Babcock, supported by New Zealand small and medium enterprises, delivered 330,000 hours of work across 492 days. The programme included refurbishment of the propulsion system and extensive work on the ship’s hull to ensure Te Mana is mission-ready for future operations.
The completion of the package follows Babcock’s maintenance work on HMNZS Aotearoa in Singapore late last year. It also comes as the company continues the reactivation of HMNZS Otago to return that vessel to operational service.
Babcock said the work builds on its extensive maintenance capability across Australasia and globally, where it supports ten navies. As the Strategic Maritime Partner to the New Zealand Defence Force, the company operates the country’s largest marine engineering and maintenance support facility in Devonport, Auckland.
“Babcock’s work on HMNZS Te Mana is our largest maintenance package to date, strengthening our long-standing partnership with the New Zealand Defence Force and showcasing the capability we’ve built in country with support from the Navy and our vital supply-chain partners,” said Babcock Australasia Managing Director Simon Spratt.
“Babcock is supported by 600 local New Zealand suppliers, each one critical to supporting the services we provide the Royal New Zealand Navy, and they are integral in supporting the country’s future Defence agenda. More than 91 per cent of Babcock New Zealand’s current expenditure is reinvested back into the New Zealand economy through the provision of services from local businesses. In the last 2 years alone, over $220M of activity has been directed into the local small and medium enterprise network, showcasing Babcock is serious when it comes to supporting uplift sovereign capability.”
