Israel Shipyards launches first Argentine Coast Guard Shaldag-class patrol boat

The Argentine Coast Guard is set to receive the first of four Shaldag-class patrol boats after it was launched by Israel Shipyards on January 26 and loaded for shipping as commercial cargo.

The lead boat will become part of the Naval Prefecture fleet under the name Guarani, with pennant number GC 195.

Argentine ministry of security ordered the four boats from Israel under a $49 million contract signed in December 2016.

The Argentine Coast Guard will use the boats to patrol the country’s riverine regions. More specifically, they will focus on operations in the Paraguay – Paraná waterway in which a large part of the drug traffic is concentrated.

The 25.5 meter boats have a draft of one meter and reach speeds of 48 knots. They will be crewed by ten members of the naval police force of Argentina and feature a remote-controlled weapon station.