Finnish Border Guard’s new offshore patrol vessel christened

August 25, 2025, by Fatima Bahtić

Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku has revealed that the Finnish Border Guard’s new offshore patrol vessel was christened.

As informed, the christening ceremony took place on August 22, 2025, and the vessel was named Karhu. The ceremony took place in the shipyard Uudenmaan Työvene, where the vessel will be equipped. In accordance with the shipbuilding traditions, the godmother gave a speech.

Initially, the Finnish Border Guard ordered two vessels to be built by Meyer Turku. This first ship is scheduled for delivery to its owner in winter 2026, while Mweyer Turku started the construction of the second ship in December last year.

“Our project consisting of two vessels has reached a significant stage as the first vessel has now been christened. Karhu is a concrete evidence of Meyer Turku’s ability to lead a shipbuilding project, from start to finish, in the facilities of our partner shipyards, while still meeting our own high-quality requirements. Today, we celebrate the fact that the first of these two offshore patrol vessels has reached its final form and will be ready to serve the Finnish Border Guard in its various and challenging duties,” said the CEO of Meyer Turku, Casimir Lindholm.

The Chief of the Finnish Border Guard, Vice Admiral Markku Hassinen, added that the project has reached an important stage and that the new vessels are needed in the Finnish security environment that has gone through a fundamental change.

In recent years, significant changes have occurred in both the Finnish and the global safety environment. The change has also posed new and even more demanding challenges to actors within the security field: we must be able to swiftly and effectively react and respond to new challenges.

The Finnish Border Guard’s operational capability in the open sea is, for a significant part, based on continuous operation and preparedness of the multifunctional offshore patrol vessels. The new low-emission and energy-efficient offshore patrol vessels will be at sea for approximately 330 days of the year.

“They will further Finland’s maritime safety significantly. Finns can continue to rely on the Finnish Border Guard’s preparedness and capability in the future as well,” Hassinen also noted.

The new ships will be in service until the 2050s.