Sources have revealed that the New Zealand navy has taken delivery of the 1,900-ton HMNZ Wellington, the last ship in a 12-vessel modernization program.

The Wellington, which sailed from the manufacturer's dockyard in Australia, arrived at Devonport Naval Base in Auckland to an official welcome that included a haka, the traditional Maori dance done before a battle.

The new ship's commanding officer, Lt. Cmdr. Simon Griffiths, said, "Wellington, like her recently arrived sister ship Otago, is a great asset for (the Royal New Zealand Navy) and and (the New Zealand Defense Force). It is going to deliver a substantial new capability to surveillance patrols and military support operations throughout New Zealand, the south Pacific, and the southern ocean."

It has been further reported that the Wellington is the seventh ship in the Project Protector fleet. It and the recently-commissioned Otago are off-shore patrol vessels. The other ships in Project Protector are the multi-role Canterbury, commissioned in 2007, and four smaller in-shore patrol vessels, the Rotoiti, Hawea, Pukaki and Taupo.

Project Protector fleet requirements were outlined in the 2002 Maritime Forces Review conducted by the defense ministry in cooperation with the Ministry of Fisheries, Customs, Treasury and the Maritime Safety Authority.

According to the officials, the vessels' capabilities include sea lift, coastal and offshore patrol and at-sea training for the Royal New Zealand Navy. In April 2004, the Australian firm Tenix Defense was chosen as the prime construction contractor for ships and other multi-role vessel for the navy. The first steel was cut in 2005.

Both the Wellington and the Otago have a crew of 35 and 10 flight crew to operate a Seasprite SH2G helicopter. The ships have a 9-foot Zodiac rigid-hull inflatable boat for boarding operations as well as for assisting military embarkments. (With Inputs from Agencies)