Significant Milestone for the Portuguese Navy
On March 31, the Portuguese Navy marked a significant milestone with the commencement of construction on the first of six additional Viana do Castelo-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) at the West Sea – Estaleiros Navais' shipyard in Viana do Castelo, located in northern Portugal.
These new multimission OPVs were ordered on December 29, 2023, under a contract from the Ministry of National Defence as part of the NPO3S (Navios de Patrulha Oceanicos da 3ª série) project, which aims to renew the navy's fleet.
The commissioning of these six OPVs is anticipated between 2027 and 2031. This fleet is engineered to undertake a wide range of missions, including search and rescue (SAR), patrol, surface and underwater surveillance, logistics support, mine warfare, and command-and-control operations.
The new OPVs will enhance the existing fleet, which includes the current Viana do Castelo-class OPVs: NRP Viana do Castelo, NRP Figueira da Foz (NPO1S batch), NRP Sines, and NRP Setúbal (NPO2S batch).
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