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ABFC Ocean Shield

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ACV Ocean Shield
ADV Ocean Shield during International Fleet Review 2013
History
Australia
NameOcean Shield
BuilderSTX OSV Søviknes, Norway
Yard number771
Acquired19 March 2012
In service30 June 2012
HomeportSydney, Australia
Identificationlist error: <br /> list (help)
MMSI number: 503728000
IMO number: 9628374
Call sign: VHEH
StatusActive as of 2014
General characteristics
TypeOffshore Support Vessel
Displacement6,500 tonnes
Length105.9 metres (347 ft)
Beam21 metres (69 ft)
Draught6.6 metres (22 ft)
Installed power4 x Wärtsilä 2,880-kilowatt (3,860 hp) medium speed diesel generators
Propulsionlist error: <br /> list (help)
2 x Rolls-Royce 3,000-kilowatt (4,000 hp) stern azimuth thrusters
2 x 1,800-kilowatt (2,400 hp) bow tunnel thrusters
1 x retractable, 1,500-kilowatt (2,000 hp) bow azimuth thruster
Speed16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Aviation facilitiesHelipad

Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Ocean Shield is a ship of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Ordered by DOF Subsea as the Offshore Support Vessel MSV Skandi Bergen, the ship was laid down by STX OSV Søviknes, Norway. During construction, the vessel was sold to the RAN in March 2012. Renamed Ocean Shield, the ship entered service in June 2012 as a civilian-crewed humanitarian and disaster relief vessel, operating in support of the RAN's amphibious warfare vessels.[1] In 2016, after the Canberra class landing helicopter dock ships enter service, Ocean Shield will be transferred to the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service to replace sister ship Ocean Protector.

Construction and acquisition

The vessel was ordered by DOF Subsea and laid down by STX OSV Søviknes, Norway as the Offshore Support Vessel MSV Skandi Bergen.[2][3] She was laid down with the yard number 771.[3]

The ship is a sister ship to the Australian Customs Vessel Ocean Protector.[1][4] She has a displacement of 6,500 tonnes, is 105.9 metres (347 ft) in length, has a beam of 21 metres (69 ft), and a draught of 6.6 metres (22 ft).[1][4] The propulsion system consists of two Rolls-Royce 3,000-kilowatt (4,000 hp) azimuth thrusters at the stern, two 1,800-kilowatt (2,400 hp) tunnel thrusters at the bow, plus a 1,500-kilowatt (2,000 hp), retractable azimuth thruster, also near the bow.[4] Maximum speed is 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph).[4] Power is generated by four Wärtsilä 2,880-kilowatt (3,860 hp) medium speed diesel generators.[4]

On 19 March 2012, the Australian government announced the purchase of Skandi Bergen in a group of Defence acquisitions.[5] The ship cost A$130 million: the price did not include the vessel's subsea equipment.[3][5] This equipment was retained by the shipyard for installation in a replacement vessel ordered by DOF Subsea, with a 60-tonne SWL crane fitted instead to Skandi Bergen.[3][5][6] On 3 June 2012, the ship's new name, Ocean Shield, was announced.[1] Although tasked by the RAN, Ocean Shield is operated by a civilian crew, and uses the prefix "Australian Defence Vessel" (ADV), instead of being commissioned and receiving the HMAS prefix.[1][5]

The ship will be used to transport equipment and personnel as part of humanitarian and disaster relief operations.[1] Ocean Shield will supplement the capability of the amphibious warfare ships Tobruk and Choules until the Canberra class ships enter service.[1][5] The ship has accommodation for around 100 people, and is equipped with a helipad.[4] She also has 1,000 square metres (11,000 sq ft) of deck area for cargo and equipment.[6]

Operational history

Sea trials were overseen by Teekay Shipping.[6] Ocean Shield arrived in Fremantle, Australia on 28 June 2012, and was accepted into naval service on 30 June.[6][4]

In October 2013, the ship participated in the International Fleet Review 2013 in Sydney, Australia.[7]

In March 2014, Ocean Shield was sent to participate in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, off the west coast of Australia.[8] The vessel, fitted with a towed pinger locator on loan from the United States Navy, sailed from Perth on 31 March, expecting to begin searching for the underwater locator beacon attached to the aircraft's 'black boxes' on 3 April.[9][10][11]

Around 2016, once the Canberras are fully operational, Ocean Shield will be transferred to the Customs Marine Unit of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service.[1][5] She will replace sister ship Ocean Protector, whose charter is due to expire that year.[5]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Offices of the Minister for Defence and Minister for Defence Materiel, Ocean Shield the Navy's newest humanitarian and disaster relief vessel
  2. ^ Royal Australian Navy, Purchase of Offshore Support Vessel for Humanitarian and Disaster Relief
  3. ^ a b c d MarineLog, DOF Subsea orders OSCV to replace newbuild sold to Australia
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Royal Australian Navy, ADV Ocean Shield
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Ellery, Defence buys boat bound for Customs
  6. ^ a b c d Navy News, New Shield has arrived
  7. ^ Royal Australian Navy, Participating Warships
  8. ^ BBC, Malaysia Airways MH370: Relatives in Beijing clashes
  9. ^ McPhedran & Swallow, Weather forces Navy ship to narrowly miss vital clue in Malaysia Airlines mystery
  10. ^ CBS News, Warship with black box detector joins search for missing Malaysian jet
  11. ^ BBC News, Malaysia flight MH370: No time limit on search, says Tony Abbott

References

News articles
  • "Malaysia Airways MH370: Relatives in Beijing clashes". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  • "Malaysia flight MH370: No time limit on search, says Tony Abbott". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  • "Warship with black box detector joins search for missing Malaysian jet". CBS News. 29 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  • Ellery, David (20 March 2012). "Defence buys boat bound for Customs". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  • "DOF Subsea orders OSCV to replace newbuild sold to Australia". Marine Log. 26 May 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  • McPhedran, Ian; Swallow, Julian (25 March 2014). "Weather forces Navy ship to narrowly miss vital clue in Malaysia Airlines mystery". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  • "New Shield has arrived". Navy News. Royal Australian Navy. 19 July 2012. p. 7. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  • "Purchase of Offshore Support Vessel for Humanitarian and Disaster Relief". Royal Australian Navy. 13 March 2012. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2014. {{cite news}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 10 April 2012 suggested (help)
Press releases
Websites
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ocean Shield (ship, 2012).
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