Austal Australia’s High Speed Support Vessel (HSSV) 72 defence support vessels were built to meet the unique naval operational requirements of the Royal Navy of Oman.
Austal was awarded a $124.9m contract for the design, construction and delivery of two HSSVs for the Royal Navy of Oman in March 2014. Under the contractual agreement, the company also provides integrated logistics support services for the high speed support ships.
Recommended Buyers Guides
The plate-cutting ceremony for the vessels was held in August 2014 and the keel laying milestone took place in December 2014.
The design and construction of the two vessels with hull numbers 390 and 391 were completed at Austal’s Henderson shipyard in Western Australia.
The first vessel, RNOV Al Mubshir (S11), was handed over to the Royal Navy of Oman in May 2016, and the second vessel, RNOV Al Naasir (S12), was delivered in September 2016.
The HSSV 72 vessel is intended for the transportation of military personnel and cargo and can support helicopter operations. It can also be deployed in search-and-rescue and humanitarian relief operations.
HSSV 72 design, features and capacities
The HSSV 72 features a catamaran hull design made of aluminium alloy metals. The hull form is identical to that of Spearhead-Class Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) being built by Austal USA for the US Navy.
The overall length of the vessel is 72.5m, overall beam is 18.2m, and draft of 3.2m. The maximum deadweight (DWT) of the ship is 320t.
The high-speed ship can accommodate 69 crew members and provide seating for 250 personnel. The cabin additionally contains 69 fixed berths.
The load capacity of the vessel is 150 lane metres, and the liner is fitted with a boat launch beam crane system to hoist cargo loads. The crane has a safe working load of 12t, while the bi-folding slewing ramp at the stern of the vessel allows for cargo loading and unloading.
An operations room also features on the ship. This can incorporate up to eight seats.
HSSV 72 flight deck
The HSSV 72 support ship features a mission / flight deck at the aft to support the operations of one NH90 twin-engine multi-role helicopter. The flight deck is 22m long and 15m wide and has a usable deck area of 650m² and clear height of 4.5m.
One 20mm naval gun is mounted on the HSSV, as well as up to four 12.7mm general-purpose machine guns.
Sensors
The HSSV 72 is fitted with one electro-optical surveillance system (EOSS) to provide identification and recognition of maritime threats.
Propulsion and performance
The 72m HSSV is powered by four MTU 20V 4000 M93L main engines. Each engine generates an output power of 4,300kW at a speed of 2,100rpm.
It has a bore size of 170mm and width of 1,470mm. The engine burns 1,135.7l of fuel an hour, and the propulsion system includes four Rolls Royce 80S3 water jets.
The vessel sails at a maximum speed of 35k at a deadweight tonnage (DWT) of 200t. It offers a range of 2,150nmi at a speed of 12.5k and can be mission-bound for approximately one week.
