Approval in Principle Granted for AMA’s Littoral Maneuver Vessel

The Australian Maritime Alliance (AMA) has confirmed that its Oboe offering for the Australian Army’s LAND 8710 Phase 1A Littoral Maneuver Vessel – Medium (LMV-M) tender has been granted ‘structural approval in principle’ by the Class Certification Society DNV.

AMA, a joint venture between Serco and Civmec, was created to ensure Oboe meets the Army’s requirements and operational criteria.

The Oboe is a state-of-the-art amphibious vessel capable of carrying a diverse range of combat and support vehicles in service with the Australian Army and its allies. 

In addition to a significantly increased load carrying capacity over the LCM-8 vessels they will replace, the Oboe offers both an extended range and generous accommodation facilities to support long endurance independent operations.

The Oboe’s size, load carry capacity and structural integrity will allow the Australian Defence Force to confidently deploy and operate these vessels under all environmental conditions, offering the Army an immediate step-change in operational capability and bringing the inherent design flexibility to meet the challenges of the future.

With a new ship assembly hall, Civmec’s production facilities in Henderson, Western Australia offer unmatched shipbuilding capacity as one of the largest fabrication workshops in the country.

Serco Defence Managing Director Clint Thomas AM, CSC, said, together as AMA, Serco and Civmec are partnering with the ‘best of breed’, bringing together a powerhouse of Australian defense capability to ensure the Oboe exceeds Army requirements and operational criteria: “This design represents the next-generation in amphibious capability for Army, and with a stellar line up of the best Australian Industry has to offer, AMA is set to deliver just that.”