Construction has officially started on OPV 6.
The first piece of steel has been cut in Henderson, WA, for what will be known as HMAS Carpentaria. Luerssen Australia now has six vessels under construction in South Australia and Western Australia.
Overall, Luerssen Australia will deliver 12 OPVs to the Royal Australian Navy.
Luerssen Australia Chief Executive Officer, Jens Nielsen, said this represented another significant achievement in the program.
“The commencement of construction on OPV 6, is another pivotal point in the Arafura Class OPV Program," Nielsen said. “It is a testament to the efforts of everyone involved in the Program that construction is underway on vessel number six, as we continue to work on five other vessels across two sites in Osborne and Henderson.
“We are extremely proud of the progress we have made on the program, and there is no doubt the strength of our sovereign supply chain has been critical in helping us achieve this milestone.”
Crew training for the OPVs began in late July. The training will be delivered at the OPV Training Centre at HMAS Stirling on Garden Island and it is expected to take approximately six months for each crew.
All crew posted to an OPV will undertake the familiarisation course, as well as a variety of operator and maintainer courses depending on their role.