• 27 Oct, 2025 – 10:33

Babcock and the Royal New Zealand Navy have started reactivation work on HMNZS Otago at Devonport, forming an integrated team to overhaul engines, replace obsolete systems, and upgrade navigation, sensors, and controls. The OPV is slated to rejoin the fleet in early 2026, improving New Zealand’s maritime presence and law enforcement capacity across the South Pacific.

Babcock and the New Zealand Defence Force say HMNZS Otago’s regeneration is underway at the company’s Devonport facility, where Babcock serves as Strategic Maritime Partner to the NZDF. The scope includes heavy maintenance on propulsion and power generation, plus modernisation of navigation, sensors, and control automation, with handback to NZDF targeted for early 2026. Officials describe an integrated RNZN industry team on the project, a model used across the fleet to lift availability in the Pacific region. Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

Otago is an 85 metre offshore patrol vessel of roughly 1,900 tonnes, configured for Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) surveillance and at sea law enforcement tasks. (Picture source: Zew Zealand Navy)

Otago is an 85 metre offshore patrol vessel of roughly 1,900 tonnes, configured for Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) surveillance and at sea law enforcement tasks. Propulsion relies on two MAN B&W 12RK280 diesel engines, providing a maximum speed of about 22 knots and a range close to 6,000 nautical miles. The primary armament is a stabilized Rafael Typhoon 25 mm naval gun, remotely controlled from the bridge, supplemented by small arms for boarding teams. Aviation facilities support a Kaman SH 2G(I) Super Seasprite helicopter for surveillance, winching, and logistics, which is useful when sea state limits the use of small craft.

Within RNZN service, the Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) combines endurance, fuel economy, and useful deck volume for multi-agency operations. Otago carries two rigid hull inflatable boats for inspections and has a flight deck sized for the Seasprite, which helps extend the Recognised Maritime Picture/Common Operating Picture (RMP/COP) by embarking liaison officers from fisheries, customs, police, and conservation. Coordination with maritime patrol aviation assets, which cue interceptions, further strengthens the system. When required, crews apply Electromagnetic Emissions Control (EMCON) to reduce detectability and limit the information signature in contested environments.

The decision to reactivate Otago follows an extended period in care and custody and addresses the need to stabilise offshore unit availability while training and maintenance cycles weigh on a fleet with constrained manpower. In recent weeks, Babcock and the RNZN have launched a work package that combines heavy overhaul of engines and generators, replacement of obsolete systems, and modernisation of navigation, sensors, and control automation. The aim is not only to restore baseline performance but also to improve reliability, increasing mean time between failures and reducing corrective maintenance at sea. For a small navy, each completed package matters, since it frees time for training and returns sea days to operational planning.

Otago’s return adds depth to demanding theatres. The South Pacific imposes long transits, sparse infrastructure, and variable weather. A hull with a 6,000 nautical mile range and a usable flight deck enables sustained patrols near the sub-Antarctic islands and rapid presence after cyclones, where seaworthiness, endurance and lift capacity shape outcomes. The boarding fit, the stabilized 25 mm gun and the embarkation of civilian agencies suit maritime law enforcement, from illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing to search and rescue. By bringing the OPV back into the rotation, the RNZN can rebalance tasking among inshore patrol vessels, Anzac class frigates, and the fleet tanker Aotearoa, restoring margin for training, maintenance, and interoperability within regional partnerships.

The Devonport ecosystem is central for New Zealand’s Defence Industrial and Technological Base (BITD). Babcock’s role as Strategic Maritime Partner formalises asset management, project planning and production support delivered with mixed teams of RNZN personnel and NZDF civilians. The Otago reactivation fits this framework, including replacement of life expired equipment, refurbishment of the propulsion train and renewal of navigation and control systems. Over the platform life cycle, these choices translate into shorter maintenance periods, better controlled downtime and a faster return to sea, outcomes that, taken together, improve fleet effectiveness.

New Zealand does not seek power projection, yet it borders vital sea lines of communication, island groups exposed to natural disasters and an information space shaped by great power competition and climate effects. A reliable OPV broadens presence options with partners and supports interoperability, from common procedures to data exchanges that feed the RMP/COP. The signal is continuity, with Wellington investing to maintain a credible constabulary profile at sea while force structure decisions proceed. In the Indo-Pacific policy debate, this steady approach matters because transparent surveillance, routine patrols,and predictable humanitarian response form the fabric of a durable maritime order. Reactivating Otago is less an announcement than the restoration of a regional security tool that delivers daily effects.