Under the responsibility of the design, integration, and construction of Dearsan Shipyard, the ceremony of laying the keels on the slipway for two 76-meter Offshore Patrol Ships, the production of which started within the scope of the needs of the Nigerian Naval Forces Command, was held at Dearsan’s shipyard in Tuzla.
The ceremony was held on Friday, September 16, 2022, with the participation of Nigerian Defense Minister Bashir Salihi Magashi, Dearsan Chairman of the Board Aziz Yıldırım, Commander of the Naval Forces Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, Deputy Minister of National Defense Muhsin Dere, Nigerian Ambassador İsmail Abba Yusuf, Nigerian Defense Minister Bashir Salihi Magashi and Nigerian Naval Forces Commander Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu GAMBO, as well as many members of the navy, guests and members of the press.
Stating that the guests examined the first blocks of the 76-meter-long patrol ships, Dearsan gave more information about the technical features of the two OPV-76 ships. The ships are 76.90 meters long, have a beam of 11.90 meters, and have a displacement of 1100 tons.
Each will be armed with a single 40mm Leonardo Auto Marlin gun, a single 30mm Aselsan Smash remote-controlled weapon system (ROWS), two 12.7mm Aselsan Stamp SATIRs, and two manually-controlled 12.7mm machine guns.
Combat equipment will include a Gem Elettronica Sair-2D X-band radar for surface and air search and tracking, and a Gem Elettronica Electro-Optical Fire Control System (EOFCS) with day and infrared cameras, as well as a laser range finder. Havelsan will supply the Advent combat management system and GVDS ship data distribution system, while Yaltes will supply the operator consoles.
Four MAN 18VP185 diesel engines in a combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) configuration will have a maximum speed of 28 knots and a range of 2,500 nautical miles/16 days. The number of crew is 47. A flight deck can accommodate a helicopter, but there is no hangar. Two RHIBS will be carried out for interdiction and other missions.
The contract for the two ships was signed on September 11, 2021. At the time, Gambo said Dearsan was selected based on its track record and cost-effective pricing. He added that the acquisition is part of a fleet renewal effort in line with the Nigerian Navy’s Strategic Plan for 2021-2030.
The new ships will be used for maritime interdiction operations, surveillance, and special forces operations, as well as providing naval fire support to ground forces. Gambo said, “OPVs will also be able to conduct search and rescue operations, anti-piracy, anti-trafficking and anti-drug trafficking operations, among others, and disaster relief operations.”
After the speeches, Dearsan Chairman of the Board Aziz Yıldırım, Naval Forces Commander Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, Deputy Minister of National Defense Muhsin Dere, Nigerian Defense Minister Bashir Salihi Magashi, and Nigerian Naval Forces, Commander Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu GAMBO attended the representative welding ceremony. After the group photo shoot of the protocol members and the presentation of gifts prepared for the memory of the day, the guests went to the cocktail area established at DEARSAN shipyard and examined the first blocks of two 76-meter patrol ships, which were started to be produced for the Nigerian Navy.