Damen, Cotecmar to develop Colombian Navy’s next-gen frigates

Colombian state-owned shipbuilder Cotecmar and Dutch shipbuilding company Damen have signed a contract for the co-development of the contractual design for the next generation of frigates for the Colombian Navy.

As informed, the signing ceremony took place on board the frigate ARC Almirante Padilla in the Naval Base ARC Bolivar in Cartagena, Colombia.

The design for the program Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie (PES) is based on the design of the SIGMA 10514 that was successfully constructed in other non-Damen shipyards.

During the contract, the company will update the design in order to meet the requirements of the Colombian Navy.

“The ambition to further develop the established maritime industry of Colombia fits perfectly in Damen’s strategy to cooperate with local shipyards like Cotecmar. We are proud of the successful cooperation in the ongoing project with Cotecmar for the Maritime Authorities DIMAR and we look forward to continue in this next, important milestone,” Damen stated.

Further details of the contract were not revealed.

Earlier on, NavalToday reported that Turkish shipbuilder STM offered its solutions for the Colombian Navy’s PES frigate acquisition program at the Colombiamar 2017 trade fair and congress.

Colombia plans to acquire four frigates under the PES program to replace the existing Almirante Padilla-class vessels, which are expected to be decommissioned in 2024.