CASE STUDY: HMNZS WELLINGTON AND HMNZS OTAGO

THE NEED

As part of Project Protector, the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) issued a RFP to acquire one multi-role vessel, two offshore and four inshore patrol vessels. The OPVs would carry out resource protection functions in the EEZ, South Pacific and Southern Ocean, allowing the two Anzac-class frigates currently used to complete other more critical and relevant missions.

Vard Marine won the contract to design the 85 metre OPVs by TENIX Corporation of Australia in 2004 and based the design on earlier Irish Naval Service and the Mauritian Coast Guard OPVs but with user specific upgrades and modifications.

THE CHALLENGES

These vessels would need to be capable of operating in some of the worst sea states found year-round in the Southern Ocean. Strong winds, very large waves, freezing temperatures, likelihood of sea ice, and unpredictability is the reality of the environment in those waters.?Furthermore, the extensive area patrolled by these vessels also meant that they had to operate in both the extreme heat and humidity of the South Pacific but also extreme cold of the Antarctic where the vessel acted as a re-supply ship for the country’s Scott Base.

VARD MARINE’S SOLUTION

After analyzing the environment in which the vessels would operate and the mission requirements of the RNZN, we elected to design the vessel with a full height forecastle to withstand the extreme wave environment of the Southern Ocean. The hull form was derived from the Irish Naval Services vessels built in Appledore and was lengthened to suit the RNZN project requirements. Key changes included the addition of a helicopter flight deck and maintenance facility, and the hulls strengthened to Lloyd’s ice class 1C along with ice strengthening of other components of the vessel.

THE RESULTS

HMNZS Wellington and Otago were both commissioned by the RNZN in 2010 and have been an extremely successful asset for the RNZN and continue to be a workhorse for the Navy.

HMNZS Wellington weathers a storm during its first voyage in the Southern Ocean in transit to the Antarctic base