Viana do Castelo-class patrol vessel

NRP Viana do Castelo
Class overview
Builders: Estaleiros Navais de Viana do Castelo (ENVC)
Operators:  Portuguese Navy
Preceded by: João Coutinho-class corvette
Subclasses: NPO - ocean patrol vessel and NCP - anti-pollution vessel
In commission: 2010 - Present
Building: 2[1][2]
Planned: 6 to 8 NPC + 2 NCP
Completed: 2
Cancelled: 4
Active: 2
Laid up: 4
General characteristics
Type: Offshore patrol vessel
Displacement: 1,600 tons
Length: 83.10 m (272 ft 8 in)
Beam: 12.95 m (42 ft 6 in)
Draught: 3.69 m (12 ft 1 in)
Propulsion: 2 diesel engines (3,900 kW (5,200 hp) each), 2 electric engines (200 kW (270 hp) each)
Speed: 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) maximum
Boats & landing
craft carried:		 2 x Rigid Inflatable Boats
Complement: 35 accommodation for 32 more
Armament:
  • 1 × 30 mm Oto Melara Marlin WS
  • 2 × General purpose machine gun
Aviation facilities: Medium-sized helicopter pad but no hangar
Notes:
  • Anti-pollution version (NCP)
  • System for recovery and transfer of pollutants spilled on the ocean.
  • Barrier launcher.
  • 2 × Floating tank of "Unibag" type, of 50 m3 each.
  • 1 × Internal coil of vapor circulation, to allow the heating of the existing pollutant products inside of the tanks, to facilitate their extraction.

The Viana do Castelo class is a class of offshore patrol vessels planned by and for the Portuguese Navy, as a result of the NPO2000 Project (Portuguese, Navios de Patrulha Oceânica, for Oceanic Patrol Vessels), that are being constructed in the Estaleiros Navais de Viana do Castelo (ENVC). The eight to ten vessels of this class, specially designed to operate in the waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, will replace the João Coutinho and Baptista de Andrade-class corvettes — currently being decommissioned —, and the small patrol boats of the Cacine-class in their primary fisheries protection role (SIFICAP) and in their search and rescue (SAR) roles. Two of these vessels of the version Navios de Combate à Poluição (NCP) will be fitted with anti-pollution systems — including Fast Oil Recovery systems. These vessels are named after Portuguese coastal cities.

The first vessel, NRP Viana do Castelo (P360), was commissioned on March 2010 after several years of delay. Six additional vessels are planned by the Portuguese Navy as announced in 2016 to be built in 2017 and 2018.

Viana do Castelo was temporarily commissioned with an old 40 mm gun, but the Portuguese navy is acquiring two 30 mm Oto Melara Marlin for the first two vessels.[3][4][5]

Ships

Pennant Name Version Laid down Shipyard Launched Commissioned Status
P360 Viana do Castelo NPO 2004 ENVC 1 October 2005 March 2011 In service
P361 Figueira da Foz NPO 2004 ENVC 1 October 2005 June 2013 In service
? Sines NPC ? ENVC ? ? Cancelled
? Ponta Delgada NPC ? ENVC ? ? Cancelled
? Funchal NPO 2015 West Sea 2017 (planned) 2018 (planned) Under construction
? Aveiro NPO 2015 West Sea 2017 (planned) 2018 (planned) Under construction
? ? NPO ? ENVC ? ? Cancelled
? ? NPO ? ENVC ? ? Cancelled

Armament

Armament consists of a 30 mm Oto Melara Marlin or a 40 mm L/60 turreted gun, and two manned mounts to be armed with 7.62 mm light machine guns as well as two launching systems for MK55 Mod 2 mines. The ships are designed to operate unmanned systems and are equipped with a single Sagem SA Vigy 10 MKIII naval surveillance and observation platform, three water cannons, and two rigid inflatable boats. Each ship is capable of accommodating a Super Lynx MK95 light helicopter.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.janes.com/article/51922/portugal-to-buy-two-more-opvs
  2. ↑ http://www.janes.com/article/53141/portugal-orders-two-more-opvs
  3. ↑ http://dre.pt/pdf2sdip/2010/02/034000000/0722807228.pdf
  4. ↑ http://dn.sapo.pt/inicio/portugal/interior.aspx?content_id=1519305
  5. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
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