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Finland-based Boomeranger Boats has announced it has been awarded a contract by Australia to supply the sea boats for the Royal Australian Navy’s Arafura Class offshore patrol vessels.
The contract will see Boomeranger deliver two davit-launched fast rescue boats and one ramp-launched special operations boat for the OPVs.
Both vessels are rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIB) with inboard engines, with the fast rescue boats measuring 8.5 metres long and the special operations boat measuring 10.5 meters.
The contract will see Boomeranger supply 41 RHIBs over a period of 10 years, with the first delivery of sea boats arriving for the first OPV in 2021.
"As the primary role of the OPV will be to undertake constabulary missions, maritime patrol and response duties, the sea boats are a significant weapon system for the capability," a release from Boomeranger said.
"Both of the sea boats models are existing designs from earlier projects delivered by Boomeranger. The 10.5-metre sea boat is an enhanced variant of the ramp-launched RHIB of the original Lürssen OPV delivered to the Royal Brunei Navy."
The OPV design will support specialist mission packages, such as a maritime tactical unmanned aerial system, and into the future, rapid environmental assessment and deployable mine countermeasure capabilities.
The lead vessel, HMAS Arafura, is planned to planned to enter service in 2021, and is being built in Australia by German shipbuilder Lürssen's subsidiary, Lürssen Australia, partnering with Australian shipbuilder Civmec in the joint venture Australian Maritime Shipbuilding and Export Group (AMSEG).
The 12 Australian vessels are based on the PV80 design, with the first two vessels to be built at ASC's Osborne shipyard in South Australia before production moves to Civmec's Henderson shipyard in Western Australia.
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