Publication:Navy Annual 2005/SIRIUS Business
BY LIEUTENANT COMMANDER JOHN HOWELLS, RAN
The tanker, MV Delos, has been delivered to Tenix Defence Pty ltd in Henderson, Western Australia, for conversion into the Auxiliary Oiler NUSHIP Sirius. NUSHIP Sirius will become the latest addition to the royal Australian Navy's Afloat support Group. Defence bought the Delos in June 2004 from the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in Korea and since then she has been leased to Teekay shipping who have used her as a bulk fuel carrier. The conversion is due for completion during the third quarter of 2006 when NUSHIP Sirius will provide the capability presently supplied by HMAS Westralia. Sirius will join HMAS Success as the backbone of afloat support in the Navy.
The need for the NUSHIP Sirius is well established. HMAS Westralia has been a stalwart of the Navy's afloat support capability for many years but has come to the end of her working life and has a single hull. Increasing international concern over marine pollution arising from tanker accidents and groundings has resulted in changes to regulations sponsored by the international Maritime Organisation (IMO) including the introduction of an accelerated timetable for the phase out of single-hulled oil tankers. Although Navy is not bound by IMO regulations, as a responsible government organisation it is obliged to comply with the IMO regulations to a degree that is reasonable and practicable, taking into account its military imperatives. So, when it came time to replace HMAS Westralia, a double-hulled tanker was chosen.
All afloat support ships are force multipliers, increasing our maritime capability by keeping combatant ships at sea for longer periods and allowing them to operate at greater ranges from port. This is particularly important for Australia, with our long coastlines, the dispersed archipelagic and regional island nations that surround us, the sparse infrastructure and minimal options for forward operating bases. NUSHIP Sirius will contribute to our capability to conduct maritime operations both in our area and worldwide.
Just like the rest of the Fleet, NUSHIP Sirius will be available to deploy at short notice to assist with disaster relief and contribute to surveillance as well as search and rescue operations.
Technological advances have allowed greater automation of shipboard machinery and allowed a reduction in crew size, from around 90 in HMAS Westralia to 55 in NUSHIP Sirius. This is particularly true of the RAS rig, which has been purpose built by Rexroth limited in Holland to operate with both the present and future Fleet. The innovative design of this rig allows it to compensate for ship movement and thereby expand the weather window in which underway replenishment operations can be safely conducted.
The name Sirius has historical significance. The supply ships HMS Sirius and HMS Supply were part of Captain Arthur Philip's First Fleet where they supplied logistic support to form the colony in 1788.
After conversion Sirius will be 176 metres long and weigh some 37,000 tonnes. She will contain some of the most modern equipment available that will incorporate the latest technological advances in maritime engineering. Sirius will provide the cutting edge of afloat support and be well placed to provide worldwide support to the Fleet for decades to come.
