Luerssen Australia, an NVL Group company, delivered the first of six Arafura-class offshore patrol vessels (OPV) to the Australian Ministry of Defence. In 2018, Canberra and the German shipbuilder agreed to a contract under the SEA 1180 initiative. The first OPV will be delivered to its home port at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia after the lead ship NUSHIP Arafura, which started construction in November 2018 and was launched in December 2021, undergoes further testing and evaluation. Later this year, it will be handed over to the Royal Australian Navy.
