Australian Maritime College associate professor Michael Woodward said attending the Euronaval expo was a great opportunity for AMC to showcase its competencies and to innovate new directions.

“It has enabled AMC to build on our trusted relationships that are so vital when working in the defence sector,” he said.

“We have established the building blocks to form a maritime defence network that has the very real potential to benefit significantly the national effort in naval shipbuilding.”

Professor Woodward said some highly significant opportunities arose from AMC attending the expo.

Direct Edge Manufacturing chief executive Diane Edgerton said being part of delegation was an opportunity to build contacts for the future and gain a better understanding about their market.

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“Sometimes the opportunity arises by being in the right place at the right time and if relationships are not built now you have little to no hope of being in defence,” she said.

“Being [there] helps you understand what the market wants and how they operate so you can plan for the future.”

CBG Systems managing director Javier Herbon said these trade missions were invaluable for Tasmanian businesses to promote their state-of-the-art capability.

“Being part of the Tasmanian delegation is an unparalleled opportunity at times of high levels of investment in this sector,” he said.