Royal Australian Navy's replenishment tanker HMAS Sirius . The vessel will be retired in December 2021. (Chris Sattler)
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) will retire its supply vessel HMAS Sirius in December 2021.
The service announced on 3 September via an official social media channel that Sirius has begun its final deployment before it is decommissioned at the end of the year. It will operate in Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific during this deployment.
Prior to its service with the RAN in 2006, Sirius was the double-hulled commercial product tanker MV Delos. It was purchased by the Australian government in 2004 and converted to meet the RAN's underway replenishment requirements.
As part of its modifications, Sirius was fitted with a flight deck for vertical replenishment (VERTREP) operations and refuelling masts for at-sea supply missions.
The 191 m vessel displaces 46,000 tonnes at full load and can carry 35,000 m3 of fuel including 5,500 m3 of aviation gasoline. It is equipped with transfer points for victuals, water, and fuel and can replenish two ships at a time.
With the retirement of Sirius, the two new Navantia-built Supply-class oilers HMAS Supply and Stalwart will fully undertake the RAN's at-sea replenishment requirements. The former was commissioned in April 2021 and the latter is scheduled to be inducted by the end of the year.
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