New Zealand government approves bids for new navy support ship

The New Zealand military is to open tenders next month on the construction of a new navy support ship, Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee said Wednesday.

The littoral operations support vessel would provide a platform for hydrography, deep diving and mine countermeasures activities.

"The ship will offer new capabilities that will support NZDF (New Zealand Defence Force) sea-to-shore operations in low to medium threat environments," Brownlee said in a statement.

"It will be used, for example, to identify safe approaches and landing zones when harbour channels or ports are unavailable after natural disasters," he said.

"It will have particular utility in the Pacific, assisting with humanitarian and disaster relief operations."

It would also enhance the NZDF's ability to support search and rescue, salvage, and hazard clearance activities around New Zealand and in the South Pacific.

The new vessel would replace two navy ships: the 40-year-old diving ship HMNZS Manawanui, which is due to retire in 2018, and the hydrographic ship HMNZS Resolution, which was retired in 2012.

The new vessel is one of a range of new capabilities to modernize the NZDF signalled in the Defence White Paper published in June.

The announcement follows the award of a contract valued at 493 million NZ dollars (358.75 million U.S. dollars) contract to deliver a new naval tanker.

The vessel will be built by South Korean firm Hyundai Heavy Industries and is expected to be delivered in 2020. Endit