The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) is looking to bring its offshore patrol vessel (OPV) HMNZS Otago back into active service next year with the help of Babcock.
HMNZS Otago is one of two Protector-class OPVs in the RNZN alongside her sister ship HMNZS Wellington. The 85-metre 1,900-tonne warships are capable of 22 knots and were designed for maritime surveillance, supply, support and border and fishery patrol missions around New Zealand and in the wider south-west Pacific.
They are armed with a 25mm Rafael Typhoon naval gun and usually have an embarked Kaman Super Seasprite SH-2G helicopter on the flight deck.
Originally commissioned in 2010, HMNZS Otago had been semi-retired into a care and custody arrangement in Devonport Naval Base, Auckland, in 2022.
Then in late 2024 the Navy asked Babcock to assess what would be required to reactivate the ship for operational service following the sinking of the HMNZS Manawanui, which ran aground and sank off Samoa in October that year.
As per a recent Babcock press statement, reactivation work on HMNZS Otago has already begun, with the firm commencing a new maintenance programme on the warship over the past few weeks.
It commented: “A team of experts from the UK, Australia and NZ delivered a rapid assessment and development plan to pave the way to take the ship from extended readiness to operational service.”
It added: “The work includes significant engineering to a wide range of systems and equipment, including replacing obsolete systems, overhauling the engines and generators, replacing navigation systems and upgrading sensors and control systems.”
The firm says work is on track to deliver the warship back into a state of operational readiness for the RNZN in 2026.
- You can read more details on the Babcock Australia website