Two submarines left the ThyssenKrupp Shipyard in Kiel, Germany and headed to Colombia, November 11. They are expected to arrive at the Naval Base ARC Bolívar by November end.
The Type 206 German submarine acquisition is part of the National Army’s modernization plan with support of the Ministry of National Defense (Colombia). According to the Colombian Navy, the vessels will replace an equal number of subs previously withdrawn from service in the Caribbean Sea.
The newly acquired subs will receive the same names as their predecessors, namely ARC Intrepido and ARC Indomable and will be used for drug interdiction operations.
The purchase agreement for the two submarines was concluded in August, 2012, between Colombian Ministry of National Defense and the German Federal Ministry of Defence.
Modernization and upgrades were performed by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems in Kiel, Germany. Each of the submarines has a displacement of 500 tonnes, accommodates 23 people and measures 49 meters.
These units will strengthen the existing fleet of two ocean-going Pijao-class, type U209 submarines and replace the two Italian tactical SX-506 submarines with 40 years of service in the Colombian submarine force.
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Naval Today Staff, Image: Colombian Navy