New Israel-built Offshore Patrol Vessel Unveiled for Cypriot Navy

Israel Shipyards Ltd launched a new offshore patrol vessel (OPV) for the Cypriot Navy at a ceremony held last week at its facility in Haifa Bay.

Ordered in December 2015, the new OPV will be delivered towards the end of the year, to be used to protect the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Cyprus.

According to Avi Shahaf, CEO of Israel Shipyards, “The project is of great importance for the company, and we invested our knowledge, experience and ingenuity in order to build and to supply this unique technologically advanced ship. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the Cyprus Ministry of Defence for the trust they invested in Israel Shipyards in order to deliver this vessel”.

The new OPV has a displacement of 430 tons, an overall length of 62 meters, a maximum speed of 32 knots, and carries up to 30 crewmembers plus a Special Forces unit. Installed on the vessel are multiple sophisticated systems including 2 Rafael Typhoon Weapon Stations, advanced radar, electro-optical payloads, communications systems including satellite communications, navigation systems, command and control systems, and more.

Based on the battle-proven SAAR 4 and SAAR 4.5, Israel Shipyards’ OPV is available in a 62 or 58-meter length. Among the wide range of missions supported by the OPV are open sea patrolling and surveillance operations, as well as those related to seaborne terrorism, smuggling and illegal activity interdiction. The OPV is also ideal for offshore facilities protection, support of special operations forces, Search and Rescue operations, fishing control, and anti-pollution missions.

The OPV can accommodate a variety of advanced weapon configurations including a remotely controlled naval gun, 2 x 0.5" / 7.62 mm stabilized gun mounts, a Command and Control system, and Search Radar. It can also support the most advanced day and night vision systems, ARPA Navigation Radar, ECDIS, and, optionally, medium-range missiles. The OPV is certified by Lloyd's and complies with international regulations regarding stability, hull construction, navigation systems, etc.