The Portuguese Navy’s newest Viana do Castelo-class offshore patrol vessel – the NRP Sines – was commissioned in a ceremony at the West Sea Shipyards on July 20.
NRP Sines enters service after being launched in May 2017 and completing sea trials a year later, in late May 2018.
Portuguese prime minister António Costa, who was the guest speaker at the ceremony, used the opportunity to announce that an additional seven vessels would be built for the Portuguese Navy.
The order consists of further six Viana do Castelo OPVs and a new multi-role vessel. According to the prime minister, the vessels will be worth almost 500 million euros in total. Each new OPV will cost around 60 million euros and will take about two years to build.
“Every euro invested will be worth three because we will strengthen national defense, the scientific system and the Naval industry ” he said.
These vessels will be constructed in the Viana do Castelo Shipyards, nowadays called West Sea Shipyards, in the next six to eight years.
NRP Sines
The newly-commissioned NRP Sines measures 83 meters in length and has a flight deck capable of accommodating a Super Lynx MK95 light helicopter but with no hangar facilities. Sines is the third vessel in its class.
The OPVs are armed with a 30mm Oto Melara Marlin gun, two 7.62 mm light machine gun mounts as well as two launching systems for MK55 Mod 2 mines.
These vessels are designed to operate unmanned systems and are equipped with a single Sagem SA Vigy 10 MKIII naval surveillance and observation platform, three water cannons, and two rigid inflatable boats.
NRP Setubal, a fourth Viana do Castelo-class OPV, will join the Portuguese Navy by December this year, according to the shipbuilder.