Keel laid for first Bulgarian Navy MMPV at MTG Dolphin
The keel-laying ceremony for the first Bulgarian Navy MMPV. (Photo: MTG Dolphin)
The keel has been laid for the first of Bulgaria’s two MMPVs, which are scheduled for delivery in 2025 and 2026.
On 17 June, the keel for the first Bulgarian Navy Multipurpose Modular Patrol Vessel (MMPV) was laid at the MTG Dolphin yard in Varna.
Based on the Lürssen OPV-90 design, the two vessels under the project will measure 90m long and displace 2,300t. The first keel block for the ship weighed 47t. Shephard Defence Insight estimates the cost of each ship to be $236.5 million.
A deal for the two vessels between the Bulgarian MoD and Germany's Lürssen Werft, which established a Bulgarian subsidiary called NVL, was reached in November 2020.
The ships are being built in Bulgaria by MTG Dolphin as a subcontractor to NVL Group.
During the ceremony, Bulgarian Navy Commander RAdm Kiril Mihaylov announced the first of the two MMPVs would inherit the name of the historical Bulgarian Navy torpedo boat Hrabri, meaning ‘brave’.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Multipurpose Modular Patrol Vessels (MMPV) (1-2) [Bulgaria]
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Second Royal Canadian Navy Joint Support Ship is on schedule to be launched mid-2026]()
Second Royal Canadian Navy Joint Support Ship is on schedule to be launched mid-2026
While the first Joint Support Ship is currently in the final stages of outfitting, the second one is on schedule for launching next year.
-
![Is South Korea finally being taken seriously for Western submarine programmes?]()
Is South Korea finally being taken seriously for Western submarine programmes?
South Korean shipbuilders are beginning to make their mark beyond Asia, competing for major North American and European submarine programmes and becoming serious contenders on a global scale.
-
![AUKUS Pillar 2 could narrow focus to “four key areas” says UK official]()
AUKUS Pillar 2 could narrow focus to “four key areas” says UK official
Few concrete ideas have emerged so far on which “advanced capabilities” will be brought forward under Pillar 2 of the AUKUS partnership, but the Pentagon’s review of the programme could bring more clarity.
