HMAS Eyre Marks Second Arafura OPV as Australia Expands Naval Capabilities
Australia’s Royal Australian Navy commissioned HMAS Eyre, the second of six Arafura-class offshore patrol vessels, at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia. Built by Civmec at Osborne, Eyre joins HMAS Arafura to patrol Australia’s maritime approaches with an 4,000-nautical-mile range and enhanced crew facilities, and is designed to accommodate containerised mission systems for surveillance and interdiction, humanitarian relief, and regional engagement. The remaining four OPVs are under construction at Henderson Shipyard in WA, continuing a broader upgrade alongside Evolved Cape-class patrol boats to bolster maritime security and disaster-response capabilities across the region.