U.S.-based boat builder Metal Shark has entered a partnership with Dutch shipbuilder Damen for the construction of up to 13 near coastal patrol vessels (NCPV) for South American countries.
Metal Shark was contracted by the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command in June this year to build the boats for Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Honduras under the foreign military sales program.
The company has now picked Damen’s SPa 2606 patrol boat design, to build the boats under the $16 million contract.
The 85-foot Defiant-class welded aluminum cutters will be tailored by Metal Shark to suit the requirements of the NCPV mission. The cutter can carry out a wide range of mission profiles including search and rescue, border patrol, police and customs duties, counter-narcotics operations, and securing waters of economic importance.
“Damen Shipyards Group is very pleased to be able to confirm this important partnership. We are convinced that Metal Shark is probably the best and most efficient aluminum yard in North America today and this is a perfect design for them,” Damen’s Jan van Hogerwou commented.
The NCPV fleet will be built at Metal Shark’s Franklin, Louisiana waterfront shipyard.