shelf patrols not only ensure Australia's resource security, but also provide reassurance to those isolated on the platforms.
"We contact the oil and gas platforms in the area, we ask a series of questions and see if they have anything significant to report. It's also great for them to have a conversation and know their Defence Force is doing something for them," Lieutenant Rees said.
'Coming off a few days of blue ocean and all of a sudden these quite significant structures rise out of the ocean, it's very impressive.'
Commanding Officer Toowoomba Commander Alicia Harrison described the strategic imperative of not just the Royal Australian Navy's near continuous presence in the Indo-Pacific region, but protecting its own shores closer to home.
"Australia is a maritime nation that owes its economic prosperity to the sea," Commander Harrison said.
"Not only are we the custodians of the planet's third largest exclusive economic zone, but more than 99 per cent of our international trade is carried by sea, with the majority of our top trading partners being within the Indo-Pacific region."
Commander Harrison said every facet of Australia's economy was reliant on maritime security.
More than 80 per cent of the nation's fuel supply is imported, and Australia's connectivity to the international financial system is enabled by seabed cables, not satellites.
"Access to the sea can never be taken for granted. This is why we need a strong and capable sovereign maritime capability and Toowoomba has been proud to be deployed demonstrating Australia's commitment to a safe and secure Indo-Pacific region," Commander Harrison said.
Navy will continue its Indo-Pacific regional presence deployments in 2026 throughout South-East Asia, North-East Asia and the North-East Indian Ocean.
