The Finnish Navy’s three Pansio-class minelayers have completed their midlife upgrade program, Atlas Elektronik Finland Oy – the prime contractor on the project – announced.
FNS Pyhäranta, the third and final vessel to undergo the upgrade, was delivered to the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command on Wednesday, November 29.
The first ship, Pansio, was delivered in October 2016 and the second, Porkkala, in May 2017. The contract for the mid-life upgrade was signed in May 2015.
The mid-life upgrade consisted of replacing all ship systems and bringing new systems onboard. The ships were originally delivered in the beginning of the 1990s. Following the upgrade, the ships will now be capable of serving the navy into the 2030s, according to the contractor.
The minelaying and maritime transport capacity of the ships was maintained and support ship functions were developed in the upgrade.
Work on the ships was carried out at the Uudenkaupungin Työvene Oy shipyard on the Western coast of Finland.
“All ships were delivered on schedule and all the customer requirements were fulfilled. The success of this project has been achieved by the professionalism and expertise, the good cooperation, trust and transparency of the whole team,” Jaakko Savisaari, CEO of Atlas Elektronik Finland, said at the handover ceremony. “We, the shipyard, our sub-suppliers, the Logistics Command and the end-users, the Navy, have all shared the same objective.”