New Ship Handed Over to Navy

NZ Ministry of Defence, A significant step towards bringing home the first of seven ships being built for the New Zealand Navy under Project Protector occurred in Melbourne, Australia, yesterday (Thursday 31 May). 
 
A special ceremony attended by representatives of the Navy, Tenix and the Ministry of Defence was held inside the hanger of the massive multi-role vessel CANTERBURY where she was formally handed over to the Navy. 
 
New Zealand Secretary of Defence, Mr John McKinnon, mentioned how the CANTERBURY is a great step forward in terms of a New Zealand Defence Force capability and said it will be an exciting future for both the Navy and New Zealand. He also took the opportunity to thank Tenix for their hard work to date. 
 
Mr McKinnon also thanked his Ministry of Defence Team, including the Navy personnel on the project, acknowledging their significant contribution to the project thus far. 
 
Ashburton-born Commanding Officer of CANTERBURY, Commander Tony Millar, said 
 
“Today was a day of firsts; it was the first time that New Zealand has taken delivery of a ship with such capability; it was the first time her new crew had moved onboard and it was the first official duty onboard the CANTERBURY for our sailors.” 
 
“We now have full possession of this magnificent new ship … and it feels great!” he concluded. 
 
Yesterday’s formal handover was the first step in bringing home the CANTERBURY. She is to be formally commissioned into service on June 12 in Melbourne and will arrive in Lyttelton for her homecoming on June 28. She will then visit Timaru between 4 and 6 July before arriving at the Devonport Naval Base, the home of the Navy, in late July.  
 
Background Information 

The Multi-Role Vessel CANTERBURY is the first of seven new ships built for the Royal New Zealand Navy under Project Protector. She is affiliated to the Canterbury Region. She was built at the Merwede Shipyard in the Netherlands, under contract to Tenix. CANTERBURY’s design is based on a commercial RO-RO ship, Ben-My-Chree in operation in the Irish Sea. 
 
CANTERBURY will have diesel-electric propulsion and a maximum speed of just over 19 knots. She will provide a sealift capability for the transport and deployment of equipment, vehicles and personnel, and capable of transferring cargo and personnel ashore in benign conditions (up to sea state 3) when port facilities are not available. CANTERBURY has two 59 tonne Landing Craft Medium (LCM) capable of carrying 50 tonnes at 9 knots with a range of 250 nm. 
 
Particulars of CANTERBURY: 
– Displacement: 9,000 tonnes 
– Length overall: 131 metres 
– Beam: 23.4 metres 
– Speed: 19 knots 
 
– Complement: 
Core ship's company: 53 
Flight personnel: 10 
Government agencies: 4 
Army ship's staff: 7 
Trainees: 35 
Troops: 250 
Total: 360 
 
– Propulsion: Diesel engines 
– Flight deck: Space for two helicopters 
– Armament: 25mm and two .50 calibre machine guns 
– Helicopter capability: The NH90 Helicopter has been selected as the NZDF’s preferred medium Utility Helicopter to replace RNZAF’S Iroquois. Up to four NH90’s can be carried onboard the MRV for deployment ashore in support of Army operations and disaster relief activities. The MRV is also capable of operating the SH-2G Seasprite and the helicopter deck is able to handle a Chinook-size helicopter.