BMT will offer its ELLIDA™ multi-role logistics ship design  for the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Joint Support Ship project, SEA2200. SEA2200, which will see Australia buy two new support and supply ships about 16,500 tonnes each.

The ELLIDA™ family of concept designs, launched in 2019, builds on the experience of other BMT designed vessels in-service in the auxiliary market.

BMT says the ELLIDA has been designed with the flexibility to allow the RAN to adapt tthe platform to differing customer mission requirements. The design includes a ro-ro cargo capability, cargo stores and provision to allow replenishment at sea for fuel and dry stores, with a well dock to support amphibious operations.  

ELLIDA™ can transport and deliver troops, vehicles, equipment and supplies to and from anywhere in the world in support of amphibious warfare and littoral operations, offering a versatile mix of ship-to-shore offloading and logistics capabilities to allow naval operations through landing craft, boat operations, multi-spot aviation and replenishment at sea, BMT said in a statement. 

The centre of the ship has two decks withe space for either vehicles, containers or equipment. It can also operate as a humanitarian disaster response vessel, the design is flexible to allow the addition of enhanced medical and/or eeplenishment at sea facilities.

Trevor Dove, senior business development manager, BMT, commented: “With many navies re-evaluating amphibious warfare operations in response to modern mission requirements, it is essential that support vessels are able to keep pace with evolving requirements to ensure vital logistical and supply needs are met. Navies around the world need to be equipped with auxiliary platforms that have the flexibility to support global operations whilst maintaining the highest levels of safely and reliability, and we are confident that the ELLIDA™ family of vessels will deliver against these requirements.”

The ELLIDA™ multi-role logistics ship is the third in the family of vessels designed by BMT for the auxiliary market, complimenting the AEGIR family already in service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and the Royal Norwegian Navy and SALVAS concept. 

In developing the ELLIDA™ design, BMT said it applied the knowledge gleaned through the development of operational concepts against current and future doctrines of several navies. The concept is designed to be able to react to the dynamic functional requirements of military commanders in support of government policy for several different nations.

As the trusted partner for scientific and engineering-led advice, solutions, programmes and services, ELLIDA™ will be designed in Australia, drawing on BMT’s global capabilities in ship design. Operating in six states in Australia since 2005, BMT has been supporting numerous major defence projects including the Air Warfare Destroyer platform design support, Amphibious Assault Ship (LHD) operational safety case and Auxiliary Tanker Double hull design.