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Bangladesh to get converted Italian OPVs

7th July 2015 - 11:00 GMT | by Shephard News Team

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Fincantieri has been awarded a contract to upgrade and convert four decommissioned Italian Navy Minerva-class corvettes into Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) for the Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG), the company announced on 3 July.

The Italian Navy will replace the four units under its own fleet renewal programme. The four vessels are Minerva, Sibilla, Urania and Danaide. The Minerva and Sibilla were decommissioned in May 2015.

The first two decommissioned corvettes arrived at Fincantieri’s Genova dock on 29 June, where the upgrade and conversion activities have begun. They will be completed at the LaSpezia naval shipyard, after which the OPVs will be handed over to the BCG.

The upgrade and conversion will take around two years to complete, and will result in the four ships’ lifespan being extended by another twenty years. The BCG will use the vessels for maritime border patrol operations and humanitarian emergencies.

The contract also covers related logistics support services.