WELLINGTON - New Zealand's Ministry of Defense has issued a tender calling for a new fleet replenishment ship to replace the Royal New Zealand Navy's (RNZN) current tanker, HMNZS Endeavour. Endeavour was commissioned in April 1988 and following modifications over an 18-month period between 2008 and 2009 saw her service life extended from 2013 out to 2018. In preparation for that moment the New Zealand government signed off on the procurement of a replacement for Endeavour in July 2014. The MoD tender calls for a ship with a range of 6,450 nautical miles at 16 knots (as opposed to Endeavour's 10,000nm-range at 14 knots). The vessel must also be capable of performing up to 160 days at sea per year.
In terms of technical specifications the ship is required to be powered by diesel engines driving twin props, a container deck with minimum capacity for 12 20-foot-equivalent containers in a single tier. In addition, the vessel must be able to operate and maintain hangar space for one of the New Zealand Defense Force' helicopter-types, be they the NH-90, SH-2G Seasprite or AgustaWestland A109. Provision for the installation of two mini-Typhoon gun systems and a Phalanx close-in weapon system is also a requirement.
The new ship must have a serviceable life of 25 years.
New Zealand's Defense Ministry expects to place a recommendation before the governing cabinet in mid-2016. The new ship will likely require winterization features in order for her to operate at resupply bases in Antarctica.
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