Keel laid for first Arafura-class OPV
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has laid the keel for its first Arafura-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV), the Arafura, at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in Adelaide, the Australian Department of Defence announced on 10 May.
The project will see the delivery of 12 OPVs to the RAN to replace its Armidale-class patrol boats. The build is being carried out by prime contractor Luerssen Australia along with shipbuilding subcontractor ASC.
The first ship will be launched in 2021, with the second ship to follow in 2022. Construction of the third vessel will commence in 2020 at the Henderson Maritime Precinct in Western Australia, where the remaining ten vessels will be constructed.
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