NEW ZEALAND NAVY
The Royal New Zealand Navy’s auxiliary ship HMNZS Aotearoa returned to Auckland after a 307-day deployment which saw her sail over 31,000 nautical miles. During this time she resupplied Scott Base and McMurdo Station in Antarctica as well as refuelling ships of partner nations in waters around the Korean Peninsula and the greater Indo-Pacific area.
During her time away, Aotearoa acted as fleet tanker for ships of the navies of France, Japan, the United States, Vietnam, Canada, Australia, the Philippines and Singapore. She also hit the news after transiting the disputed Taiwan Strait, which saw her shadowed by up to seven Chinese warships.
The 26,000-tonne displacement ship, which commissioned in July 2020, is ice-strengthened and winterised to facilitate operations in Antarctica’s weather conditions.…