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New Zealand seeks OPV for cold southern waters

13th May 2021 - 03:43 GMT | by Gordon Arthur in Christchurch

RSS

The Royal New Zealand Navy currently has two regular OPVs in service (as pictured here), but the third will be ice-strengthened. (Gordon Arthur)

The Royal New Zealand Navy operates all the way down to Antarctica, so it needs a new OPV up to the task of operating in extreme southern conditions.

With an RfI issued on 11 May, the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) has formally launched its hunt for a new ice-strengthened offshore patrol vessel (OPV) suitable for operations deep in the Southern Ocean.

The navy wants a vendor capable of designing and building its Southern Ocean Patrol Vessel (SOPV). An ability to traverse ice is clearly an important consideration, with a mandated minimum standard of Polar Class 5, and an ice-breaking performance through 1m of medium first-year sea ice with 300mm of snow cover at a 3kt forward speed.

While the navy has in mind a commercial design, this does

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