The Royal New Zealand Navy’s replenishment tanker, Aotearoa , began its voyage home from South Korea in June 2020.
The Royal New Zealand Navy’s (RNZN’s) new replenishment vessel, which will be in service with as HMNZS Aotearoa (A 11), has begun its journey home from South Korea.
A sail-off ceremony for the 26,000-tonne ship was announced by South Korean shipbuilder, Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), on 10 June.
On its journey out from South Korean waters, Aotearoa was briefly accompanied by the Republic of Korea Navy’s Cheonji (AOE-I)-class logistics support ship, Daecheong (AOE58).
Aotearoa was launched at HHI’s Ulsan shipyard in April 2019, and will be the largest vessel to be operated by the RNZN once it is commissioned.
It has an overall length of 173.2 m, and an overall beam of 24.5 m, and is equipped with two NATO-compliant replenishment-at-sea (RAS) masts. The vessel can carry 8,000 tonnes of diesel fuel, 1,550 tonnes of aviation fuel, and 250 tonnes of fresh water.
The vessel is also equipped with a hangar, and a flight deck that can accommodate rotor-wing aircraft such as the Kaman SH-2 Super Seasprite and the NHIndustries NH90 multirole medium helicopters.
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