New Zealand releases Southern Ocean patrol ship RFI
17 May 2021
by Tim Fish
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has issued a request for information (RFI) for the design and build of a new Southern Ocean Patrol Vessel (SOPV).
New Zealand is looking to add a third OPV to its fleet. (RNZN)
In the RFI, released on 11 May, the NZDF stated that it is primarily looking for a commercial ship design, highlighting that the SOPV is a non-combat vessel and will be expected to undertake mainly non-military tasks. However, existing military patrol ship designs are not excluded.
According to New Zealand’s latest Defence Capability Plan 2019 (DCP2019), the budget for the ship will be in the region of NZD300–600 million (USD215–430 million). Cabinet approval for the initial business case for the SOPV was approved in August 2020.
The government cautions that the ship will traverse “one of the roughest seas in the world,” where waves regularly exceed 33 feet and some are more than 66 feet high.
SunLive - Navy and police train for diver search missions sunlive.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sunlive.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Times
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