Denmark awards patrol ship design contract to Danske Patruljeskibe con…

An artist's concept of a notional patrol ship design. (OMT)

The Danske Patruljeskibe K/S consortium – comprising Terma, Odense Maritime Technology (OMT), and PensionDanmark – has been awarded a contract to design a new class of flexible patrol ship for the Royal Danish Navy (RDN).

Signed on 23 June by the Danish Ministry of Defence's Materiel and Procurement Agency (Forsvarsministeriets Materiel- og Indkøbsstyrelse: FMI) and Danske Patruljeskibe K/S, the contract represents the first stage of a long-term co-operation intended to deliver the RDN a new class of multifunction patrol ship, while at the same time regenerating Denmark's onshore capacity for warship design and build.

In mid-2021 Denmark reached broad political agreement for the acquisition of a new modular patrol ship designed to undertake sovereignty patrols and perform marine environmental/pollution control tasks. In April 2022 FMI confirmed that its preferred route was to pursue a ‘full-service' acquisition – including detailed design, systems integration, construction, and initial in-service support – with Danske Patruljeskibe K/S.

Ship design activity under the current contract is expected to be completed by mid-2025 and will form the basis for a follow-on political decision on the acquisition and construction of new ships. Maximising the role and input of Danish industry, with the combined aim of maximising domestic employment opportunities while ensuring sovereign security of supply, is seen as a key objective by the government.