Bangladesh gets first two OPVs
The Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) has received the first two Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) under a supply contract with Fincantieri for four OPVs, the company announced on 4 August.
The OPVs are upgraded and converted decommissioned Minerva-class corvettes of the Italian Navy. The first two vessels have been renamed as CGS Syed Nazrul (ex Minerva) and Tajuddin (ex Sibilla).
Minerva and Sibilla were retired from the Italian national fleet in May 2015, and were upgraded and converted at the Fincantieri dock in Genoa, Italy, and completed at the naval shipyard in La Spezia.
The next two ships, Urania and Danaide, will be delivered in 2017 after upgrade and conversion. The works will expand the lifespan of these vessels by over 20 years.
BCG will use the vessels to patrol its maritime boundaries and Exclusive Economic Zone traffic and perform environmental pollution containment and civilian assistance missions during humanitarian emergencies.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![SOF Week 2026: US NSW explores 3D-printed USVs for forward-deployed operations]()
SOF Week 2026: US NSW explores 3D-printed USVs for forward-deployed operations
US Naval Special Warfare Command is assessing the feasibility of rapidly producing expendable mid-sized USVs in theatre to support SOF and maritime security missions.
-
![MARSOC selects upgraded Shark Marine dive navigation system]()
MARSOC selects upgraded Shark Marine dive navigation system
MARSOC is procuring the Shark Marine Dive Tablet 2 to address a longstanding combat diver navigation capability gap, improving underwater positioning, situational awareness and integration with existing diver propulsion vehicles.
-
![SOF Week 2026: NSW expands commercial UxS push to maritime platforms as USASOC advances FPV drone effort]()
SOF Week 2026: NSW expands commercial UxS push to maritime platforms as USASOC advances FPV drone effort
The US Army Special Operations Command and Naval Special Warfare are accelerating efforts to integrate commercial uncrewed systems, with NSW broadening its solicitation to include USVs and UUVs alongside new requirements for ISR, kinetic operations and swarm technologies.
-
![SOF Week 2026: US Navy USV completes record eight-day autonomous mission]()
SOF Week 2026: US Navy USV completes record eight-day autonomous mission
The MARTAC T38 Devil Ray USV has set a new endurance benchmark as the US Navy pushes deeper into autonomous maritime warfare.
-
![UK Royal Navy dock build question remains open ahead of Programme Euston tender]()
UK Royal Navy dock build question remains open ahead of Programme Euston tender
The UK MoD’s Programme Euston floating dry dock tender has exposed a question about the UK’s naval industrial base: does Britain still have the depth to sustain its own deterrent without foreign intervention.
