Colour photo of a grey ship at sea
HMNZS Aotearoa in 2022
History
New Zealand
NameAotearoa
NamesakeMāori for New Zealand
Ordered2016
BuilderHyundai Heavy Industries
CostNZ$493 million 2016 [3]
Laid down13 August 2018
Launched24 April 2019
Sponsored byPatsy Reddy
Christened25 October 2019[2]
Commissioned29 July 2020[1]
HomeportNew Plymouth
Identification
StatusIn Service
General characteristics
TypeAuxiliary ship
Displacement26,000 t (26,000 long tons)
Length173.2 m (568 ft 3 in)
Beam24.5 m (80 ft 5 in)
Draft8.5 m (27 ft 11 in)
PropulsionCODLAD; 2 x Bergen main engines and 4 x MTU generators
Speed20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)[5]
Range6,400 nmi (11,900 km; 7,400 mi)
Capacity
  • 8,000 t diesel
  • 1,500 t aviation fuel
  • Stowage for up to 22 ft × 20 ft (6.7 m × 6.1 m)[4] containers
Complement
  • 98 total
  • 64 core crew
  • 11 flight
  • 14 trainees
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Farsounder-1000 sonar
  • Sharpeye S and X band navigation radars
Armament
Aircraft carried1 x helicopter SH-2G, NH90, or A109LUH
Aviation facilitiesHangar

HMNZS Aotearoa (Māori: [aɔˈtɛaɾɔa]),[a] formerly the Maritime Sustainment Capability project, is an auxiliary ship of the Royal New Zealand Navy. Builder Hyundai Heavy Industries delivered the ship to the Navy in June 2020,[6] and she was commissioned into service on 29 July 2020. Full operational capability was expected to be achieved in 2021.[7] The vessel will serve as a replenishment oiler, and has replaced HMNZS Endeavour, the Navy’s last fleet oiler, which was decommissioned in December 2017.

Aotearoa is the largest ship the Royal New Zealand Navy has operated.[8]

Name

HMNZS Aotearoa bears the Māori name for New Zealand. Aotearoa is commonly translated "the land of the long white cloud".[9] The ship has been assigned the pennant number A11.[4]

Design and description

The ship is ice-strengthened[10] and winterised to facilitate operations in Antarctica's extreme weather conditions.[11]

Aotearoa's wave-piercing bow

In addition to the wave-piercing hull design, this was Rolls-Royce's first naval hybrid electrical system. Rolls-Royce designed a hybrid[clarification needed]-electric propulsion system solution that provides the ship with an optimised and flexible power plant with several fuel-saving operating modes. The ability to propel the ship using the electrical power through the MTU diesel generators whilst also providing electrical power for the ship’s hotel services and mission systems means that the vessel's fuel consumption is significantly reduced and emissions are minimised. The Rolls-Royce Power & Propulsion System arrangement consists of two Bergen[clarification needed] main propulsion engines and four MTU4000 diesel generator sets. Aotearoa is a Polar-class Logistics Support ship designed and built with specialised winterisation capabilities for her operations in Antarctica. The electrical sub-systems were designed to support the high power generation capacity required for an ice-class ship.[12]

Aotearoa is intended to support other navy warships by enabling re-fueling (diesel) and re-supplying (food and ammunition) during operations. The 26,000-tonne (26,000-long-ton) ship will provide marine diesel oil and aviation fuel. It stores food and ammunition in 20-foot (6.1 m) containers.[13] Aotearoa has a Kelvin Hughes Integrated Naval Bridge System and is equipped with Farsounder-1000 sonar.[14] For navigation radar sensors it uses SharpEye S and X-Band with an S-Band SharpEye sensor optimised for helicopter approach and control.[15] It is armed with a Phalanx CIWS and two Mini Typhoon mounts and has a flight deck and hangar for helicopter operations.[citation needed]

Construction

The contract was awarded to Hyundai Heavy Industries using a Rolls-Royce Environship concept design, beating competition from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering offering a variant of the BMT designed Royal Fleet Auxiliary Tide-class tanker.[16] The ship was laid down on 13 August 2018.[17] It was launched in April 2019, began builder's sea trials in December of that year and was formally delivered in June 2020.[18][6] It was originally intended to be delivered in January 2020, but its departure from the shipyard in South Korea was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]

Operational history

Aotearoa refuelling USS Howard during 2021

Aotearoa conducted her first 'replenishment at sea' (RAS) trials on 3 March 2021 with HMAS Hobart and HMAS Parramatta as part of her sea trials and bring the vessel up to operational standard off Australia’s east coast.[19] Aotearoa and HMNZS Te Kaha participated in an international defence exercise in South East Asia in 2021 and also interacted with the United Kingdom’s Carrier Strike Group (CSG) as it conducted engagement activities in the Indo-Pacific region.[20]

In response to the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai eruption and tsunami, Aotearoa and HMNZS Wellington were deployed to provide water supplies, survey teams, and helicopter support.[21] In early 2022 Aotearoa made a successful resupply mission to McMurdo and Scott base Antarctica.[22] On 15 June Aotearoa set sail for RIMPAC 2022, where the vessel took part in the month-long exercise. Aotearoa remained in the Asia-Pacific region for nearly six months for various engagements that were not specified.[23]

External videos
video icon HMNZS Aotearoa Replenishment Trials
video icon Take a Tour: HMNZS Aotearoa
video icon HMNZS Aotearoa first Replenishment At Sea

Notes

  1. ^ HMNZS is a ship prefix meaning His Majesty's New Zealand Ship.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to HMNZS Aotearoa (A11).
  1. ^ a b Block, George (29 July 2020). "HMNZS Aotearoa: Largest ever Navy ship commissioned in emotional ceremony". Stuff News. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  2. ^ "NZ Navy's Aotearoa is christened in Korea". Radio New Zealand. 26 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  3. ^ Trevett, Claire (18 July 2016). "New Defence Force Navy tanker to cost $493 million". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  4. ^ a b "HMNZS Aotearoa - A11". Royal New Zealand Navy. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  5. ^ HMNZS Aotearoa - A11, Royal New Zealand Navy
  6. ^ a b "HHI delivers RNZN HMNZS Aotearoa logistics support vessel". naval-technology.com. 12 June 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Feature: Behind the Scenes of Aotearoa". Medium (Blog post). New Zealand Defence Force. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  8. ^ "'Aotearoa' The Name Chosen for Navy's Largest Ship" (Press release). Royal New Zealand Navy. 10 April 2017. Archived from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  9. ^ "Swirling cloud captured above New Zealand - 'The Land of the Long White Cloud'". Telegraph.co.uk. 22 January 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  10. ^ Gain, Nathan (29 July 2020). "Royal New Zealand Navy commissions HMNZS Aotearoa Polar-class support vessel". Naval News. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  11. ^ "HMNZS Aotearoa Logistics Support Vessel". Naval Technology. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  12. ^ "HMNZS AOTEAROA Supplying and Integrating the Hybrid Electric Power & Propulsion System for New Zealand's Largest Vessel". Rolls-Royce website.
  13. ^ "HMNZS Aotearoa - Badge Competition". HMNZS Aotearoa - Badge Competition. Archived from the original on 18 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  14. ^ "FarSounder Sonar for Royal New Zealand Navy Future HMNZS Aotearoa Tanker". Navy Recognition. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  15. ^ "New Zealand Navy's largest ship to feature Kelvin Hughes navigation systems". Navy Recognition. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  16. ^ Underhill, Jonathon (18 July 2016). "Hyundai Heavy beats out Daewoo Shipbuilding to win $493m contract for ice-capable NZ tanker". The National Business Review. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  17. ^ "'Birth Day' of New Zealand's Largest-Ever Navy Ship". Scoop Politics. NZDF press release. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  18. ^ Vavasseur, Xavier (13 December 2019). "HHI Starts Builder Trials Of Royal New Zealand Navy New Auxiliary Ship". navalnews.com. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  19. ^ "HMNZS Aotearoa first RAS". 3 March 2021.
  20. ^ "NZDF exercises with international counterparts in South East Asia". 9 September 2021.
  21. ^ "Tonga tsunami: Before and after eruption". BBC News. 18 January 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  22. ^ "Successful resupply mission to Antarctica proves capability of NZ Navy ship". 16 February 2022.
  23. ^ "Navy's largest ship heads to major US-led RIMPAC military exercise, will spend months abroad". 15 June 2022.
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