February 10 - Boskalis subsidiary Dockwise has delivered the hull of the Australian Landing Helicopter Dock (ALHD) Adelaide from Vigo, Spain to Melbourne, Australia on board its semisubmersible heavy lift vessel, Blue Marlin.
This shipment follows the delivery of the hull of the ALHD Canberra, which was reported by HLPFI on October 19, 2012.
The hull of the ALHD Adelaide, which was manufactured by the Spanish shipbuilder Navantia, will be discharged in Melbourne and floated off in the middle of Port Phillip before being delivered to BAE Systems' shipyard in Williamstown for completion.
The Adelaide and her sister ship Canberra are each 230 metres long, weigh 27,000 tonnes and can carry 1,100 personnel, 100 armoured vehicles and 12 helicopters.
The delivery of these vessels is part of a programme commenced by the Australian Government to increase its Amphibious Deployment and Sustainment (ADAS) capability to support a land force.
The Spanish company Perez Torres Maritima acted as the agents for this operation.
Watch a video of the loading process here:
