Upgrades to Holland-class OPVs pushed back a year
HNLMS Holland, the first of four OPVs built by Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding at its yard in Vlissingen under a €467.8 million contract awarded in 2007. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
The Royal Netherlands Navy’s (RNLN’s) four Holland-class Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) will begin a mid-life upgrade (MLU) programme in 2025, a year later than planned.
The Defence Project Overview 2023 published by the Netherlands MoD on 19 September stated that an MLU would be carried out during the planned major maintenance periods for the Holland-class ships, the first of which now starts in 2025 instead of 2024.
It means the period for the completion of the MLU on all four ships has been cut short by a year to run from 2025–34, but will still be completed across the two major docking cycles planned for the OPVs. The MLU budget has been slated at €50–250 million.
The second major planned period for the OPVs has been scheduled for
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?]()
Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?
As the Iran War draws US ships and marine corps units away from the Indo-Pacific, curtailed exercises and a temporary carrier gap are exposing tensions between Washington’s demand for more self-reliant allies and the joint training needed to realise that ambition.
-
![How could Rheinmetall’s GMF 140 fit with ongoing programmes in North America?]()
How could Rheinmetall’s GMF 140 fit with ongoing programmes in North America?
With Canada committed to its River-class replacement and the USN pursuing a lower-cost frigate, Rheinmetall will need to demonstrate where the GMF 140 can fill a capability gap in the North American fleet.
-
![Australian industry programme builds pipeline for Virginia-class sustainment]()
Australian industry programme builds pipeline for Virginia-class sustainment
Australian businesses can now bid to support Virginia-class submarine sustainment in Western Australia, as momentum around the Henderson Defence Precinct also builds.
-
![South Korea, Japan and Turkey vie for US shipbuilding access in future frigate contest]()
South Korea, Japan and Turkey vie for US shipbuilding access in future frigate contest
Washington’s search for a foreign-built frigate could hand South Korea, Japan and Turkey a larger prize than a double-hull order: a foothold inside the US shipbuilding industrial base.
