Austal has delivered the RNOV Al Naasir (S12) High Speed Support Vessel (HSSV) to the Royal Navy of Oman, the company announced on 8 September.
The HSSV is the second of two all-aluminium, 72-metre vessels delivered to the navy under a USD$124.9 million design, construct and integrated logistics support contract. The first HSSV, RNOV Al Mubshir (S11), was delivered in May. The RNOV Al Mubshir is already in service, operating in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea.
The company started constructing the HSSVs in August 2014 at its Henderson, Western Australia shipyard. The HSSVs have a 900sqm vehicle deck, top speed of 38kts and seating capacity for 260 embarked troops.
The vessels can be used to support naval operations, including humanitarian, search and rescue, disaster relief operations, providing rapid deployment of military personnel and cargo, and helicopter operations.