The Colombian Navy expanded its fleet of coastal patrol vessels on October 31.
ARC Punta Espada, the first patrol vessel completely constructed in Colombia, was built by the Colombian Navy-run COTECMAR shipyards in Cartagena.
Punta Espada, whose construction started on December 27, 2013, is the third vessel of the CPV-46 class design. It will be crewed by 22 personnel, currently in training, and will operate in the Colombian Caribbean.
The vessel’s operations will include maritime interdiction, patrolling, surveillance of the seas, border control operations to detect, intercept and inspect ships, and controlling and combating transnational crime and drug trafficking.
In Wayuu language, Punta Espada means “where dreams are part of real life.”
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Naval Today Staff, Image: MinDefensa Colombia/youtube