Construction starts on Colombian Navy’s PES frigate

February 6, 2026, by Fatima Bahtić

Construction has started on Colombia’s first Strategic Surface Platform (PES) frigate with a ceremonial first steel-cutting at the COTECMAR shipyard in Cartagena.

As informed, the event took place on February 5, 2026, and marks the start of what Colombian authorities describe as the largest naval engineering project in the nation’s history.

COTECMAR noted that the building of the vessel makes Colombia “the third country in Latin America with the capacity to design, build, and maintain vessels of high technological complexity”.

In September 2022, the Colombian Ministry of Defense announced that COTECMAR and Damen Naval would develop the new frigate. The vessel will have a length of 107.5 meters and a beam of 14.02 meters.

The PES frigate will be constructed using a modular block strategy, with its hull assembled from 52 individual steel blocks.

Based on Damen’s SIGMA 10514 design, the ship will have a displacement of about 2,800 tons, featuring advanced multi-mission capabilities for anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare.

Key systems will include Saab’s 9LV combat management system, Sea Giraffe 4A radar, BAE Systems’ Bofors 40 Mk4 gun, and Terma’s C-Guard decoy launcher, among others.

Construction will take place at COTECMAR’s Cartagena shipyard with delivery expected around 2030.