Artist’s rendering of the Multi-Purpose Support Ship in 7,000 and 9,000-ton variants. Photo: Damen Shipyards
“This is a ship with a revolutionary concept that was conceived by the Portuguese Navy,” Portuguese Chief of Naval Staff Admr. Gouveia e Melo stated.
“It represents a significant advantage in construction, operation, and maintenance costs, with an open modular architecture that allows for quick adaptation according to the missions and tasks assigned to it.”
Portuguese MPSS by 2026
Portugal’s MPSS, NRP D. João II, will join two in-service ships also built by Damen that were transferred from the Royal Netherlands Navy fleet as part of the Dutch government’s cooperative modernization effort with the southern European country.
The entirety of the Portuguese Navy’s MPSS program is funded by the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, an economic recovery package dedicated to member states affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lisbon expects the NRP D. João II’s arrival by 2026.
“The vast maritime area under Portuguese jurisdiction represents a big part of the Exclusive Economic Zones of all European Union Member States,” Portuguese Defence Minister Nuno Melo said during the NRP D. João II’s construction launch.
“Safeguarding this domain is essential, particularly as we face growing strategic competition in the North Atlantic.”
“It is imperative that we strengthen our capabilities to address these threats and secure the resources of our seabed, which are of critical strategic value.”
Source link : https://thedefensepost.com/2024/10/15/portugal-multi-purpose-support-ship/
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Publish date : 2024-10-15 11:46:00
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