Wärtsilä Power for New Zealand Project Protector

The offshore patrol vessels to be built by Tenix Defence Pty Ltd for the New Zealand Navy will be equipped with Wärtsilä propulsion systems.

Wärtsilä won contracts for propulsion systems for the seven-vessel Project Protector of the Royal New Zealand Navy. The main contractor for the project is the Australian defense supplier Tenix Defence Pty Ltd, on behalf of the New Zealand Ministry of Defense. The project is for the supply of seven vessels: a 429ft (131m) multi-role vessel (MRV), two 279ft (85m) offshore patrol vessels (OPV) and four 180ft (55m) inshore patrol vessels (IPV). The first will be delivered December 2006. The vessels are intended for military and civilian roles in New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), in the South Pacific and the Southern Ocean. As well as serving their military roles, they will conduct tasks for and with NZ Customs, Department of Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of Fisheries, NZ Maritime Safety Authority and the NZ Police. The vessels will be used for sea-lifting personnel and cargo, emergency response, and fisheries and customs patrols. Both the MRV and OPVs will be strengthened to ice class 1C for service in the Ross Sea off Antarctica, and will also carry helicopters. The MRV will have a Ro-Ro capability with both stern ramp and side door for light armored vehicles and other equipment, and will be equipped with two landing crafts.