Following a six-year acquisition program, the Government of the Bahamas has announced the signing of a Letter of Intent to acquire 9 vessels for the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. The contract has been placed with Damen Shipyards Group, headquartered in Gorinchem, the Netherlands.
In announcing the contract, the Minister of National Security, the Hon. Dr. Bernard Nottage, stressed that his Government was determined to protect the security and economic well-being of the people of the Bahamas and this order was a powerful endorsement of this commitment.
The project will include the acquisition of a fleet of various vessel types and the upgrading and construction of three bases in the Bahamas.
The fleet of vessels includes a dedicated roll-on, roll-off landing craft (a Stan Lander 5612) which will be fitted with a 25 tonne crane and demountable disaster relief equipment. Special containers will be acquired to provide emergency relief, medical facilities, desalinated water and sanitary equipment which will rapidly be deployed in the event of a natural disaster. In addition, eight patrol vessels, four of the Damen Stan Patrol 4207 type and another four type SPa 3007, will join the Bahamas’ fleet.
Damen Coastal and Offshore Patrol Vessels already operate for years in the coastal waters of the USA, Canada, Jamaica, Barbados, Mexico, Honduras, Cape Verde and the Netherlands.
The specialised long range patrol craft are designed to operate in the shallow waters of the Bahamas and will help to plug the gaps in the security network while addressing the concern of local fishermen who have been demanding more protection for this vital sector of the economy.
Included in the contract is a mid-life upgrade of the Bahamas Class vessels that entered service in 1999. This upgrade will be undertaken in the Bahamas under Damen’s supervision and will extend the operational lifecycle of these vessels for several years.
[mappress] Damen, April 19, 2013