The Cape class is a ship class of 22 large patrol boats operated by the Marine Unit of the Australian Border Force, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard. Ordered in 2011, the vessels were built by Austal to replace Customs' Bay-class patrol boats, and entered service from 2013 onwards. Following availability issues with the Armidale class, two vessels were chartered by the RAN from mid-2015 to late 2016. A further two vessels were ordered at the end of 2015 by the National Australia Bank, who will charter the patrol boats to the Department of Defence from completion in 2017. 2 vessels were ordered by Trinidad and Tobago for their coast guard in 2018 with the vessels delivered in 2021. The RAN placed an order for six 'Evolved' Cape-class vessels in 2020, a second order in 2022 for an additional two vessels, and a third order in 2023 for a further two vessels.
On 12 December 2024, four of the Cape class vessels were commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy.[3]
Design and construction
The Bay class was due to be replaced in 2010, but it was not until June of that year that a request for tender was issued for eight new, larger patrol boats.[4][5]Austal was awarded the tender for eight patrol boats on 12 August 2011.[6] Each vessel is 57.8m (189ft 8in) in length, with a beam of 10.3m (33ft 10in) and a draught of 3m (9ft 10in).[7] Propulsion machinery consists of two Caterpillar 3516C diesel engines, providing 5,050kW (6,770hp) to two propeller shafts.[7] A 160kW (210hp) bow thruster is also fitted.[7] Maximum speed is 25 knots (46km/h; 29mph), with a range of 4,000 nautical miles (7,400km; 4,600mi) at 12 knots (22km/h; 14mph), and an endurance of 28 days.[7][8] Each vessel has a crew of 18, and two crew groups are assigned to each vessel, alternating between operating the patrol boat and shore duties, to ensure maximum vessel availability.[7][9] Each Cape-class vessel is armed with two .50 calibre machine guns, and carries two 7.3m (24ft) Gemini RHIB interception craft in cradles at the stern, along with a small boat carried amidships.[7][8] Several updates and reconfigurations were implemented in response to issues found with the previous class of patrol boats built by Austal, the Armidale class operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).[9]
According to media reports, prior to the tender process, information about the project was leaked to Austal by a senior Customs official.[10][11] The leak was reported to occur during an investigation of claims that the tendering requirements had been set up to favour Austal.[10] Customs stated in March 2013 that reports of leaks during the tendering process were unfounded, and that internal and external investigations of the accusation concluded that the tender process had not been compromised or set up to favour a particular tenderer.[10][11]
Construction of the new vessels started in February 2012,[needs update] with entry into service planned for between March 2013 and August 2015.[5][6] The first vessel was launched in January 2013, and named Cape St. George on 15 March 2013.[12] The boats have been named after eight capes in Australia: Cape St. George, Cape Byron, Cape Nelson, Cape Sorell, Cape Jervis, Cape Leveque, Cape Wessel, and Cape York.[1] The final vessel, Cape York, was delivered at the end of August 2015.[13] The project cost A$330 million, including in-service support to be provided by Austal: the largest procurement undertaken by the Customs and Border Protection Service.[13][14] Although originally due to leave service in 2010, ships of the Bay class remained in service until the Cape class fully entered service.[4] In Australian service, the patrol boats were initially identified with the ship prefix "ACV" (Australian Customs Vessel); this was changed to "ABFC" (Australian Border Force Cutter) following the establishment of the Australian Border Force.
On 13 December 2015, Austal announced that two more Cape-class vessels had been ordered.[15] The $63 million contract is with the National Australia Bank, who will charter the patrol boats to the Department of Defence on their completion in mid-2017.[15] The new vessels will be included in the in-service support contract for the Border Force patrol boats, and if Defence does not continue on with the charter after the initial three-year period, the National Australia Bank can sell the patrol boats back to Austal for residual value.[15] The two vessels, Cape Fourcroy and Cape Inscription, are in service.
Cape-class patrol boat of the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, shortly after its launch in December 2020
In July 2018, the government of Trinidad and Tobago announced the acquisition of two Cape-class patrol boats. The vessels will enhance the border protection capabilities of the country in conjunction with the existing Coast Guard fleet, and will join six Austal Fast Patrol Craft acquired in 2009.[16] The vessels' names were taken from two of the three cancelled Port of Spain-class offshore patrol vessels.
In May 2020, the Royal Australian Navy placed an order for six 'Evolved' Cape-class vessels.[17][18] The 'Evolved' Cape-class has several enhancements and has increased crew capacity from 22 to 32 people.[19][20] In April 2022, the RAN ordered two additional 'Evolved' Cape-class vessels.[21][22] Austal delivered the first of the 'Evolved' Cape-class Cape Otway to the RAN in March 2022.[23] In November 2023, the RAN ordered two new vessels to replace and significantly enhance the RAN's at-sea navigation and seamanship training capability.[24]
Operational history
Permanent berthing facilities at East Arm Wharf in Port Darwin (the ship's main base of operations) were commissioned in December 2015 and became fully operational in February 2016.[25]
Following availability issues with the Armidale class, Cape Byron and Cape Nelson were chartered by the RAN from July 2015 to the end of 2016 to supplement naval patrol boat availability.[26] In naval service, the patrol boats are crewed by RAN personnel, operate from HMASCairns, and are identified with the Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) prefix, but retain the blue-and-red customs colour scheme.[9]
In December 2024 four ships; Cape Pillar, Cape Naturaliste, Cape Woolamai and Cape Capricorn were commissioned as His Majesty’s Australian Ships reflecting their extended planned service lives.[3]
↑ Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds; Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price (1 May 2020). "New patrol boats to boost Navy capability". Department of Defence Ministers (Press release). Retrieved 17 September 2022.
The Armidale class is a class of patrol boats built for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Planning for a class of vessels to replace the fifteen Fremantle-class patrol boats began in 1993 as a joint project with the Royal Malaysian Navy, but was cancelled when Malaysia pulled out of the process. The project was reopened in 1999 under the designation SEA 1444, with the RAN as the sole participant. Of the seven proposals tendered, the Austal/Defence Maritime Services (DMS) proposal for twelve vessels based on an enlarged Bay-class patrol boat was selected. Two additional boats were ordered in 2005 to provide a dedicated patrol force for the North West Shelf Venture.
The Australian Patrol Boat Group is a Force Element Group (FEG) of the Royal Australian Navy. It manages the Navy's patrol boats.
The Pacific class is a class of 22 patrol boats built by Australia and donated to twelve South Pacific countries. The vessels were constructed between 1985 and 1997 and are operated by the militaries, coast guards or police forces of the twelve island nations. These boats are supported by the Pacific Patrol Boat Program and used primarily for maritime surveillance and fisheries protection.
The Bay class is a class of eight armed patrol boats, built by Austal and used by the Customs Marine Unit of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service. They entered service during the late 1990s and early 2000s, and are primarily used on border protection duties.
The Marine Unit, formerly the Australian Customs Service National Marine Unit, is a division of the Australian Border Force which acts as a Coast Guard in guarding Australia's coast. The Marine Unit focuses on surveillance and response activities within the Australian Economic Exclusion Zone, and the operation and training of ships and crews to do so.
Austal Limited is an Australian-based global ship building company and defence prime contractor that specialises in the design, construction and support of defence and commercial vessels. Austal's product range includes naval vessels, high-speed ferries, and supply or crew transfer vessels for offshore windfarms and oil and gas platforms.
Australian Border Force Cutter (ABFC) Ocean Shield is an offshore patrol vessel operated by the Australian Border Force. The ship was originally ordered in 2010 by DOF Subsea as an offshore support vessel, and was laid down by STX OSV as MSV Skandi Bergen in 2011. In 2012, the Australian Department of Defence was seeking a short-term replacement for the decommissioned Kanimbla-class amphibious landing ships, and negotiated to purchase the under-construction Skandi Bergen from DOF Subsea. The ship was completed, and entered Royal Australian Navy (RAN) service in mid-2012 as the civilian-crewed Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Ocean Shield.
The Guardian-class patrol boats are a class of small patrol vessels designed and built in Australia and provided to small South Pacific Ocean countries as part of the Australian Government's Pacific Maritime Security Program.
Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Cape Peron, named after Cape Peron in Western Australia, is an evolved Cape-class patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Cape Solander, named after Cape Solander in New South Wales, is an evolved Cape-class patrol boat under construction for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), launched in April 2024.
Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Cape Otway, named after Cape Otway, is an evolved Cape-class patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
The HMAS Cape Naturaliste, formerly the Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Cape Naturaliste, named after Cape Naturaliste in Western Australia, is an evolved Cape-class patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
HMAS Cape Capricorn, formerly the Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Cape Capricorn, named after Cape Capricorn in Queensland, is an evolved Cape-class patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
The HMAS Cape Woolamai, formerly the Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Cape Woolamai, named after Cape Woolamai in Victoria, is an evolved Cape-class patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
The HMAS Cape Pillar, formerly the Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Cape Pillar, named after Cape Pillar in Tasmania, is an evolved Cape-class patrol boat under construction for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Cape Inscription, named after Cape Inscription in Western Australia, is a Cape-class patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Cape Fourcroy, named after Cape Fourcroy in the Northern Territory, is a Cape-class patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
ABFC Cape Wessel, named after Cape Wessel in the Northern Territory, is a Cape-class patrol boat of the marine unit of the Australian Border Force.
Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Cape Schanck, named after Cape Schanck in Victoria, is an evolved Cape-class patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
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