Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) ''Ocean Protector'' is an auxiliary naval vessel of the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

manned and managed by

Teekay Teekay specialise in shipping crude oil. History Teekay was founded in 1973 by Torben Karlshoej, then a 31 year old Danish ship broker who had emigrated to the United States at the age of 20 and mostly worked on farms. The company was named "TK ...

Design and construction

The ship has a full-load displacement of 8,500 tonnes, a tonnage value of 6,596 gross tons, is in overall length, with a beam of , and a draught of .Saunders & Philpott (eds.), ''IHS Jane's Fighting Ships'' 2015-2016'', p. 39'' The propulsion machinery is diesel-electric. Four

Wärtsilä Wärtsilä Oyj Abp (), trading internationally as Wärtsilä Corporation, is a Finnish company which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the marine and energy markets. The core products of Wärtsilä include technol ...

63L2 diesels, providing a total of , generate electricity, which is directed to two motors driving directional propellers. Top speed is , with a range of . Sustainable range is at . A platform suitable for landing a medium helicopter is sited forward, above the bridge. For offshore support duties, of deck area is available, and a 140 tonne crane is fitted. In Australian Customs service, the ship's normal complement was made up of 22 ship's crew contracted from

, plus up to 50 Customs and associated personnel, along with austere accommodation for a further 120 in a retrofitted deckhouse module. Two .50 caliber machine guns were fitted, along with two rigid hull Customs Rescue Tenders.

Operational history

The ship was laid down at the Aker Yards ASA in Tulcea, Romania on 25 August 2006 as a ROV support vessel for Norwegian shipping company

DOF Subsea DOF Subsea is an international subsea operating company. The company provides integrated project managed and engineered subsea solutions to the global offshore oil and gas industry. The company offers services to oil and gas producing regions aro ...

. Based on the Aker ROV 06 DE design, it was named ''Geo Bergen'' during construction and launched on 28 January 2007. The ship was renamed to ''Skandi Bergen'' on 19 July 2007 prior to its completion on 3 August 2007. In mid-2010, the Australian government chartered the ship for the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, as a replacement for MV ''Oceanic Viking''. The ship was chartered to Customs through DMAA Seaforce. Modifications for Customs service were made by Forgacs Engineering in

Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle ( ; Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle area, w ...

, including the installation of the austere accommodation and medical deckhouse (the latter staffed by a doctor drawn from the Australian Antarctic Division), fitting of weapons and davits for the two Customs tenders, modification and expansion of crew recreation facilities, and sealing of the ship's moon pools. On completion, the ship was renamed and redesignated "Australian Customs Vessel (ACV) ''Ocean Protector''". ''Ocean Protector'' entered Customs Service in October 2010. During November 2010, the vessel intercepted suspected drug smugglers off

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, and intercepted two asylum seeker boats off Christmas Island in November 2010. In January 2012, ''Ocean Protector'' retrieved three Australian anti-whaling activists who had boarded MV ''Shōnan Maru 2''. In November 2015, DOF announced the sale of the vessel to the Australian government for NOK 300 million, with the ship to be handed over in early 2016. Upon completion of the sale, the ship was renamed the Australian Defense Vessel (ADV) ''Ocean Protector''. As of 2021, the ship is operating as an Auxiliary Navy Ship manned and managed by Teekay. The ship was recently called upon to assist in offloading cargo from MV ''Borkum'' to the wharf at Christmas Island by acting as an artificial lee as severe weather hampered it from getting closer to the wharf.

Citations

References

;Books * *

External links

Skandi Protector
at DOF ASA website {{DEFAULTSORT:Ocean Protector Ships built in Romania Patrol vessels of the Marine Unit (Australian Border Force) 2007 ships