11 October 2014

Industry: Australia and Navantia sign contract for design analysis of two logistics ships


Combat Supply Ship (BAC) Cantabria in foreground &
LHD Canberra in the background under construction
Navantia and DMO (Defence Materiel Organisation) of Australia have signed the contract for the RRDS (Risk Reduction Design  Study) Australian AOR logistics ship, called program SEA1654. The contract signing was held at the naval base at Garden Island and attended Admiral Purcell and Patrick Fitzpatrick, both of  DMO, the Commercial Director of Navantia, Gonzalo Mateo-Guerrero, and the Director of Navantia Australia, Francis Baron .

The contract, which will take approximately 8 months to analyze the design of the Combat Supply Ship (BAC) "Cantabria", built by Navantia for the Spanish Navy, addressing specific requirements Australians.

With this phase of study the process of acquiring two logistics ships AOR by the Australian Government starts. Navantia has been shortlisted, along with another company, as a possible supplier of ships.

After this phase, the Australian government will begin the final phase by a request for tender for the construction of ships.

This event, coupled with the recent acceptance of "Canberra", the first of the two amphibious ships built by Navantia ALHD and BAE Systems, by the Commonwealth of Australia, is another milestone in Navantia and shows the importance of this country as a client strategic for the company.

The BAC "Cantabria", delivered by Navantia in 2010, was deployed for several months in Australia, with a mission to integrate and operate with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). 

Navantia (Translated from Spanish via Google Translate)


NOTE: The “Defence Materiel Organisation” Link in the above was added by PacificSentinel for clarity & context.