Navy gets dive ship for $103m
The Government has pinched pennies to replace the navy dive and hydrographic vessel after the frigate upgrade cost blowout.
Yesterday, Defence Minister Ron Mark announced the latest in a recent stream of major defence procurements.
Next year, the Royal New Zealand Navy will welcome the 85-metre Norwegian-built multirole offshore support vessel, the MV Edda Fonn.
The ship will be used for the likes of undersea search and rescue, seabed surveillance following earthquakes like the 2016 Kaikoura quake, and removing unexploded mines in the Pacific Islands.
The project budget for the purchase, modifications and introduction into service of the dive and hydrographic ship is $103 million.
Plans to replace the ageing HMNZS Resolution and HMNZS Manawanui with a single ship, began under the previous government, and the money was appropriated at the time.
Former defence minister Gerry Brownlee likened the planned replacement ship to a ‘‘Swiss Army knife’’.
However, a $148m blowout of the frigate upgrade budget meant some of the money previously marked for the new ship had to be redirected to cover the overspend. This meant Mark had to reset his sights on a secondhand vessel, rather than a new build.
‘‘The MV Edda Fonn will be a great addition to the navy,’’ Mark said. ‘‘Not only will it meet the Government’s needs, it will be in service three years earlier than a newly built ship would have been.’’
The ship, which was under lease until the end of 2018, would be modified and in service by November 2019.
‘‘This vessel will ensure that the current capability gaps for diving and hydrography are filled as quickly as possible, with a proven, well-tested platform,’’ Mark said.
‘‘Defence officials have subjected the Edda Fonn to considerable scrutiny ahead of purchase . . . We have been assured by independent experts that it is in excellent condition, and will handle well in the operations the Defence Force will use it for.’’