Chittagong Dry Dock Limited (CDDL) has received a contract to build six new offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) for the Bangladesh Navy.
The construction of the new ships is part of the long-term modernization program of the Bangladesh Armed Forces.
According to CDDL, the OPVs will be built at a local shipyard in joint collaboration with a foreign shipbuilding company. In this regard, CDDL invited on January 16, 2020, interested shipbuilders to submit their expression of interest (EOI).
As informed, OPVs will conduct surveillance operations, perform constabulary duties like policing, patrolling and anti-smuggling in the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), carry out fishery protection operations in coastal areas and protect offshore resources in EEZ.
In addition, OPVs’ secondary roles would include assistance and disaster relief within coastal areas of Bangladesh as well as search and rescue operations in EEZ.
With a displacement of around 2,000 tons and a maximum speed of at least 12 knots, each vessel would have a minimum length of 85 meters and a maximum breadth of around 14 meters, CDDL said.
The navy has also started the construction of the second batch of five Padma-class patrol vessels. The vessels are being built at Khulna Shipyard.
Naval Today Staff