The development of the class was intended to allow a wider range of cargo to be carried that a conventional RORO ship would not accommodate, in addition to supporting military supply operations.

In August 2005, Avatar was part of the multilateral Exercise Deep Sabre as a hijacked vessel, being boarded by Naval Diving Unit commandos.

The Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosive (CBRE) Defence Group, Japan Coast Guard and Australian Customs Service were also involved in the operation.

[8] In July 2016, Avatar was berthed in the Port of Kaohsiung when Typhoon Nepartak impacted Taiwan with wind speeds reaching as high as 150 km/h.

Avatar narrowly missed colliding with a Republic of China Navy Cheng Kung-class frigate before being pushed back alongside, with the assistance of two tugboats.