Babcock, in partnership with the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN), to deliver a package of work to return HMNZS Otago back to operational service.
“We are proud of our long-standing partnership with the NZDF and of our contribution to keeping New Zealand and its Pacific partners safe and secure," Babcock Australasia CEO Andrew Cridland said.
Reactivation work on HMNZS Otago has officially begun, with the company starting maintenance on the ship in recent weeks.
“From overhauling the engines and generators to upgrading the ship’s sensors and control systems, Babcock’s team of experts, with help from our valued supply chain, is ensuring that HMNZS Otago will be operationally ready for the ship’s company," Cridland stated.
HMNZS Otago is one of the RNZN’s two Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), which was designed for maritime surveillance, supply, support and border and fishery patrol missions around New Zealand and the wider South West Pacific region.
The ship was placed in a care and custody arrangement for a number of years, and in late 2024, the Navy asked Babcock to assess what would be required to reactivate the ship for operational service.
As the Strategic Maritime Partner to the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), Babcock was asked to deliver the HMNZS Otago reactivation work in October 2024.
Babcock will work with personnel from the RNZN to form an integrated team to deliver the material reactivation of HMNZS Otago.
The work will include significant engineering to a wide range of systems and equipment, including replacing obsolete systems, overhauling the engines and generators, replacing navigation systems and upgrading sensors and control systems.
As the Strategic Maritime Partner to the NZDF, Babcock operates a marine engineering and maintenance support facility in Devonport, Auckland.
According to Babcock, the work on HMNZS Otago is on track and the ship is due to be handed back to the NZDF in early 2026.