Page 28 - Australian Defence Magazine April 2019
P. 28
MARITIME
ARAFURA
Arafura
GERMAN shipbuilder Luerssen was named in November 2017 as the preferred tenderer under Project Sea 1180 Phase 1 to replace the RAN’s 13 hard-working Armi- dale-class patrol boats at a cost of up to $4 billion. A contract was signed on 31 January 2018 with the company’s new Australian subsidiary.
ahead of schedule
ASC OPV Shipbuilding (ASCOPV), a subsidiary of ASC Pty Ltd under contract to Luerssen Australia, is undertaking con- struction of the first two OPVs at the Os- borne naval shipyard near Adelaide. ASC Shipbuilding, now owned by BAE Systems, is supplying the workforce to ASCOPV as part of a plan to provide workforce continu- ity between air warfare destroyer, OPV and Hunter-class frigate construction.
The OPV program then transfers to the Henderson Maritime Precinct in WA where Luerssen has subcontracted con- struction and heavy engineering company Civmec to build the other 10 OPVs.
JULIAN KERR | SYDNEY
Construction of the first of 12 Arafura-class Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) for the RAN is proceeding slightly ahead of schedule, with detailed planning expected to obviate any risks involved in the build program being split between SA and WA.
28 | April 2019 | www.australiandefence.com.au
