Navantia Begins Building Third Offshore Patrol Vessel for Venezuela

The San Fernando-Puerto Real shipyard on Dec. 10 cut the first steel plate for the third (C-507) of four Offshore Patrol Vessels that will be used for monitoring and protecting Venezuelas Exclusive Economic Zone (Known as POVZEE vessels from their acronym in Spanish).>> The event was attended by a delegation from Venezuelas naval inspectorate, the Comisin de la Contralora General de la Fuerza Armada Nacional (CONGEFAN).>> The POVZEE vessels are a series of four sophisticated ships that Navantia has designed to operate in any geographical area, as much in the open sea as in coastal waters, with no limitation except for tropical and polar extremes. They will be able to carry out different types of missions such as monitoring and protection of Exclusive the Economic Zone; protection of maritime traffic; defense of strategic interests; search and rescue operations; assistance to other ships; humanitarian missions; control of marine pollution; operations against smuggling, drug trafficking and illegal immigration, and environmental monitoring and intelligence.>> This type of ship can carry 92 people as follows: either 52 officers and crew, 8 helicopter crew, 20 trainees and 12 special forces personnel; or 12 officers, 24 petty officers and 56 ratings and seamen.>> The basic characteristics of the POVZEE class are:> - Maximum Length: 98.9 ms> - Length between perpendiculars: 85.8 ms> - Maximum beam: 13.6 ms> - Displacement: 2,419 tons> - Maximum speed: 24 knots> - Propulsion: 4 x 4,400 KW> - Society of Classification: GL>> In addition, the shipyard is also building four BVL-type patrol craft (coastal patrol boats) for the Navy of Venezuela.