Well actually a very large gantry crane plus the largest mobile crane in the southern hemisphere (so massive that very large steel plates need to be laid ahead of it as it moves so as not to damage the hard stand). The only bottle neck is the ship lift and that was designed to be upgraded to lift LHD and AOR sized shops.
Probably all true, but.....
Defence Ministers » Minister for Defence – FIVEaa Radio Adelaide radio interview with Leon Byner
Above is a link to a transcript of an interview that the Def Min did on Adelaide radio last week.
The relevant paragraphs in relation to 'why' the AOR's are being build O/S are:
MINISTER PAYNE:
So Leon, I think if the people who are our political opponents are not prepared to deal in facts and tell the truth, then that certainly doesn’t help. But can I just explain one more thing about where we are in infrastructure at the Adelaide shipyards. So, we have the Air Warfare Destroyers underway being built there now. To actually have built these ships there at the same time we would have had to extend the shiplift itself. So that is a massive undertaking with potentially a very significant impact on the Port river.
We would also need to install new cranes which were capable of lifting the large blocks that are required for the supply ships and build a new wharf to accommodate the build. None of that can actually happen before the third Air Warfare Destroyer is completed and has undergone its testing. So those infrastructure upgrades couldn’t have been started before 2020.
Now, what we have tried to do is meet the capability needs of the Navy, and these supply ships are a priority. That we are continuing and finalising the build of the Air Warfare Destroyers in Adelaide in front of our eyes right now, and commissioning 12 Future Frigates with the cutting of steel in 2020 in Adelaide.
All sounds pretty reasonable to me, the RAN needs the two new AOR's asap, the infrastructure work the Def Min talked about (eg, to be able to build the two AOR's), couldn't be 'started' until 2020.
Which takes me back to previous comments that I've made, if the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd Governments had actually spent some of those GFC dollars back at the 'beginning' of the AWD build program, and had them completed 'before' the first AWD was launched, then maybe Techport would have been in a position to be able to build them.
If you believe what the current Def Min is saying (and I have no reason to believe that she is lying), then it's pretty clear that the timing of an infrastructure upgrade to Techport to be able to build the AOR's vs requirements of the RAN were never going to align.
NOTE:
You might notice in this extract she said '12 Future Frigates', if you read the whole transcript, she does correct herself and say nine.