Australian Navy’s new patrol boats to feature Norwegian davit systems

Norwegian davit supplier Vestdavit recently secured an agreement with Austal Australia to deliver twelve boat launch-and-recovery systems for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

The marine davits will be installed on six new Cape-class patrol boats (CCPBs), under construction for the navy at Austal’s Henderson shipyard in Western Australia.

Joining the combined RAN and Australian Border Force fleet of 10 CCPBs, the vessels will enhance Australia’s border protection capabilities, supporting a wide range of security missions at a critical time for the country.

They will feature Vestdavit’s PLAR-6501 single-point telescopic davit, an upgrade on the PLAR-6500 deployed on the existing patrol boats and a higher-capacity cousin of the PLAR-4501 delivered to the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard earlier this year.

“The 6501 is the latest and highest-capacity PLAR model to conform to DNV GL standards, making it part of a new generation of A-frame davit,” Bjørnar Dahle, Vestdavit Sales and Business Development Director, commented.

The new davit system – designed for the launch and recovery of man-overboard and fast-rescue craft – comes equipped with dynamic shock absorber and hydraulic boat-guiding arms to ensure the safety of crew above sea state 4.

So far this year, the Bergen-based company has delivered its boat-handling systems to the United States Navy, the Royal Navy and the French Navy, as well as to the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard.

“2020 has been a particularly busy year for us in terms of our involvement with naval organisations,” Dahle added, revealing that both governments’ investments in border protection and Vestdavit’s ongoing cooperation with Austal contributed to the increase in orders.