It’s no longer just about a “third OPV”. The Defence Capability Plan 2019 has set in motion the journey towards a dedicated Southern Ocean Patrol Vessel (SOPV), built to commercial specifications and designed for longer deployments in an ocean we’re still learning about. Crossing the 60-degree South parallel each year has been a dedicated routine for the hard-working Offshore Patrol Vessels HMNZ Ships WELLINGTON and OTAGO.
The Government has now signalled the requirement for a dedicated Southern Ocean Patrol vessel, freeing up OTAGO and WELLINGTON to operate with greater frequency north of New Zealand. An early precursor of the Navy’s intent to operate further and wider was signalled with the decommissioning of two out of four Inshore Patrol Vessels in October (Navy Today #238).
The SOPV Integrated Project Team, that recently presented at the PACIFIC 2019 Maritime Exposition in Sydney, is to deliver a ship by the late 2020s that enables whole-of government efforts to monitor and respond to activity in the Southern Ocean and Ross Sea.
Firstly, the vessel has to be “icecapable”, compliant with the 2017 Polar Code, and designed for the formidable sea conditions and environment of the Southern Ocean. The waters around Antarctica are actually cooling as a result of glacier melt and ice concentrations, meaning the extent of ice is increasing year on year.
Robert Galvin, Project Lead, says the transit to 60 degrees South and beyond includes sea conditions not found anywhere else in the world. “Wave buoys within the sea ice of the Ross Sea have dispelled the myth that the Ross Sea ice significantly dampens waves, as it does in the Arctic.
“Human factors need to be considered, such as the extreme cold and 24-hour daylight, all of which makes operations significantly more difficult and dangerous.”
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The vessel, operating some 2,000 nautical miles from New Zealand, would need an endurance of 35 days or more, with 25 days ‘on station’ and five-day transits either side. In the past, Offshore Patrol Vessels would operate for around half that period.
Three years of wave buoy data shows the Southern Ocean has a peak significant wave height greater than the North Atlantic. On average, the Ross Sea is at sea state 5, but has periods where waves are greater than 10 metres.
What the project team has weighed up is this: if we create the ideal Southern Ocean ship, capable of operating in these conditions, we effectively have more than just a Navy vessel undertaking fisheries patrols. Why can’t the ship also provide support to science and research?
This would mean the Southern Ocean Patrol Vessel could undertake the traditional fisheries monitoring in the Ross Sea, but could also be tasked for resupply, scientific and logistics support to the sub-Antarctic Islands and support of scientific research in the wider Southern Ocean.
As this article goes to print the project is in the process of finalising user requirements for the capability. Work has commenced on drafting the Business Case that will need to consider alternative delivery models, including the purchase and conversion of a suitable second-hand vessel or leveraging a partner-build programme. The current project timeline anticipates delivery of the Southern Ocean Patrol Vessel in 2027.
Navy Today
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