Greece Orders Seven New Coast Guard Patrol Vessels

Greece is acquiring seven new high-speed Coast Guard patrol boats in a €23.8 million investment aimed at strengthening surveillance of the country’s waters, protecting its maritime borders and expanding search-and-rescue capabilities.

Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy Vassilis Kikilias signed the procurement contract during a ceremony at the ministry, with all seven vessels to be built entirely in Greece.

The new MAGNAR 1950 patrol boats will also be used to monitor fishing activity and combat illegal activity at sea.

The vessels will measure 21.29 meters in length and reach speeds of at least 50 knots, with a range of at least 320 nautical miles.

Each will operate with a six-member crew and have the capacity to carry at least 30 people in total. They will also be equipped with modern navigation and communications systems, as well as equipment suitable for search-and-rescue operations.

Kikilias called for the agreed delivery schedules to be strictly observed, with the vessels expected to begin arriving successively within six to 12 months.

“We live in difficult times, amid geopolitical instability,” Kikilias said. “The obligations we have as a ministry and as a Coast Guard are greatly increased, and the procurement of the seven new high-speed vessels is another decisive step in our effort to support the men and women of the Coast Guard.”

He said the goal was to provide personnel with modern equipment to help them meet current and future challenges.

Vessels to Be Built in Greece

The contract was awarded to Viking Life-Saving Equipment Hellas, which will build the vessels entirely in Greece at its facilities in Thebes, northwest of Athens.

Kikilias said domestic construction was also part of a broader effort to strengthen Greece’s shipbuilding industry and increase the country’s ability to produce the equipment it needs.

“From the first moment I assumed my duties as shipping minister, I stressed that operational capability and the ability to continuously strengthen ourselves and eventually become self-sufficient — our ability to produce, and therefore to have strong shipyards and a shipbuilding industry — is a necessary condition in this effort,” he said.

He added that Greek shipyards and companies operating in the sector were becoming increasingly stronger.

Ioannis Georgiadis, a representative of Viking Life-Saving Equipment Hellas, described the contract as a project of strategic importance for Greece and the Coast Guard.

He said construction in Thebes represented an investment in Greek industry, expertise and workers, creating jobs, developing new skills and strengthening the country’s production base.

The contract also includes an option for Greece to acquire up to seven additional vessels of the same type in the future, potentially bringing the total procurement to 14 patrol boats.

Part of Wider Coast Guard Modernization

Kikilias placed the acquisition within a wider effort to modernize the Hellenic Coast Guard, pointing to tenders involving artificial intelligence, drones, sensors and other new systems and infrastructure.

He also referred to tenders for a new Coast Guard operations center, known by its Greek acronym KEPIX, as well as the ESOTHE and VTMS systems.

The minister said the Coast Guard needed the equipment required to adequately police Greece’s borders and carry out its mission.

Kikilias also highlighted the work of Coast Guard personnel, citing his experience visiting Greek islands and joining patrols aboard different types of Coast Guard vessels.

He said safety and the protection of human life remained the top priority, alongside the protection of Greece’s maritime borders.

“I want you to act with confidence and with an awareness of your duty and the difficulties,” Kikilias told Coast Guard personnel. “Above all comes safety and the protection of human life and, of course, our maritime borders.”

Public Investment Program to Fund Purchase

The procurement will be financed through Greece’s Public Investment Development Program under the co-financed “Fisheries, Aquaculture and Sea 2021–2027” program.

The contract also provides for guaranteed operation of the vessels for four years or 6,000 operating hours of their main engines, whichever comes first.

Work covered by the warranty will be carried out without additional financial cost to the Hellenic Coast Guard.

Georgiadis said Viking was committed to delivering vessels with high operational capabilities to support the Coast Guard’s work protecting maritime borders, human life at sea and national security.

“We look forward to seeing the first Greek-built Magnar vessels operating soon in Greek waters,” he said.

Source: tovima.com