Australia to reinforce maritime surveillance operations with new HMAS Arafura offshore patrol vessel.

On June 26, 2025, the Royal Australian Navy announced that the HMAS Arafura will be formally commissioned on June 28, 2025, during a ceremony at the Fremantle Passenger Terminal. The vessel arrived in Fremantle Harbour on June 25 at 1 pm, transiting between North and South Moles. It is the first ship of the Arafura class offshore patrol vessels and was delivered to the Navy in February 2025. HMAS Arafura is part of Project SEA 1180 and was initially planned to enter service in 2022.
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The HMAS Arafura's primary roles will include maritime border patrol, fisheries surveillance, maritime constabulary duties, and support for humanitarian and disaster relief operations. (Picture source: Australian MoD)

However, its commissioning was delayed due to unresolved structural and capability issues that emerged during construction and early sea trials. Arafura was launched on December 16, 2021, but did not begin sea trials until August 26, 2024, due to fire protection design problems. The ship's acceptance by Defence occurred in January 2025 for further test and evaluation. The commissioning ceremony concludes a process that was closely monitored by Australian defence and shipbuilding authorities.

The Arafura-class OPV program was launched as part of the 2009 Defence White Paper, which proposed a single hull class to replace 26 vessels across four ship types: Armidale-class patrol boats, Huon-class minehunters, Leeuwin-class hydrographic survey vessels, and Paluma-class survey motor launches. Originally designated as the Offshore Combatant Vessel project, the plan was for 20 vessels with modular capabilities to handle border patrol, mine warfare, and hydrographic roles. In the 2013 Defence White Paper, this number was reduced to 12, with a decision to procure an interim patrol boat to replace the Armidales and extend the life of other ships. In 2016, the government shortlisted Damen, Fassmer, and Lürssen as design candidates, selecting Lürssen on November 24, 2017. The first two ships, including Arafura, were built by ASC in South Australia, while Civmec in Western Australia is constructing the remaining four. However, following the 2023 Defence Strategic Review and a Surface Fleet Review in February 2024, six planned ships were cancelled. The decision was based on concerns about the class’s limited survivability and lack of self-defence systems in higher-threat environments.

HMAS Arafura measures 80 metres in length, with a beam of 13 metres and a draught of 4 metres. The vessel displaces 1,640 tonnes and is powered by two MTU 16V diesel engines rated at 4,250 kW, producing a top speed of 20 knots and a range of 4,000 nautical miles. It has an endurance of 21 days, a crew of 40, and accommodation for up to 60 personnel. The ship’s propulsion system uses variable pitch propellers, and onboard power is generated by MAN diesel engines. The hull is based on the Lürssen OPV80 design, previously used for the Royal Brunei Navy's Darussalam-class. Arafura is equipped with a Terma SCANTER 6002 radar, the Saab Situational Awareness System, the EOS500 electro-optical director, and Safran’s Vigy Engage multi-sensor surveillance system. While the ship has a utility deck capable of carrying UAVs, it lacks a helicopter hangar or landing platform. Integration of unmanned systems is planned under Project SEA 129. The vessel is also fitted with Link 16 for allied interoperability.

The armament was originally planned to include a 40 mm OTO Marlin naval gun, but this was cancelled in 2021 due to performance concerns and a reassessment of expected threats. Instead, a 25 mm M242 Bushmaster autocannon is fitted on a Rafael Typhoon mount as an interim solution, repurposed from the Armidale-class. Additional armament includes two 12.7 mm machine guns. This configuration has drawn criticism regarding the ship’s inability to engage in higher-end combat scenarios. Options being considered include fitting containerised Kongsberg Naval Strike Missiles or the C-Dome surface-to-air missile system. Discussions have also taken place around transferring the OPVs to the Australian Border Force or regional partners such as Papua New Guinea. Three RHIBs are onboard: two 8.5 metre Boomeranger FRB 850 side-launched and one 10.5 metre Boomeranger C1100 stern-launched. These boats are used for interdiction and boarding operations, key elements of the vessel’s constabulary mission set.

Arafura's primary roles include maritime border patrol, fisheries surveillance, maritime constabulary duties, and support for humanitarian and disaster relief operations. The design supports the future addition of deployable mine countermeasures and rapid environmental assessment packages. The vessels are intended to contribute to civil maritime security and regional engagement in Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific. They are to be operated alongside the Australian Border Force and other ADF units. The class is part of the Navy’s Minor War Vessel Fleet. The class naming convention reflects Australian maritime geography, with Arafura named after the Arafura Sea. Other vessels in the series include Eyre, Pilbara, Gippsland, Illawarra, and Carpentaria, with construction milestones between 2020 and 2029. The second ship, HMAS Eyre, was launched in November 2023 and is undergoing sea trials. The remaining ships are under various stages of construction at Civmec’s Henderson yard.

Following its delivery in early 2025, NUSHIP Arafura transited to its homeport at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia, where it underwent additional testing. These included trials of the reverse osmosis unit, shipboard cranes, and an assessment of noise levels after soundproofing upgrades. In April 2025, Babcock Australasia conducted the ship’s first Intermediate Maintenance Availability under the Regional Maintenance Provider West (RMP West) model at the newly extended Oxley Wharf. The maintenance task, which lasted four weeks and consumed over 4,000 labour hours, involved coordination with Luerssen Australia and the SEA 1180 contractor team. Babcock’s efforts helped establish a maintenance baseline for the class and supported the Navy’s new Maritime Sustainment Model. The activity also enabled exposure of local suppliers to the vessel’s systems and procedures. The successful completion of these activities supported Arafura's Initial Operational Release in the second quarter of 2025 and enabled it to proceed toward full operational service.

Despite acceptance into service, the program has faced scrutiny over project management. The Australian National Audit Office highlighted shortcomings in procurement due diligence and reliance on reference designs without fully aligning them with operational requirements. The project’s delays led to the temporary reassignment of major surface combatants such as frigates to border patrol duties. Meanwhile, interim Evolved Cape-class patrol boats, initially intended to fill the gap until Arafura’s arrival, have been ordered in greater numbers by both the RAN and Australian Border Force. The cumulative effect of delays, changing capability expectations, and dissatisfaction among stakeholders has led to a reassessment of OPV utility. The class’s evolution continues to be influenced by reviews, such as the Defence Strategic Update 2020 and the 2023 Defence Strategic Review, both of which questioned the effectiveness of lightly armed patrol ships for strategic deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region. The outcome of this reassessment will determine whether future mission sets align with the original SEA 1180 objectives or require structural changes to the Arafura-class role within the fleet.