Damen, Metal Shark partner for NCPVs

Damen Shipyards has entered into a partnership with Metal Shark to construct up to 13 Damen SPa 2606 patrol boats, Damen announced on 12 July.

Metal Shark was recently selected by the US Navy to build Near Coastal Patrol Vessels (NCPVs) for US partner nations under the US foreign military sales (FMS) programme.

Under the terms of the FMS, Metal Shark is building up to 13,85ft Defiant class welded aluminium cutters for the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala and other US partner nations. The company will also supply electro-optical infrared sensors, diagnostic equipment, in-country reactivation, crew familiarisation and test support.

Based on Damen’s Stan Patrol 2606 FMS design, the new vessels will be tailored by Metal Shark to suit the requirements of the NCPV mission. The cutter is designed to carry out an extensive range of missions including search and rescue, border patrol, police and customs duties, counter-narcotics operations and securing waters of economic importance.

Key attributes of Damen’s Stan Patrol 2606 include excellent performance, large payload capacity, economical operating cost and proven durability. Metal Shark has applied its own enhancements to Damen’s patrol platform to provide the crew-friendly functionality found on other Metal Shark patrol craft.