South Australia’s world-class Osborne Naval Shipyard was home to the construction of two Arafura Class Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs).
The OPVs have been an important step in Australia’s continuous naval shipbuilding strategy, with construction of the first two OPVs being completed in South Australia, before the remaining four are built in Western Australia to align with the commencement of the Hunter class frigate program at Osborne Naval Shipyard. The Arafura class OPVs are intended to replace the Armidale class patrol boats and have been designed to perform maritime patrol and response duties for the Australian Defence Force.
Following a competitive evaluation process, the Australian Government selected the subsidiary of German company Lurssen, Luerssen Australia, as the successful designer of the OPVs. In July 2025, Perth-based company Civmec completed the acquisition of Luerssen Australia, bringing the OPV program under full Australian ownership and strengthening sovereign naval shipbuilding capabilities.
Adelaide-based company ASC provided support for the hull construction of the first two OPVs. The remaining four vessels are being completed by Civmec at its facility in Western Australia. Adelaide-based Saab Australia secured the contract for the combat management system on all six OPVs, creating hundreds of high-tech defence jobs.
The first ship – NUSHIP Arafura – was launched in December 2021 and officially commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy in June 2025. The second ship – NUSHIP Eyre – was launched in November 2023 and is undertaking acceptance trials in South Australia.
