Australia Sends Armidale-Class Ships to Singapore for Repairs

An Armidale-class patrol vessel, HMAS Larrakia, similar to the vessels sent to ST Marine for repairs. (photo : Austal)

At least two Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Armidale-class patrol boats have been sent to Singapore in 2014 for repair and maintenance work, an Australian Department of Defence (DoD) spokesperson has confirmed.


According to the DoD, HMAS Maryborough (95) and HMAS Bathurst (85) were dispatched to Singapore's state-affiliated shipyard ST Marine by the vessels' appointed in-service support contractor DMS Maritime Pty Ltd. DMS is said to have the option to select "suitably skilled shipyards" to undertake routine maintenance work and emergency repairs on the vessels.

"Singapore has typically been utilised where there are either emergent defects requiring early intervention whilst the vessel is on mission, or where the nature of the defect rectification is more complex and intrusive, requiring higher skill-sets and facilities that are not available in Darwin, where most of the fleet is based," the DoD spokesperson said, adding that the Armidale class predominantly operates across the north and northwest of Australia.

(Jane's)