Lamarre will return to the US for “family reasons”, ASC chairman Bruce Carter said in a statement.
The ASC’s general manager shipbuilding, Jim Cuthill, has been appointed acting CEO.
Cuthill has 22 years’ experience in naval and commercial shipbuilding. He joined ASC in 2009 and has overseen the company’s work on the Air Warfare Destroyer program.
ASC has secured the shipbuilding role for the first phase of the Offshore Patrol Vessels, from 2018 to 2020.
Lamarre said he believed ASC Shipbuilding was positioned to “further secure its position as the nation’s proven builder of major and complex naval warships”.
However, the winner of the Future Frigate contract is yet to be announced, with European companies BAE, Navantia and Fincantieri competing for the project.
ASC believes it is also “well-placed” to become the shipbuilder for the $35 billion Future Frigate program from 2020.
While the Federal Government admits there is no requirement for the winning bidder to employ local workers at the Osborne shipyard, it has said it would be “illogical” for the company to bring in workers from elsewhere.
