Damen delivers the first of three MMIPVs to the South African Navy
The first South African Navy MMIPV. (Photo: Damen)
Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT) received a contract for the three patrol vessels in 2018.
Damen has delivered the first of three Multi-Mission Inshore Patrol Vessels (MMIPVs) to the South African Navy.
Based on the Damen Sea Axe design, the primary role of the three 62 by 11m MMIPVs will be to counter piracy, illegal fishing, and smuggling operations.
Damen said that the MMIPVs ability to accommodate containerised mission modules gives the vessels a ‘true multi-mission capability’.
Work on the remaining two vessels of the class is underway at DSCT. The second will be delivered in 2023 and the third in 2024.
Damen said the vessel would augment South Africa’s maritime security ‘by enhancing the country’s capability to respond effectively, rapidly and cost-effectively to threats such as illegal trafficking and fishing.’
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