Construction
The construction of the MRV was sub contracted-out to Merwede Shipyards in the Netherlands by Tenix Shipyards in Williamstown, Melbourne, with the design based on the commercial RoRo ship Ben my Chree. However, the choice of a commercially based design has been criticised after the ship was delivered, as it placed several limitations on the functionality of the ship in rough seas – rather than the coastal environment for which Ben my Chree was designed.
The keel was laid on 6 September 2005 and the MRV was launched successfully on 11 February 2006. The ship completed initial sea trials in the Netherlands and arrived in Australia in late August 2006 for fit-out with military equipment. Final acceptance was delayed due to alterations to the ships hospital and late delivery of documentation. There were also ongoing concerns, negotiations and redesign activities regarding her performance in heavy seas, doubts about which had already been thrown up during her initial journey to Australia, and in fact, even before actual construction.
The MRV was accepted by the New Zealand Government on 31 May 2007 and commissioned on 12 June 2007 in Port Melbourne, Australia by the then Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark. The ship cost NZ$ 130 million to construct.
She was constructed with an ice-strengthened hull to allow her to operate in the subantarctic waters, where New Zealand claims several islands, and where Canterbury is to assist scientific expeditions.
Read more about this topic: HMNZS Canterbury (L421)
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