The Class Certification Society DNV has granted ‘structural approval in principle’ for the Australian Maritime Alliance’s (AMA) ‘Oboe’ design for the Australian Army’s Land 8710 Phase 1A Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel – Medium (LMV-M) tender.
AMA is a joint venture company comprised of Serco Australia and Civmec to deliver the next-generation amphibious capabilities for the ADF.
According to AMA, the Oboe is an amphibious vessel capable of carrying a diverse range of combat and support vehicles in service with the Australian Army and allies. In addition to a 'significantly increasing' load carrying capacity over the LCM-8 vessels they will replace, the Oboe reportedly offers both an extended range, and generous accommodation facilities, to support long endurance independent operations.
The Oboe’s size, load carry capacity and structural integrity is designed to allow the ADF to confidently deploy and operate these vessels under all environmental conditions.
Civmec’s production facilities in Henderson, Western Australia offer significant shipbuilding capacity with their new ship assembly hall, making it one of the largest fabrication workshops in the country.
“This design represents the next-generation in amphibious capability for Army, and with a stellar line up of the best Australian Industry has to offer, AMA is set to deliver just that,” Serco Defence Managing Director Clint Thomas said.