Decommissioning and Fate
In 2003, the Australian Defence Capability Review indicated the need to replace Westralia with a new, double hulled vessel, which was slated to be purchased in 2005 for entry into service during 2006. Westralia was decommissioned on 16 September 2006 at HMAS Stirling, with about half of Westralia's personnel transferring to her replacement, HMAS Sirius, when she commissioned on the same day.
After being decommissioned, Westralia was sold to the AGR Group and Helix Energy Solutions Group for conversion to a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel. The ship was renamed Shiraz, and was marketed to help South-east Asian companies assess the long-term potential of their oil fields. After leaving Stirling in February 2007, Shiraz was transported to Indonesia, where from May 2007 she was laid-up in Great Karimun and advertised for sale. In December 2009, the vessel was sold to a Turkish ship breaking yard, and was towed to Aliağa, Turkey, where she arrived on 16 January 2010. Shiraz was broken up by Leyal Ship Recycling Ltd.
Read more about this topic: HMAS Westralia (O 195)
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