The Ministry of Defence is testing the waters with the military maritime industry over a new ship to patrol the vast icy expanse between New Zealand and Antarctica.

The project is in its early stages, but planning documents indicate the ice-strengthened ship would cost between $300m and $600m.

On May 11, both the ministry and the Defence Force released a Request for Information (RFI) for the design and build of a Southern Ocean Patrol Vessel.

An overview of the RFI obtained by Stuff says it is a market research tool and does not signal the start of a procurement process.

It says the Defence Force wants information on the design and build of an ice-strengthened offshore patrol vessel.

The ship will “enhance the ability of the New Zealand Government to maintain a presence, undertake enforcement activities and support science outputs, in the environmentally demanding conditions of the Southern Ocean and Ross Sea”, according to background information in the RFI document.

“Built to commercial standards, the vessel will significantly increase the level of capability and safety for operations in the Southern Ocean.”

“The new vessel will be able to conduct patrols across a wider range of ice, sea state and temperature conditions than is possible with the present naval patrol fleet, noting it will be traversing one of the roughest seas in the world, and must be able to operate safely in Ross Sea ice conditions.”

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The ship will be required to undertake a range of military tasks, including maritime patrol, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, maritime interdiction operations, and supporting military training activities, the document says.

It will also be tasked with non-military activities such as “defence diplomacy” by monitoring compliance with the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, along with supporting scientific research programmes and undertaking search and rescue operations.

Investment in the Southern Ocean Patrol Vessel was previously signalled in the 2019 Defence Capability Plan, which said it would be acquired in the mid-2020s.

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The new vessel would give the existing Protector-class offshore patrol vessels, HMNZS Wellington and Otago, greater capacity to respond in the Pacific, the plan said.

It says the cost of the vessel would be from $300m to $600m and would be introduced into service by 2027.

Ministry of Defence capability delivery deputy secretary Mike Yardley said the Navy’s existing patrol capabilities were unable to meet the changing requirements of New Zealand’s maritime domain.

“A request for information from industry is to provide information to inform a business case, and is standard when capability projects are at this early stage," he said.

“No decisions have been made by the Government about procuring a vessel of this type.”