Update on HMA Ships Kanimbla and Manoora
2 November 2010
The Navy’s Landing Platform Amphibious ships HMA Ships Manoora and Kanimbla are to remain alongside in Sydney following the Chief of Navy’s decision to direct an Operational Pause on Monday 27 September 2010.
The safety of Navy’s people is paramount and the Chief of Navy placed the ships in an Operational Pause as a deliberately conservative and proactive decision in response to initial feedback from the Sea Worthiness Board.
Noting that the ships are 40 years old and host a number of complex engineering systems, the further assessment process is expected to take time to complete in order to fully scope any issues for remediation. The ships, their crews and those supporting them continue to be focussed on progressing these matters in an expeditious manner in order to assist the Chief of Navy for a well-informed decision making process for the lifting of their Operational Pause.
A technical integrity inspection has been completed in both ships and this is being followed by a more comprehensive materiel condition assessment which is underway and is expected to be complete by the end of November 2010. The inspection and assessment processes are key elements in determining what further work may be required before a recommendation can be made to the Chief of Navy for the lifting of the Operational Pause.
How long will it take to fix them?
The rectification of already known defects, and the progression of routine planned maintenance tasks continues in both ships. Furthermore, maintenance availabilities that were already planned for HMAS Kanimbla and HMAS Manoora in 2011 are being advanced into earlier in the year in order to take advantage of the ships’ time alongside in the Operational Pause. These availabilities had already been scheduled as part of the ships’ routine planned maintenance cycles and are key to ensuring a satisfactory materiel state through to the ships’ planned withdrawal from service.
Could they go to sea now?
Neither ship is presently available for routine training activities and this will be the case until the Chief of Navy lifts the Operational Pause. However, both ships could be deployed in an operational emergency. Should this need arise, the Chief of Navy would carefully weigh up the risks, and direct further risk mitigation actions to be taken, before the ships would be deployed. The Chief of Navy’s decision making process would also include the potential assignment of other RAN major fleet units to either replace or supplement these ships in such an operation.
 HMAS Kanimbla at sea |
 HMAS Manoora at sea |
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