Australia acquires Norwegian-built ‘undersea support vessel’
ADV Guidance will be the new name for CSV Normand Jarl once it enters Royal Australian Navy service. (Photo: Solstad)
Australia has adopted its second offshore support vessel, this time for testing crewed and autonomous underwater systems.
Australia has procured a dedicated ‘Undersea Support Vessel’, its purpose being to conduct trials and activities to leverage new technologies in the undersea domain, the Department of Defence announced on 8 April.
The 7,403t vessel is the former Norwegian-flagged construction support vessel CSV Normand Jarl, and it was procured for A$110 million ($73.2 million). Solstad Offshore, a Norwegian company, announced the sale on 12 December 2022.
Since arriving in January, the 107m-long ship has been in Singapore undergoing inspection and certification activities at the hands of Teekay Shipping Australia.
Upon completion, it will sail to Australia later this year, likely in
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