Iraqi Navy 60-meter Offshore Support Vessel (OSV 401) Completes Underway Trials

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June 20, 2012

The first of two RiverHawk Fast Sea Frames (RHFSF) Offshore Support Vessels (OSVs) being built for the Iraqi navy completed two days of successful sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico last week, returning pierside to Houma, La., on June 15. The 60-meter multi-purpose OSV is scheduled for for delivery to the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) later this month. The two OSVs are planned for subsequent transfer to the Iraqi Navy in the fall. Under way trials for the second OSV are scheduled later this summer. OSV 401 Al Basra and OSV 402 Al Fayhaa will complement NAVSEA-procured patrol boats and fast interceptors. Al Fayhaa was launched Feb. 1, 2012.

RiverHawk Fast Sea Frames (RHFSF), the prime contractor on the OSV procurement, conducted the trials along with an industry-government team of key sub-contractors. The steel hull and aluminum deckhouse of the vessels were fabricated by Gulf Island Marine Fabricators (GIMF) in their shipyard facility in Houma, La., and Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine (NGSM) provided the ship’s communications, sensor and navigation systems.

The trials were overseen by NAVSEA PMS 325 and the Navy’s Supervisor of Shipbuilding Gulf Coast to identify issues requiring correction prior to final acceptance. Trials included both pier-side and under way machinery, equipment and systems testing to ensure the ship met all contractual and operational requirements.

The OSV is planned to provide a wide range of capabilities, from command and control to support and protection of oil production platforms, to acting as a “mothership” for patrol boats.

The ships are equipped with a vertical replenishment platform, and armament includes a 30 mm MSI Seahawk DS-30 remotely operated gun mount and up to 10 machine guns, including four .50-caliber M2 heavy machine guns and six M240 5.56 mm light machine guns, Mritunjoy Mazumdar reported in March. Each OSV will also carry two fast attack boats (FABs).

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asif iqbal said:

few months back i posted the Chinese patrol boats exported to Iraq here

here are a few pictures of 3 Predator Chinese patrol crafts that

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Jeff Head said:

If by Chinese you mean Taiwan, then yes. Those vessels were built for Iraq by Taiwan and five, (P-101), (P-102), (P-103), (P-104), (P-105) were purcahsed altogether.

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Dolcevita said:

I am pretty sure those are Chinese (PROC) - made patrol boats. For all its worth, even globalsecurity refer to them as Chinese (PROC)

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asif iqbal said:

Ok just re-checked and international arms trader lists them as built in China and delivered all 5 in 2004 funded by US aid

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US Naval Institute said:

It was reformed in 2003 around five Taiwanese-built 28-meter Predator -class patrol boats, calling itself the Iraqi Coast Guard until December 2004, when it assumed the navy title. In early June, following months of preparation, the Iraqi Navy began maintaining a patrol boat on station in its waters around the clock. While coalition naval forces are never far away, the Iraqi boats operate alone with all-Iraqi crews trained by Iraqi instructors, making the navy the first of Iraq's security forces to achieve operational independence across the force.

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Aviation Week said:

This is the third attempt since 2003 to recapitalize the 2,000-man navy. Following its destruction during 12 years of sanctions and bombings, surviving senior personnel and coalition advisers jump-started operations in 2003 with five used Taiwanese-built, Predator-class, 30-meter (98-ft.) patrol boats. But those craft were in poor condition and spare-part shortages usually kept all but one tied up pier-side. In 2005, the navy tried to bring into service six reconditioned Al Uboor-class patrol boats to supplement the 100-ton Predators, but these turned out to be barely seaworthy.

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The Iraqi navy and the U.S. Navy's Naval Sea Systems Command marked the delivery of two 60-meter Offshore Support Vessels (OSV 1/ OSV 2) to the Iraqi navy in a ceremony at the Umm Qasr naval facility, Dec. 20.

The two OSVs, procured as part U.S. Navy's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Program, will help reconstitute Iraq's ability to enforce maritime sovereignty and security in the Northern Arabian Gulf.
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RiverHawk Fast Sea Frames is the prime contractor for the OSV procurement

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