Offshore Patrol News

On January 10, the Royal Canadian Navy’s HMCS Margaret Brooke departed Halifax, Canada, on an historic mission - the first circumnavigation of South America and first visit to Antarctica by a Royal Canadian Navy vessel.As part of Operation PROJECTION – South America, the Harry DeWolf-class Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV) will visit ports across South America to strengthen international relationships in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada. While in Antarctica, the ship will support Canadian scientific research…

Generally, government owned vessels, particularly ones engaged in law enforcement, are seemingly last in line when it comes to fuel efficiency. Not so in France, as the Directorate General for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture (DGAMPA), in late 2024 sealed the deal and commissioned the SOCARENAM-MAURIC consortium to design and build an offshore patrol vessel (OPV) which combines hybrid propulsion and wind sails, among other energy saving/emission reduction enhancements.According to the government agency…

Damen Shipyards Cape Town has delivered an FCS 3307 patrol vessel to Homeland Integrated Offshore Service (Homeland IOSL) in Nigeria.This vessel, on charter with an international energy company, will perform offshore patrol duties to enhance the security of personnel, assets, and the environment in Nigerian maritime territories.This delivery marks the tenth Damen vessel to join the Homeland fleet, reflecting ongoing fleet expansion efforts.The FCS 3307 Patrol is equipped with Damen’s advanced Sea Axe hull technology…

Collaboration between the two parties advances with MoU.Damen Shipyards Group has delivered the second in a series of two Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) 2600 to the Pakistan Navy. The vessel, named PNS Yamama, follows the delivery of the PNS Hunain in summer 2024. This latest delivery marks a milestone moment in a long-term relationship beginning with Damen’s earlier construction of the two Yarmook Class vessels, based on the Damen OPV 1900, in 2020. The handover ceremony for the…

The Baltic Sea has become a flashpoint for a multitude of maritime security issues, a driver for the Finnish Border Guard to renew its fleet.The completion of the two new patrol vessels ordered from Meyer Turku by the Finnish Border Guard is progressing, an on December 3, 2024, production was started of the second ship, planned for delivery in 2026.A start of production ceremony was held at the Baltic Operator shipyard in Gdansk. Representatives of the Border Guard, Meyer Turku…

**Austal USA Breaks Ground on New Submarine Module Facility in Mobile, Alabama**Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA announced the commencement of construction on a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility dedicated to submarine modules, known as MMF3. Set to be operational by late 2026, this new building will significantly enhance the company’s capacity to support the U.S. Navy’s Submarine Industrial Base (SIB).The facility will span 369,600 square feet and is specifically designed for the manufacturing of submarine modules.

MAN Energy Solutions has won the order to deliver the propulsion systems for two Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) for the Canadian Coast Guard as part of a consortium with GE Power Conversion.MAN will deliver the engines, shafts and propellers for the AOPS’ integrated diesel-electric propulsion systems and is also providing a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system with each engine.Each vessel will feature 4 × MAN 6L32/44CR engines, each engine delivering 3,600 KW and using MAN’s most advanced common-rail electronic injection system…

Fincantieri, Vard Marine (VARD) and Sandock Austral Shipyards forged a partnership to build ships in Africa -- aiming to effectively reshape the African maritime security landscape -- a collaboration centered on the Afrika Offshore Patrol Vessel (VARD 7 055), a 53-meter patrol vessel tailored for the country's operating environment. The deal gives exclusive marketing and manufacturing rights for the VARD 7 055 to Sandock Austral Shipyards across sub-Saharan Africa.Image courtesy VARD

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri on Tuesday held a steel cutting ceremony marking the start of construction on the first of four next-generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) for the Italian Navy.The four new ships will be built at Fincantieri's Riva Trigoso shipyard in Genoa for scheduled delivery from 2027 onward. The contract also includes options for two additional vessels.The overall value of the first four ships, contracted by Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (OSN), a joint venture owned by Fincantieri (51%) and Leonardo (49%)…

Austal USA held a ceremony marking the official start of construction on the first U.S. Coast Guard Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) to be built at its Mobile, Ala., shipyard. The vessel, named Pickering (WSMM 919), is the lead vessel in a series potentially comprising up to 11 cutters under a contract valued at $3.3 billion.Designed at 360 feet in length, the OPC program is set to replace the Coast Guard's aging medium endurance cutters, filling a crucial role between the open-ocean national security cutters and the coastal fast response cutters.

Irving Shipbuilding has awarded Bardex Corporation a contract for a 165-meter shiplift drydock to support its River-class destroyer shipbuilding program for the Royal Canadian Navy.With a capacity of over 27,000 metric tons, the OmniLift Shiplift will include fifty-six 575-metric ton chain jack lift stations. According to Bardex, the shiplift drydock will be the largest in the Americas.“A reliable, long-term shiplift asset is vital to the success of the River-class program and partnering with the world class Bardex Corporation to implement this project is the first step.

Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (OSN), a joint venture owned by Fincantieri (51%) and Leonardo (49%), has received notification from the Italian Navy that it has exercised its option for the construction of the fourth next-generation offshore patrol vessel (OPV) and the related logistical support.The total value of the operation is about $255.7 million (€236 million).In the coming days, OSN will finalize sub-contracts by notifying the option exercise to Fincantieri and Leonardo, with…

Two new Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) under construction for the Canadian Coast Guard were named during a ceremony at Irving Shipbuilding's Halifax Shipyard. The July 31 event also marked the official keel laying for AOPS 7, and celebrated construction start of AOPS 8.AOPS 7, the first AOPS for the Canadian Coast Guard, will be named CCGS Donjek Glacier after the Donjek Glacier located in Kluane National Park in Yukon. AOPS 8, the second vessel for the Canadian Coast Guard and the final AOPS…

Austal USA on Tuesday held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the official start of construction for its newest final assembly facility in Mobile, Ala.The infrastructure expansion, which will be to the south of Austal USA’s current waterfront facility, will include a new assembly building, waterfront improvements, and a new shiplift system. The project is scheduled to be complete and fully operational by summer of 2026.The construction of this new building and waterfront support area continues the expansion Austal USA began in March 2021 with the groundbreaking of the steel panel line.

Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA on Wednesday held a keel laying ceremony for LCU 1710, marking the official start of construction on the first of three Landing Craft Utility (LCU) vessels for the U.S. Navy.Austal USA was awarded a $91.5 million contract in September 2023 that includes three LCU and associated support efforts.LCU are carried aboard amphibious assault ships to the objective area and used across a range of military operations to deliver vehicles, personnel and cargo from sea-to-shore and back.

Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. (BHGI) has welcomed Brandon Foy, P.E. as a naval architect to its naval architecture and marine engineering firm.Foy holds a Master’s degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the Coast Guard Academy. Brandon is also a registered Professional Engineer in the District of Columbia.Before joining BHGI, Foy was an Officer in the U.S. Coast Guard and served aboard Coast Guard Cutters Hamilton and Resolute.

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri will expand its cooperation with Saudi Arabia through its new unit Fincantieri Arabia, the group said on Wednesday.The Saudi unit will support the kingdom's Vision 2030 development agenda in the cruise, defense and offshore sectors, Fincantieri said in a press release, released on the margins of an industrial conference.State-controlled Fincantieri has extended its presence in the Middle East in recent years.

EDGE and Fincantieri have formalized the launch of a joint venture dubbed MAESTRAL, a JV created in the shipbuilding sector based in Abu Dhabi. The JV is aiming to capture global opportunities in the design and manufacturing of naval vessels. EDGE holds a 51% stake in the JV, with pre-emptive rights for non-NATO orders along with a number of strategic orders placed by selected NATO member countries, with a commercial pipeline of orders estimated to be worth around $32.6 billion.The…

The crew of U.K. Royal Navy’s offshore patrol vessel HMS Trent has seized over $250 million worth of cocaine in the latest drugs bust in the Caribbean Sea, bringing the total drugs seized by the vessel so far to over $640 million.The latest bust came after HMS Trent was alerted to potential smugglers by a United States maritime patrol aircraft and used her powerful radars to track down the suspicious vessel.With the Royal Navy ship closing in, the vessel started throwing bales of cocaine into the sea to try and evade capture.The crew of HMS Trent then had to recover the drugs thrown overboard…

The U.S. House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security will hold a hearing to discuss delays in the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) shipbuilding and acquisitions programs.The hearing, announced by the subcommittee's chairman, Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) on Wednesday, will take place on May 7. It will examine the USCG's shipbuilding and acquisitions process, the state of efforts to modernize the service’s fleet and ways in which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) can facilitate faster turnaround times for USCG acquisitions programs…

Meyer Turku Group's results for 2023 indicate the company's turnover was 1.43 billion euros, which means a growth of 10.6% compared to the previous year.Both the turnover and the number of personnel have been growing for three consecutive years. The loss for the financial year 2023 was 103.8 MEUR (i.e. -7.2% of the turnover).The fiscal year 2023 of the shipyard company was affected by the ship deals that were closed before the covid pandemic, the new prototype ship project and the loss provision for the ship to be delivered in 2024.Beyond that…

If nothing else, building vessels in the U.S. is a complicated business.In a session on the domestic shipbuilding marketplace, at Marine Money’s late-November 2023 conference held in New Orleans, Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards (with more than a dozen facilities, in Mississippi and Louisiana), described his company’s architecture as a “three-legged stool approach: commercial newbuilds, government newbuilds and repair/conversion capabilities”.On the same panel…

Austal USA earlier this month celebrated the start of construction on the first of three LCU 1710 Landing Craft Utility vessels for the U.S. Navy at the company’s Mobile, Ala. shipyard.Austal USA, a subsidiary if the Australian shipbuilding group Austal, was awarded a US$91.5 million (A$143.4 million) contract in September 2023 that includes three LCU 1710 vessels and associated support efforts.Austal CEO Paddy Gregg said the start of construction on Austal USA’s latest steel…