Spanish shipbuilder Navantia has started the construction of the second auxiliary oiler replenishment (AOR) vessel for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
First steel cut ceremony was held at the company’s Fene facility in northwestern Spain on 4 April.
The AOR ships are built under a contract signed with the Australian government in May 2016. The ships are based on the Spanish Navy’s auxiliary-oiler replenishment ship ESPS Cantabria and will be delivered at a cost of $640 million.
The Minister for Defence, Senator Hon Marise Payne, announced on 17 November 2017 the names of the Royal Australian Navy’s future support ships – Supply and Stalwart.
The contract to build these vessels was awarded in 2016 with the first ship to be delivered in 2019 and the second in 2020.
Navantia Australia will be responsible for the sustainment of both ships for their first five years of operation.
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Sources:
http://www.janes.com
https://navaltoday.com
https://defpost.com
https://navantia.com.au