Keel laying held for Australia’s first Arafura-class OPV

Keel laying of the first Arafura-class OPV. Photo c/o Linda Reynolds @ Twitter.


The first ship of the Arafura-class ordered by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) had its keel laying ceremonies on 10 May 2019 at Osbourne Naval Shipyard in Adelaide.

The RAN’s chief, Vice Adm. Michael Noonan led the ceremonies including the positioning of a coin to commemorate the laying of the keel of the first vessel to be named Arafura, after the Arafura Sea between Australia and Indonesia.

The ship is part of the RAN’s program to build 12 new Offshore Patrol Vessels under the SEA1180 program, to replace the Armidale-class patrol boats. 

German shipbuilder Lurssen was selected as the prime contractor of the project, using their OPV 80 design that is already in service with the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN). Lurssen’s subcontractor is ASC.

The shipbuilders started construction of the future HMAS Arafura on 15 November 2018, and is expected to launch the ship 2021. A second ship is also scheduled to be launched by 2022.



[1] Australia Department of Defence
[2] Australia Defence Magazine
[3] Jane’s Navy International

Keel laying held for Australia’s first Arafura-class OPV Keel laying held for Australia’s first Arafura-class OPV Reviewed by Asia Pacific Defense Journal on May 13, 2019 Rating: 5

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