Damen Galați Builds Europe’s First Drone Carrier for Portuguese Navy

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The Damen Shipyards Group organized on Thursday, October 3rd, a ceremony to start the loading and laying of the keel at the Damen Galati Shipyard. It is about the construction of a drone aircraft carrier for the Portuguese navy, a first for Romania and the EU.

The contract for the ship was signed by the two parties last November, following a bidding process. The project is financed by the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (RRF) of the European Union, which is part of NextGenerationEU (the economic recovery package to support EU member states affected by the COVID-19 pandemic).
The event was hosted by Jan-Wim Dekker, commercial director of the Damen Group, and had as guests of honor the Portuguese Minister of National Defense, Nuno Melo, and the Chief of Staff of the Portuguese Navy, Admiral Gouveia e Melo.
The multifunctional vessel is part of the range of support vessels of the Damen Group. The range, between 7,000-9,000 tonnes, applies proven standard solutions where possible to ensure fast, reliable and cost-effective construction. Damen cooperated closely with the Portuguese Navy in developing a vessel to meet the specific requirements.
The vessel, NRP Dom Joao offers great versatility, with capabilities that include scientific and technological research, search and rescue, emergency aid, as well as maritime safety and environmental and weather monitoring.
The multipurpose vessel is capable of carrying and launching Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs), Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ( UAV). For the latter, the ship has a 96 x 11 meter heliport.
The 107-meter vessel has 650 square meters of deck space, suitable for the transport of up to 18 TEUs. If required, it can accommodate mission-specific modular systems such as hospitals, hyperbaric chambers and ROV equipment.
To facilitate ocean exploration and research, the multipurpose vessel will be equipped with state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and accommodation for scientific staff.
NRP Dom Joao II is scheduled for delivery in 2026, when she will join two other Damen-built vessels, the 122-meter-long NRP Bartolomeu Dias and NRP D. Francisco de Almeida. The first new patrol ship could enter the equipment of the Romanian Naval Forces in three years
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