Damen wins Columbian frigate contract
Illustration of the frigate for the Columbian Navy (Source: Damen)
Damen Shipyards Group has won a contract from Columbia’s Corporacióm de Ciencia y Tecnologia para el Deslarrollo de la Industria Naval, Maritima y Fluvial (Cotecmar) to support the country’s construction of its first domestically built frigate. The deal, signed in Cartagena, will involve the Netherlands-based shipbuilder providing technical support and supplying components for the Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie (PES – Strategic Surface Platform) – which is based on a Damen Sigma 10514 design.
The ship, which will have a length of 107.5m and a beam of 14.02m, represents a breakthrough for Columbia. It is only the third country in Latin America that is capable of building these complex naval ships under license in its own shipyards.
The signing ceremony was attended by a range of senior Columbian Navy personalities, including Vice Admiral Juan Ricardo Rozo Obregón, Commandante de la Armada de Colombia, and Roland Briene, managing director of Damen Naval.
Admiral Rozo noted a “historic day, both for the Colombian Navy and for Cotecmar”. The shipbuilding group’s Briene said that the Dutch company was particularly proud to be able to carry out this order together with Cotecmar.
