Mexican Navy welcomes new POLA-class vessel

February 10, 2020, by navaltoday

Dutch shipbuilder Damen has delivered the long-range ocean patrol (Patrulla Oceánica de Largo Alcance – POLA) class vessel, ARM Reformador, to the Mexican Navy.

A ceremony marking final acceptance and delivery of the newbuild has been held by the Secretariat of the Navy of Mexico (SEMAR).

Speaking at the ceremony, Admiral José Rafael Ojeda Durán, the High Command of the Navy of Mexico, said:

“Today, the Secretariat of the Navy of Mexico (SEMAR) has the great honor to see the culmination of one of its most important naval projects in modern history. This long range ocean patrol vessel has completed its commissioning and trial phase to begin a life at sea in the service of the Mexicans…”

“This is a vessel built in Mexico, for the Mexicans and by the Mexicans. We are proud to have this vessel finished with a significant footprint in the Southeastern region of Mexico and Isthmus of Tehuantepec,” Horacio Delgado, President of Damen Shipyards Mexico, pointed out.

The POLA 101 is described as the most technologically advanced vessel in Latin America and will allow the Mexican Navy to carry out missions such as safeguarding Mexican sovereignty, international security cooperation, law enforcement, long range search and rescue operations and humanitarian aid.

POLA will allow the United Mexican States to increase the surveillance coverage and the protection of their maritime interests beyond the 5 million square kilometers of Mexican jurisdictional waters.

The 107-meter-long vessel is based on Damen’s SIGMA Frigate 10514 and is the tenth of its kind.

For the Mexican project, two out of the six modules were built at Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) in the Netherlands. A Mexican team has been based in the Netherlands to supervise this process and to receive an intensive knowledge transfer. The remaining four modules were built at ASTIMAR 20 in Salina Cruz by the Mexican production team, subcontractors and suppliers. Upon completion, the six different modules were brought together for final assembly, integration, commissioning and trials with assistance from Damen, including an intensive transfer of technology and training program.

Mexican Navy launches ARM Reformador

Mexican Navy’s POLA-class ARM Reformador aces sea trials